Frontline medics and master chef honored

To mark their contributions to society, an awards ceremony for the "2019 top 10 inspirational role models in Shanxi" rated by the local media was held in Taiyuan on July 10.

Wang Zhanglong, head chef of Shanxi Guildhouse, was one of these figures. Wang is known for his skill in making a variety of noodles.

At an international event hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the promotion of Shanxi province on Feb 25, 2019, Wang displayed his stunning skills to a worldwide audience.

Out of 4 kilograms of wheat flour, he made a balloon with a diameter of 2 meters and noodles as thin as hair.

Wang, in his late 30s, is said to be capable of making more than 100 kinds of noodles. He has been a regular winner of cooking competitions throughout China.

He made his international debut in 2014 when he cooked in front of 158 ambassadors at the United Nations headquarters in New York. After that, he visited more than 20 countries to advocate unique Shanxi noodle dishes.

"Shanxi is renowned for its variety of noodles. As making noodle dishes has developed into a culinary art and culture in Shanxi, I'm proud of my status as an envoy to promote this art," Wang said.

Also present at the awards ceremony were Qiao Sukai, an expert engineer in nuclear power generation equipment maintenance; Xu Junze, a model teacher at Changzhi No 2 Middle School; Wu Zhihua, a community official; and Wang Xiang, a firefighter who has been involved in countless rescue missions over the past two decades; as well as village officials Xing Wangli and Ye Zhuai.

A special award was granted to medical workers who have fought on the front line against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

From Jan 26, Shanxi dispatched 13 medical teams with 1,516 members from 189 medical institutions to Hubei province, the center of the epidemic in China.

They worked in 16 hospitals in the cities of Wuhan, Xiantao, Tianmen and Qianjiang. There they treated 3,527 patients, with a collective recovery rate of more than 95 percent.

The teams also carried out 18,000 nucleic acid tests and 3,377 CT scans, and trained more than 6,200 local medical workers. During their two-month tour, no cases of infection were reported among the medics.

"Nobody is born a hero. The heroes are always those who are determined to shoulder their responsibility when there is a need," said Xue Jian, one of the organizing officials of the awards ceremony.

Guo Yanjie contributed to this story.