Film Title: The Great Doctor of a Small Hospital

Genre: Youth Inspirational Romance Film
Duration: 120 minutes
Filming Rights Fee: NT$1,200,000

Synopsis

Yang Wenhua, a young man of the Tsou tribe from Alishan, was diagnosed with autism at an early age. During his school years, he had a childhood sweetheart, Hsieh Tzu-en, the daughter of a Canadian pastor named Richard Hsieh. In their second year of high school, Tzu-en collapsed during class and was diagnosed with acute leukemia after being taken to the hospital. During her treatment, Wenhua accompanied her closely. Her illness drastically changed Wenhuas life plans: instead of pursuing computer engineering, he decided to study medicine. After their senior year, Pastor Hsieh decided to take Tzu-en back to Canada for further treatment. Before leaving Taiwan, Tzu-en made a ten-year promise to Wenhua: if she recovered, she would return to Taiwan during the Tsou tribe’s “Life Bean Festival” and be with him forever.

Lin Xiuling, born in Shanghai, was among the first batch of Chinese exchange students. Her father, a successful Taiwanese businessman in Shanghai, had high hopes for her. Xiuling, both beautiful and elegant, was the campus beauty admired by many, but with a strong independent streak, she diplomatically kept her distance from suitors. During her seventh year of medical school, she chose to specialize in aesthetic medicine, planning to return to Shanghai to open her own clinic after gaining professional certification in Taiwan.

Wenhua, introverted and reserved, excelled academically during medical school but struggled with social interactions. His peers jokingly nicknamed him "Father" (as in a priest). Lin Xiuling encountered Wenhua twice in the library, where he lent her reference books. She saw him as a brilliant but odd person.

After graduation, Xiuling and Wenhua were assigned to the same group in a medical outreach team in Alishan. Wenhua, now a surgical resident at Guanghua Teaching Hospital’s Taitung branch, served as team leader. During their time working together, Xiuling was moved by Wenhua’s dedication to surgical practice and his compassion for underserved communities. On a suspension bridge in Danayigu Valley, she confessed her feelings to Wenhua, but he gently rejected her, explaining the promise he had made to his first love, Tzu-en. Though disappointed, Xiuling respected his loyalty and wasn’t discouraged, and Wenhua, in turn, appreciated her kindness and curiosity.

As a surgical resident at Guanghua Hospital in Taitung, Wenhua demonstrated exceptional diligence and skill under intense pressure. His sincere and humble attitude earned him the trust and support of Chief Surgeon Shao Qingyang. Meanwhile, Xiuling had returned to Shanghai and opened an aesthetic clinic. With her striking appearance and growing reputation, she attracted many suitors—most notably Zhao Xiaodong, a charming and accomplished attending surgeon at Fudan Hospital. Though she hadn’t accepted his advances, she respected his professional capabilities.

Due to his outstanding performance, Wenhua was invited by the hospital’s head office to attend an international medical conference hosted by Fudan Hospital in Shanghai. Xiuling offered him accommodation at her villa and took care of his meals and daily needs. Zhao Xiaodong, noticing Xiuling’s attention to Wenhua, became jealous and saw Wenhua as a romantic rival.

At the conference, Wenhua presented a surgical paper titled "Application of Minimally Invasive Surgery in Aesthetic Medicine." Zhao Xiaodong, looking to discredit him, publicly challenged his work. His rudeness angered intern Kuo Hsin-mei (daughter of Fudan’s president, Dr. Kuo Han-sheng), who intervened. To maintain order, Dr. Kuo asked both men to leave the venue.

Impressed by Wenhua’s knowledge and demeanor, Hsin-mei developed a fondness for him. Dr. Kuo, recognizing Wenhua’s potential, invited him to lead the Aesthetic Medicine Department at Fudan. Wenhua politely declined, stating his commitment to serving rural communities. Although disappointed, Dr. Kuo foresaw that Wenhua would become a leading figure in surgical and aesthetic medicine among Chinese physicians.

Dr. Kuo then did two things:

1. He confided in his daughter, encouraging her to pursue a relationship with Wenhua. He arranged for her to study minimally invasive surgery in Taiwan under the guise of an academic exchange, hoping she might win Wenhua’s heart and bring him back as Fudan’s future successor. Hsin-mei agreed.

2. He reprimanded Zhao Xiaodong. Upon learning that Zhao’s outburst stemmed from jealousy over Xiuling, Dr. Kuo chose to forgive him and encouraged him to keep pursuing Xiuling—believing that if Zhao succeeded, it would reduce the competition his daughter faced.

Soon after, a patient named Hu Meimei requested breast augmentation from Xiuling. After reviewing her X-rays, Xiuling suspected breast cancer and insisted Meimei seek treatment at a major hospital first. Meimei, thinking Xiuling was being difficult, threatened to switch clinics. At that moment, Wenhua arrived to bid farewell. After hearing both sides, he explained the medical concern and helped convince Meimei to undergo proper treatment. He also offered to postpone his return to Taiwan and teach Xiuling minimally invasive techniques, thus resolving the conflict.

Hu Meimei went to Fudan Hospital for an exam, telling the attending doctor that her surgery would be performed by Xiuling and assisted by her senior, Wenhua. Since Wenhua was not licensed in Shanghai, the attending physician consulted Zhao Xiaodong. Seeing an opportunity, Zhao reported Wenhua to the Medical Inspection Office. Director Tsao Ming, eager for action, led a team to raid the operating room during the surgery. However, Wenhua wasn’t present, and the group was sternly rebuked by Xiuling before leaving in embarrassment.

