Tongling Baishan Hospital (Leprosy Village)

The road to Baishan Hospital winds through the deep valleys of Yi'an District, flanked by blooming peonies and dense green forests. Established in 1959 in this remote corner of Jinshan Village, the facility was originally built for isolation. Known then as the Tongling County Leprosy Village, it gathered patients from across southern Anhui—Tongling, Anqing, and Chizhou—removing them from society to treat a highly stigmatized disease. The surrounding mountains provided a natural quarantine, keeping the residents hidden from a fearful public.

For decades, the hospital functioned as a closed world. Many residents spent their entire lives within its boundaries, bearing the physical scars of leprosy and the heavy burden of social exile. Medical staff provided lifelong care to those who could never return home, often working in complete obscurity. Over time, the village evolved. With support from national health associations, the residents cultivated thunder bamboo and raised pheasants, transforming their isolated compound into a working agricultural community.

Today, the original mandate of Baishan Hospital continues alongside a broader mission. Operating now as the Yi'an District Social Welfare Center, the facility shelters a wider population of vulnerable individuals. The aging leprosy survivors share the grounds with orphaned children, destitute elderly, and individuals with severe disabilities. Government officials and local charities frequently travel the mountain road, bringing medical supplies, winter clothes, and companionship. The site remains a quiet record of changing public health practices, marking a long transition from forced isolation to integrated social care.