Bai Hua [Xinhua/Feng Kaihua]

Bai Hua was born in 1997 into a rural family in Kouzhuang, a village in Yuanzhou, a district in Guyuan, a city in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. During the past several years, she has been working as a veterinarian in Yuanzhou's rural areas. 

Compared with little animals (such as cats and dogs), she prefers to treat cows, sheep and other large animals, as she considers the work "more challenging."

Pink is Bai's favorite color. She believes the pure color has strong healing power. She is always fully armed for the "battle" of treating domesticated animals (in farmers' cowsheds and sheepfolds), wearing a pink gown and a pair of pink gloves, and using a pink medicine box and a pink stethoscope.

In 2022, Bai began sharing, via online videos, her experiences while visiting breeders to treat their domestic animals. During the past year, she has attracted more than three million fans on social media platforms.

She has nearly 15,000 WeChat friends, most of whom are breeders of domesticated animals. She is busy as a bee, as she receives dozens of phone calls from breeders every day. Sometimes, she visits breeders at night, to provide emergency treatments to their animals.

She is often kicked, especially by oxen, when she is treating the animals, and as a result the skin on Bai's legs is covered with black and blue bruises. However, she has never thought about taking another job. "I feel a sense of accomplishment, as my work is related to lives," says Bai. She wants to be a top veterinarian.

The cattle-raising industry in Guyuan is one of the pillar industries for farmers, who are seeking to live better lives. As she is aware that an ox is of great value to a farmer, Bai always tries her best to treat the animal. 

Influenced by Bai, several young veterinarians, born during the 1990s, returned to their hometown to join Bai's team. Bai's heart is filled with delight as she read the messages posted online by many young people, who informed Bai they wanted to become veterinarians. 

To improve her medical skills, Bai makes special trips to various regions of the country every year, to attend training, at her own expense. She hopes she will open an animal hospital (in Guyuan) in the future, so she can serve more rural breeders of domesticated animals.

(Women of China English Monthly June 2023 issue)