As the leading light of the national "Brightness Journey" initiative, foreign aid expert Liu Hua, vice-president of the Jinzhou Medical University in Liaoning province, has led medical teams on dozens of international projects, and helped strengthen ties of friendship between China and the world.

"The past decade has been a very valuable experience. Giving is also rewarding. As a doctor, I am very happy to help," Liu said.

Due to the insufficient number of ophthalmologists, equipment shortages and travel issues, cataract patients in many developing countries often do not receive treatment in time.

So far, Liu and her team have undertaken medical aid programs in Yemen, Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Maldives, Burundi and Mauritania. They have successfully performed free surgery on more than 700 cataract patients, helped train more than 100 doctors, and set up two overseas ophthalmology centers.

Kaung Htet Aung, an international student from Myanmar, is particularly moved by Liu's contribution. He said that his dream is to learn from the professor and to become a skilled medical worker in the future.

Thanks to her excellent medical skills and humanitarian spirit, Liu and her team have won recognition and praise from foreign governments, health departments, hospitals and patients, and have become trusted doctors for patients across Africa and Asia.

Chen Mo contributed to this story.