Retired doctor volunteers take an oath before leaving for Xinjiang yesterday to aid in the development of the western region.

Thirty-one Shanghai seniors left for Xinjiang Uygur Auto-nomous Region yesterday as the first batch of volunteers in the "Silver Age Campaign."

The national campaign calls on retired intellectuals in the eastern region to contribute their talents to assist the development of the country's untapped western areas.

Retired doctor volunteers take an oath before leaving for Xinjiang yesterday to aid in the development of the western region.

The 31 volunteers - 21 males and 10 females - are all medical experts under the age of 70.

They were selected from 300 retired medical workers.

"Volunteers will stay in Xinjiang for the next three months, working in hospitals in the Aksu area and giving lectures to doctors there," said Ding Huirong, an official with the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

According to Ding, Shanghai was selected to be the first pilot city of the "Silver Age Campaign," offering medical aid to the Aksu area. The second phase of the campaign will cover other cities and provinces, including Beijing and Liaoning Province.

Chai Jianyu, 61, is a retiree from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As an expert on "qigong," an ancient Chinese health-care system that integrates physical posture, breathing techniques and concentration skills, this is not the first time he is stepping out of Shanghai to propagate the system.

"Despite my retirement, I am still energetic and feel that I should do as much as I can to spread what I know," he said.

According to Chai, he has just returned from a Sino-Japan scholar exchange program. However, com-pared to such international exchanges, "it is more important to contribute to our own country."

Zhao Huajuan, his wife, is also supportive of Chai's choice, saying proudly she understands his love for his career and country.

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