Fifteen, Campus in the Morning

  Monday was the first day of formal classes. At 6:00 in the morning, the alarm clock rang. Lin Fanghua hurriedly pressed down the alarm clock to avoid disturbing her sisters who were still dreaming. She quietly put on her sports clothes, drank a few mouthfuls of water, and went downstairs for a run.

  It was a straight and spacious tree-lined road with tall camphor trees and ginkgo biloba on both sides, leading all the way to the main gate of the campus. The leaves of the ginkgo biloba had already turned slightly yellow in early autumn, contrasting with the dark shadows of the camphor trees, creating a patchy yet harmonious beauty.

  To the left of the school gate is a standard athletics track, where Lin Fanghua jogged two and a half laps on the 400-meter standard track before relaxing at the gymnastics equipment area beside the track, stretching his tendons and whatnot. This was just the beginning of his training plan; after adapting for a while, Lin Fanghua planned to increase his exercise volume to four laps per day, or more if his physical strength allowed it.

  It was only a little after six o'clock, but there were already not a few people running on the sports field, mainly still more boys, and Lin Fanghua also saw several male classmates of the same grade. Among the figures of young people, some middle-aged people were mixed in, who should be school staff or family members. Several old men with white hair could also be seen strolling along the tree-lined roads on campus, or practicing Tai Chi on the lawn.

  The campus in the morning is quiet and full of vitality.

  Lin Fanghua returned to the dormitory and finished washing up, it was not yet seven o'clock. The sisters in the dormitory had just woken up one after another. Zhou Yu, who was sleeping at the door, poked her head out of the mosquito net and complained: "I'm telling you, Old Er, how can you be so energetic? You got up at six o'clock, please! Class doesn't start until eight o'clock, okay?! It's still early enough to get up at seven thirty!"

  Lin Fanghua bluntly threw the towel hanging on the door to Zhou Yu's face: "Boss, I'm begging you, going to bed early and getting up early is good for your health, don't you know?! Who told you to stay up late at night and can't get up in the morning?! You're the latest riser in the whole dorm! Can't you behave like a senior sister?!"

  Zhou Yutou jumped out of bed with a towel on her head: "I'm very big sister-like! The two books I rented yesterday, didn't I lend them to you guys?"

  Lin Fanghua shook her head, unable to do anything about this big sister. Zhou Yu was a person who could be described as either a young woman with a passion for literature or a super fanatic. She had read Jin Yong's works repeatedly in middle school, and could recite Xi Murong's poetry and prose from memory. Now she was obsessed with Gu Long and Wen Rui'an, and would stay up late at night after the dormitory lights were out, lighting candles to continue reading.

  Lin Fanghua rushed to the door and Wang Jui, who had already gathered her things, nodded in agreement, just as they were about to leave together. Yang Qian, who had just returned from the bathroom, burst through the door: "Wow, there are so many people in the bathroom this morning, everything has to be lined up... Oh, Lao Xiao, you guys are leaving? Remember to save me a spot in row 2 or 3! I'm afraid that if I'm late, there won't be any good seats left!"

  Kuo Ling, who was wearing contact lenses at her desk by the window, also chimed in: "Help me grab one too!"

  Lin Fanghua turned around and said: "Got it, I'll take one, everyone in the dormitory has one!" Behind her was a burst of laughter.

  Lin Fanghua and Wang Juhui rushed to the cafeteria. The cafeteria opened at 6:50, and there were few people in line, so they didn't need to queue up. They bought porridge, buns, pickled vegetables, and tofu, and quickly finished their breakfast. The food at the medical university was still good, cheap and affordable, and the self-made tofu in the cafeteria was very fragrant, better than the tofu sold outside. In the past, when Lin Fanghua got up late and didn't have time, she would buy a bun, split it open, put half a piece of tofu inside, and finish eating on the way to class, which was economical, convenient, and delicious. The only inconvenience was that the cafeteria did not provide tableware, nor were there cabinets set up around to store tableware. Since the girls' dormitory was far from the cafeteria, many girls had to carry a lunch box in their backpacks, so they could go straight to the cafeteria for meals before and after class without having to go back to the dormitory building to get tableware. Therefore, the backpacks of medical university students were generally very large, and there were often "clinking" sounds coming from inside, which was also a scene.

  When they walked out of the cafeteria, it was exactly 7 o'clock, and the sound of "ding-dong" echoed from afar. This bell only rings at 7 am and 7 pm on the hour, and is silent at other times to avoid disturbing people's rest. The so-called "morning bell and evening drum", the school has a clock tower that was built in the 1920s with a mix of Chinese and Western architectural styles, it is the school's iconic building, its silhouette often appears on official documents, postcards, envelopes, and letterheads representing the school, and the emblem of the Medical College is designed around the clock tower. According to old Huaxi people, the bell sound was really beautiful. However, in order to protect the cultural relic of the ancient bell, the school had long since stopped ringing the real bell and replaced it with an electronic bell sound. Fortunately, the electronic bell sound is also very melodious, every time Lin Fanghua hears it, she can't help but think of that song "Jing Jing Campus"

  "The campus bell rings ding-dong, interweaving countless beautiful dreams... The forest in the garden is lush and green, how many dreams are under the trees... La la la la la la, the years of growth are the most unforgettable..."

  When Lin Fanghua and Wang Ju arrived at the lecture hall of Shangda University, it was only around 7:10, but there were already a dozen or so classmates sitting in the classroom. It seems that among the four to six small classes that make up the Second Middle School class, there are also many diligent students.

  Carrying on the tradition of 80 years, the good academic style of Medical University is well-known in all universities in the city and even in the province. Most students are very diligent, and every night in the classrooms and reading rooms of the four major teaching buildings that are open, there are almost no empty seats.

