Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site

This is the second time I came to Bethune’s former residence. Compared with more than 10 years ago, it is really a big change! Clean and tidy, the protagonist’s deeds are touching! Worth coming

Definitely a must-visit! Dive into the untold narrative of Dr. Bethune, from his upbringing to the beliefs that drove him. The calligraphy art that outlines his journey is a standout—especially cool if you've studied it in Chinese classes. Although most visitors are Chinese (no surprise given his status as an international hero who sacrificed his life to save people in China), it's a captivating experience for anyone interested in humanitarianism.

A very unforgettable experience. The memorial hall has a lot of information, the staff are knowledgeable and give comprehensive introductions. I highly recommend everyone to experience it. Honeymoon Lake is also super beautiful

Great small museum. Everything is in English French and Chinese. Bethune spent 18 month approximately in China but also spent time in other places abroad. If you have a national historic site pass be sure to check it out. Very friendly staff too.

"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 people. "

Mao Tse Tung

Visited the Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site with my friends together during Winter time. We all got to know more about Dr. Norman Bethune. Overall 4 stars!

A unique and special piece of preserved history showcasing Norman Bethune and his contributions to medicine in the context of the Spanish civil war and Sino-Japanese war.

The guides were very knowledgeable and well versed in the history surrounding the Bethune family and the house.

Fake birthplace of a shameless and deadly commie whose efforts helped the Chinese communist party gain power and ended up killing more than 30 million Chinese people in their great process of “eliminating socioeconomic class struggles”. But hey, it just hasn’t been tried properly yet ;)

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 landscape of Ontario.

Our trip to Gravenhurst was during Tuesday and Wednesday while the Bethune Memorial House was closed on these two days. Still it's worth having a visit of the Memorial House to remember the hero who helped and devoted his life to support Chinese people to fight against the introders during the wars.

Amazing staff and experience, a sight to see!
This memorial house is an excellent place to learn about the history of Norman Bethune and his life.
Great attraction for family or anyone while you’re visiting the area, definitely check it out!

Visited the Bethune Memorial house today. The grounds are open but the museum and facilities are closed due to Covid19. The grounds are well maintained but the place is deserted. Signage is in English, French and Chinese. Obviously, it is a site of importance to many people. It is worth visiting only if you are in Gravenhurst or the Muskoka area. It is really not worth more than a thirty minute side trip in my opinion. Look at my pictures and tell everyone that you were there. Gravenhurst was his birthplace. He left the place far behind in his life.

久闻大名的白求恩纪念馆，参观游览省立公园，顺道过来了这里，由于游客人数较多，所以没有进去参观，不过外面的景色很美，也很有魅力，因为是深秋，集体游玩阿尔昆岗省立公园，这里便是所有中国人都喜欢来的旅游景点，而且花的时间不会太长，见识一下也未曾不可！

The famous Bethune memorial, visited the provincial park, and stopped by because of the large number of tourists, but the scenery outside is beautiful and attractive. Because it is late autumn, we are visiting Al Kungang as a group Provincial parks, this is a tourist attraction that all Chinese people like to come to, and it won’t take too long, and it’s never impossible to see it!

Knowledgeable staff, very touching life story of Dr. Bethune, beautiful and well maintained house. Highly recommend to new visitors.