Hospital stands as witness to nations' friendship

The China-Japan Friendship Hospital is the one closest to where I live and work in Beijing, so it is my first choice when I need to see a doctor.

During one visit, probably brought about by influenza, I discovered a tall statue of a Chinese monk in the hospital's garden.

I asked myself why a statue of a monk, and not a doctor or nurse, had been erected at a hospital rather than at a temple. Although the flu made me dizzy, I wanted to find out, so I approached the statute in the hope of discovering the answer.