（Translated By YU.Y.C.）Recently, the 26th European Paediatric Surgeons’Association (EUPSA) was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. At the meeting, Li Long, the director of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, was awarded the title of "Honorary Member" for his outstanding performance in the field of pediatric surgery. This honor is one of the highest honors granted by EUPSA and is also the first time it has been awarded to a Chinese physician. After winning the award, Li Long donated the prize money to the Zhang Jinzhe Public Welfare Foundation to help more children in difficult circumstances.

Li Long（Middle）

EUPSA is one of the most influential events in the field of pediatric surgery worldwide, aiming to inspire and recognize individuals who have made outstanding achievements in pediatric surgery. The conference brought together top experts and scholars from all over the world to support and promote the high clinical standards and development of surgical treatment for pediatric and adolescent patients in European countries. As a renowned expert in pediatric surgery, this award is an affirmation of Li Long's clinical skills achievements, academic leadership, innovation in surgery and educational planning, and commends his lasting influence in the field of pediatric surgery.

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The candlelight lit for a child can illuminate an entire family

“Doctor Li, we trust you—go ahead. Even if complications arise, we believe you’ll handle them.”

In 2001, Professor Li Long and his team performed a landmark procedure—the  first #laparoscopic surgery for congenital choledochal cysts in a child in China. At the time, it was an uncharted territory in pediatric surgery. The procedure was complex, the anatomy high-risk, and the patient just a child. But supported by his mentor, Professor Zhang Jinzhe, and the patient’s family, Professor Li stepped forward—with precision and purpose—and changed the course of pediatric surgery.

Li Long（Left）

Choledochal cyst resection is considered one of the most technically demanding operations in pediatric abdominal surgery. Traditionally performed through large incisions, the procedure involves removing the cyst and reconstructing the biliary tract. What makes it especially difficult is its location at the liver hilum, a region densely packed with critical structures—the hepatic arteries ，ortal veins, pancreas, and duodenum. One wrong move could mean catastrophic bleeding or organ damage. Yet Professor Li pioneered a minimally invasive approach, offering children a path to recovery with less pain, faster healing, and no lasting scars.

Since then, minimally invasive techniques have redefined what’s possible in pediatric care. But for pediatric surgeons, the challenge extends far beyond surgical skill.

As Professor Li often notes:  “Children under five can’t tell you what hurts. They just cry. A pediatrician must learn to see what isn’t said—to notice the subtle signs, connect the clinical dots, and understand what the child cannot express.”  This calls not only for sharp diagnostic instincts, but also for deep compassion, patience, and a mindset shaped by constant presence at the bedside. Pediatric surgery demands precision—and heart.

Now based at Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Professor Li is focused on the next frontier: harnessing the interdisciplinary strengths of @Tsinghua University in engineering and life sciences to advance innovations in fetal and neonatal surgery. His goal is to shift pediatric surgical intervention even earlier—into the prenatal stage—where better outcomes can begin before birth.

In a field where few have gone before, he is once again ready to lead.

Because in medicine, innovation begins with vision—but it takes courage to be the first.