"Blue Sky" and "Panda Blood" — A Young Kazakh Man Lauded by President Xi Jinping

What kind of images does "blue sky" evoke? A beautiful scenery, broad-mindedness, or a promising future? For Ruslan, a handsome young Kazakh student in China, it means something special. Ruslan's Chinese name is Lu Silan, and his microblog ID is "Ruslan Blue Sky." In China, he is fondly called Mr. Blue Sky. With his sincere smile, selfless dedication, and goodwill toward the Chinese people, this name cannot be more fitting.

In 2009, Ruslan came to China to study Chinese at the age of 17. Though from Central Asia, he did not feel out of place in the warm and humid Hainan, but found local people and customs charming. He had developed a strong interest in the Chinese culture in his childhood, watching Chinese TV series Journey to the West. He was ready to help others and contribute to China-Kazakhstan friendship. While studying at Hainan University, he made blood donation at a blood donation bus for the first time, and learned that he had the rare RH negative blood.

RH negative blood, compared with the common A, B and O types, is a variety highly unusual in China. With only 0.1% to 0.3% of the population having this blood running through their veins, it is therefore referred to as "panda blood." Rare as the blood type is, people with RH negative blood must not be ignored. A dozen thousand women with this blood type get pregnant in China every year. Local RH negative blood banks are often in urgent need of supplies.

Having known how rare his blood is after the first donation, Ruslan became a regular donor, making blood donation twice a year. After being admitted to the University of Science and Technology Beijing for a master's degree in 2016, he started to donate blood in Beijing. In eight years, he has donated over 5,000 milliliters of blood, about the average volume of total blood in an adult.

In order to help more people, he asked blood banks to leave his phone number with patients in urgent need. Upon learning about a girl in a car accident needing his type of blood in another province from the microblog, he rushed to contact relevant hospital to offer help and encouraged the girl with a microblog post — "Mr. Blue Sky is here to help!"

When giving interviews or receiving commendations, he only says that blood donation is what he and everyone else should do, and he offers help simply because helping others makes him happy.

On September 7, 2013, President Xi Jinping gave a historic speech at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, proposing the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative for the first time. During his speech, he particularly noted Ruslan's blood donation and expressed appreciation, stating that it testified to the close bond and brotherhood between the two peoples. He called on the young people of both countries to become future envoys of friendship, and contribute youth and energy to the growth of China-Kazakhstan comprehensive strategic partnership.

Indeed, Ruslan's blood donation story is a testament to the friendship between the two peoples. It will inspire more and more young people from both China and Kazakhstan to carry forward the bilateral friendship.