Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site — Attraction in District Municipality of Muskoka

"Comrade Norman Bethune, a member of the Communist Party of Canada, was around fifty when he was sent by the Communist Parties of Canada and the United States to China; he made light of travelling thousands of miles to help us in our War of Resistance Against Japan. He arrived in Yenan in the spring of last year, went to work in the Wutai Mountains, and to our great sorrow died a martyr at his post. What kind of spirit is this that makes a foreigner selflessly adopt the cause of the Chinese people's liberation as his own? It is the spirit of internationalism, the spirit of communism, from which every Chinese Communist must learn. Leninism teaches that the world revolution can only succeed if the proletariat of the capitalist countries supports the struggle for liberation of the colonial and semi-colonial peoples and if the proletariat of the colonies and semi-colonies supports that of the proletariat of the capitalist countries. Comrade Bethune put this Leninist line into practice. We Chinese Communists must also follow this line in our practice. We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, for this is the only way to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world. This is our internationalism, the internationalism with which we oppose both narrow nationalism and narrow patriotism.

Comrade Bethune's spirit, his utter devotion to others without any thought of self, was shown in his great sense of responsibility in his work and his great warm-heartedness towards all comrades and the people. Every Communist must learn from him. There are not a few people who are irresponsible in their work, preferring the light and shirking the heavy, passing the burdensome tasks on to others and choosing the easy ones for themselves. At every turn they think of themselves before others. When they make some small contribution, they swell with pride and brag about it for fear that others will not know. They feel no warmth towards comrades and the people but are cold, indifferent and apathetic. In truth such people are not Communists, or at least cannot be counted as devoted Communists. No one who returned from the front failed to express admiration for Bethune whenever his name was mentioned, and none remained unmoved by his spirit. In the Shansi-Chahar-Hopei border area, no soldier or civilian was unmoved who had been treated by Dr. Bethune or had seen how he worked. Every Communist must learn this true communist spirit from Comrade Bethune.

Comrade Bethune was a doctor, the art of healing was his profession and he was constantly perfecting his skill, which stood very high in the Eighth Route Army's medical service. His example is an excellent lesson for those people who wish to change their work the moment they see something different and for those who despise technical work as of no consequence or as promising no future.

Comrade Bethune and I met only once. Afterwards he wrote me many letters. But I was busy, and I wrote him only one letter and do not even know if he ever received it. I am deeply grieved over his death. Now we are all commemorating him, which shows how profoundly his spirit inspires everyone. We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit everyone can be very useful to the people. A man's ability may be great or small, but if he has this spirit, he is already noble-minded and pure, a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the...

Stepping into Dr. Norman Bethune’s home is like entering a sanctuary where artistry, intellect, and compassion converge.

A Healer’s Aesthetic The restrained elegance of his living space speaks volumes. Sunlight streams through lace curtains onto maplewood bookshelves, while a Victorian rocking chair sits beside surgical sketches—revealing a man who cherished both beauty and purpose. Every corner whispers of a soul equally at home with a paintbrush or a scalpel.

Soul’s Depth & Heights: His unfinished piano score in the parlour mirrors the symphony of his life: a genius torn between art and duty. Yet it’s the letters from Spain’s battlefields that pierce the heart—"In blood, I find truth; in suffering, my duty." Here, you touch the moral universe of a man who chose humanity over borders.

Medicine’s Eternal Beacon: Upstairs, the exhibit on his mobile blood transfusion unit left me breathless. Rusty instruments and field diaries showcase not just innovation, but radical empathy. As a healthcare worker, I stood taller reading his words: "The true physician serves the wounded, not the war." This house isn’t just history—it’s healthcare’s...

I always knew that the great internationalist warrior had lived here and always looked forward to visiting. It is said that Dr. Bethune was unknown in his hometown, just like all the neighbors whose secrets you do not know. It was the Chinese gov that funded the memorial to Dr. Bethune former home in appreciation of his selflessness and dedication back then. It left the surrounding neighbors dumbfounded. Earlier they had only known that the surgeon had graduated from the University of Toronto and had invented many surgical tools. Like many practitioners of idealism, Bethune gave his life for his ideals. Like the martyrdom of Jesus. In a sense, he was even greater than Che Guevara. He gave his life for no selfish motive. It is autumn, and the autumn scene is full of colorful flowers. Remembering a warrior. The surrounding lakes are famous for the autumn...