  Occupying seats and studying is the main theme of medical students' lives. Before the final exams, because a seat is hard to find, there are often quarrels over occupying seats. At this time, some students occupy seats by locking their bags to the desk with chains to ensure their ownership. Those who use ordinary books to occupy seats will have to search for their books in a big pile of things thrown on the podium when they come back to the classroom. Of course, studying like this is a bit crazy, but it's also a characteristic of medical students.

  Lin Zhengyu came on Saturday and saw the grand scene of the medical university's evening self-study, even on weekends. He was deeply moved. Because the physical education institute usually doesn't have anyone studying late at night, while other universities in C city are better than the physical education institute, but compared to the medical university, they are just small magic tricks. Xihua Medical University, as an old-brand famous school, is indeed not a vain reputation.

  Early morning is also a moment when the learning atmosphere on campus is very strong. Not only in classrooms, but also in corridors of teaching buildings, on quiet paths all over the campus, by the peaceful and beautiful lotus pond, under the long wisteria corridor, one can see students holding books in their hands, reciting quietly everywhere.

  Lin and Wang quickly took out several notebooks and stationery, scattering two or three of them in the golden positions of rows 2 and 3 to reserve seats for their sisters. Then, they sat down side by side, joining the early morning study session. Since they had just eaten breakfast, it wasn't suitable to read books, so Lin Fanghua took out her Walkman to listen to English and practice her listening skills, which was equivalent to taking a break.

  The courses in the first year are very basic, mainly including medical physics, advanced mathematics, politics, computer BASIC language, inorganic chemistry and biology. To be honest, with China's national conditions, except for biology, these science and engineering courses are basically hard to use in future hospital clinical work. Many people do not realize the importance of these basic courses.

  In fact, medicine is a truly comprehensive discipline, the pinnacle of science, and top-level science.

  Look at the process of cultivating doctors in developed countries such as the UK and the US. To become a medical student, one must first study for 4 years in a regular university, focusing on basic courses in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and obtain a Bachelor of Science degree before being eligible to apply to medical school. Then, after studying clinical medicine-related courses for about 4-5 years and obtaining a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, one must intern at a large hospital for several years and pass the licensing exam to have the qualifications to practice medicine. At this point, one is only a general practitioner, and to become a specialist, one must undergo several more years of training. It's not until around 35 years old that one can truly become an expert in clinical medicine. Doctors cultivated through this process are "precious", with staggering time and financial investments that ordinary people cannot afford. However, society also rewards them highly, as doctors have always been one of the most respected and highest-paying professions abroad.

  However, the domestic medical education system has deviated greatly from the special nature of medical education, and it is indeed oversimplified. After graduating from high school, students can study for 6 years, including a one-year internship, to become a doctor. In recent years, this 6-year program has been further reduced to 5 years, with West China Medical University changing to a 5-year program in 1988, and other domestic medical universities also undergoing similar education reforms. Only Peking Union Medical College has consistently adhered to an 8-year medical program, but the doctoral degree it confers, MD, is different from those conferred by foreign countries and is recognized by only a few countries. In short, the time it takes to complete medical education and become a doctor in China is greatly reduced compared to foreign countries.

  Although China has a large population and is in great need of doctors, it cannot afford to sacrifice one for the other and completely break away from international medical education traditions. The biggest problem facing China's medical community at present is the lack of continuity between old and new generations. Most domestic medical experts with international reputation were trained before liberation, when the length of study in medical schools was the same as abroad and their qualifications were recognized by foreign countries. However, after liberation, changes in the education system led to a large number of doctors being produced quickly, which improved people's medical conditions but resulted in qualifications not being recognized by foreign countries. More importantly, young medical scholars lack depth and foundation, perhaps they are fine in terms of clinical skills, but they lack broad and comprehensive basic knowledge and do not have sharp and far-sighted vision, making it difficult for them to become leading figures. After all, how can the quality of mass-produced quick training be compared with others who spend ten years honing their skills?

  It's not just medicine, other sciences in China also have similar problems. Although the intelligence and hard work of Chinese people are world-renowned, those who truly achieve results, have a wide impact, or win Nobel Prizes are often overseas Chinese. It's likely that the domestic education system has stifled many budding geniuses. True great scientists are not bookworms or one-trick ponies; they tend to be well-versed in both arts and sciences, with a balance of rationality and sensibility. The broader their knowledge base, the better they can grasp and adapt to the direction of scientific development.

  What's even more tragic is that China's education system is getting worse and worse, with no end in sight. The medical education system is still being shortened, with various medical universities rushing to introduce 7-year master's programs and doctoral programs, which are just a quick fix. A few years later, the expansion of college enrollment was a hasty and short-sighted move that only made things worse, leading to a decline in educational quality. Is it meaningful to cultivate so many university graduates who can't find jobs? The person who proposed "education industrialization" must have had ulterior motives, as this is clearly strangling China's national destiny. Furthermore, the trend of university mergers caused by the so-called "211 Project" has also had a huge impact on old-brand medical universities like Xihua Medical University. After merging with C University 10 years ago, not only did we fail to experience the benefits of interdisciplinary integration and improved student comprehensive quality, but we also lost our traditional campus culture and sense of pride and honor. The ranking of Xihua Medical Center in the domestic medical community has been declining ever since, and it no longer has the prestige it once had as one of the top three medical universities along with Peking Union Medical College and Central South University.

  In the early 1990s, perhaps it was the beautiful Hua Xi Dam, which was once a paradise for students in the rear of the War of Resistance against Japan, and witnessed the last era of academic style of Hua Xi people.