After completing the operation, Xiuling informed Wenhua of the incident and said she intended to confront Zhao Xiaodong, as he was the only one with a motive to make such a report.

Later, at a restaurant farewell gathering, Xiuling tried to thank Wenhua by offering him a monetary gift Meimei had given her. Wenhua declined and suggested donating the money to charity instead. He revealed that he had long been donating his salary to support rural healthcare in Hualien and Taitung. Deeply moved by his selflessness, Xiuling’s feelings for him grew even stronger.

Soon after, Zhao Xiaodong visited Xiuling with a bouquet. She confronted him directly. At first, Zhao pretended ignorance, thinking she was referring to the incident at the medical conference. But when she exposed him for reporting Wenhua to the authorities, Zhao, caught off guard, lashed out in anger and was promptly kicked out by Xiuling.

Kuo Hsin-mei arrived alone at the Taitung branch of Guanghua Hospital to study under the quiet and meticulous Yang Wenhua. Wenhua arranged clinical surgeries and guided her patiently. Hsin-mei instinctively sensed that minimally invasive surgery would become the mainstream in aesthetic medicine. During a surgical department meeting, attending physician Dr. Chen Bing-huang proposed separating plastic surgery from general surgery. Unaware of the underlying motives, Hsin-mei supported the idea, thinking it aligned with modern medical trends. However, Chief Surgeon Shao Qingyang rejected the proposal on the grounds of hospital cost considerations and pointed out that even if a plastic surgery department were created, Wenhua’s workload would not be reduced.

After the meeting, Su Jun-sheng explained the true context to Hsin-mei: Chief Shao, knowing that Dr. Chen was too lazy to handle the responsibility, intended to have Wenhua take over as department head before his retirement. Hsin-mei suddenly realized that Dr. Chen had tried to use her to push his own agenda.

On the eve of Wenhua’s birthday, Su Jun-sheng and Hsin-mei planned a celebration, each preparing gifts and buying cake and champagne. But life had other plans. That night, Wenhua received an emergency call—there was a car crash victim in critical condition needing immediate surgery. Hsin-mei jumped on Wenhua’s motorcycle, and the two rushed to the ER.

The patient was fading fast. The on-duty doctor suspected severe internal bleeding and suggested transferring the patient to a nearby Christian hospital unless Wenhua was confident in operating. After assessing the case, Wenhua judged that internal organ rupture was causing massive bleeding, and that surgery must proceed immediately to save the patients life. The patient was wheeled into the OR, and Wenhua, Hsin-mei, and Jun-sheng worked together in a race against time to perform the operation.

It was already late at night when they left the hospital. Reunited in the lounge, they finally celebrated Wenhua’s birthday.

Later, Wenhua sat in the courtyard, cooling off and gazing at the stars. Hsin-mei came to sit with him. She remarked that with his extraordinary surgical skills, he should open an aesthetic medicine hospital in a major city like Shanghai. Wenhua replied that fame and fortune were never his goals in studying medicine. His dream was to serve where he was most needed, to provide comprehensive care for the poor, and that saving lives meant more to him than extracting large sums of money from the rich.

Hsin-mei, speaking in a testing tone, confessed her feelings for Wenhua, but he gently declined, citing the promise he had made to his first love. Hsin-mei, though regretful, admired Wenhua’s selfless and humble spirit and knew she could never persuade him to move to Shanghai. When the six-month exchange ended, Wenhua and Jun-sheng saw her off. At parting, she asked to hug Wenhua and whispered in his ear: “I’ll be waiting for you in Shanghai.”

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaodong frequently dropped by Lin Xiuling’s clinic, “bringing flowers and standing guard,” disrupting her work. With the Alishan “Life Bean Festival” approaching in November, Xiuling began considering closing her clinic. After inner turmoil and uncertainty, she decided to gamble with fate: if Wenhua’s first love didn’t appear, then perhaps he would accept her.

So Xiuling packed her bags and left Shanghai for Alishan, showing up at the festival grounds, where she was unexpectedly spotted by Wenhua’s sister, Wen-ying. Wen-ying approached and greeted her. At the same time, Wenhua had resigned from Guanghua Hospital in Taitung and rushed back to the festival to wait for Hsieh Tzu-en. But instead of Tzu-en, her mother arrived with an urn containing her ashes. The ten-year promise ended this way. Wenhua fell to his knees in tears, overwhelmed by grief and unable to accept the truth.

Xiuling quickly went to comfort him and quietly accompanied the stunned Wenhua back to his family home.

Wenhua’s mother, Su Yuzhen, and his sister Wen-ying were puzzled to see Wenhua carrying Tzu-en’s ashes with Xiuling and Wen-ying behind him. After Wen-ying explained, they all decided to wait until Wenhua had calmed down.

Xiuling’s unwavering love and companionship gradually pulled Wenhua out of the shadow of Tzu-en’s death. Wenhua came to realize that Xiuling, who was willing to give up her career in Shanghai to serve the rural communities alongside him, was meant to be his true life partner. With the blessing of the Yang family, the two lovers were about to be joined in marriage.

~ The End ~