Slash Doctor Wang Xing: Books and Words That Make Medical Science Communication Warm and Powerful

On “Douban Books,” Wang Xing’s profile reads: “Dr. Lang, an attending physician at a Grade 3A hospital, holder of a Ph.D. in Oncology from Peking University, a native Beijing resident, and a postdoctoral researcher who drifted to Shanghai.”

In addition to being a physician, Wang Xing told Chengguo Bureau that he has recently acquired a new professional identity: writer. Having officially joined the Shanghai Writers Association, he can now, in his own words, truly call himself a writer. His medical popular science book, Dear Family Members of Patients, Please Come Here for a Moment, climbed to the top ranks of major reading apps within less than a month of its publication. While excelling as a thoracic surgeon, he also participates in television programs, writes books, works as a screenwriter, and maintains a blog, leveraging text and audio as media to disseminate valuable medical content.

The media have dubbed him a “slash doctor,” but at the second Boston Scientific Cross-Border Exchange Event, Chengguo Bureau came to know a young physician who holds life in awe—rational yet artistic. His writings make medical science communication both warm and empowering.

Wang Xing wrote his first book in Beijing. He said that during that period, he was going through a phase of confusion: “I couldn’t figure out what I should be doing, had no clear professional positioning within my department, and felt drained in every aspect.”

Perhaps seeking a meaningful way to enrich himself, he began writing popular science articles for the hospital. Some time later, an editor from a publishing house approached him, suggesting that these articles be compiled into a book. This proposal gave him a clear direction. He then spoke with the hospital administration, claiming that the publishing house was eager to publish a book on behalf of the hospital; meanwhile, he told the publisher that the hospital’s department head insisted on publishing the book with them. By strategically “orchestrating” both sides and “facilitating” the deal, his first book, Lung Talk, was published.

Wang Xing’s medical popular science book avoids obscure and rigid medical jargon. Instead, it reads like a trusted confidant by the side of patients and their families, empathizing with their anxiety and concerns while rationally and appropriately explaining the nature of the disease, outlining necessary actions, and guiding family members on how they can help. Written for both patients and their caregivers, the book uses vivid stories to portray doctors, patients, and their families, as well as the dynamics among them, bringing these relationships to life for readers.

“Himalaya Audiobooks” commented: “After reading this book, you will understand the true dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship, making future medical consultations smoother.” For physicians, the text also offers a means to connect with patients’ inner worlds, to comprehend the anguish and helplessness underlying their hesitation and abruptness, and to explore more effective communication strategies that facilitate beneficial diagnosis and treatment.

Why Adopt the Perspective of Patients’ Families for Health Education? Perhaps it all began with a family member’s hospitalization. Transitioning from the role of a physician to that of a patient’s family member, he gained a deeper understanding of the helplessness, anxiety, and decision-making challenges faced by patients’ families.

“Explaining something to a patient may seem simple for a doctor, but it often requires the patient to make several trips.” It was precisely this experience that sparked the idea for him to share his expertise, leading to the writing of “Patient Discharged, Please Come In.”

Regarding the current issues in doctor-patient relationships, Wang Xing believes that the root cause lies in distrust stemming from information asymmetry. Doctors’ medical knowledge and clinical experience are not on the same level as those of patients and their families. If health education provided by doctors merely adopts a condescending stance, focusing solely on one-way knowledge dissemination without establishing mutual trust, it will be difficult for such knowledge to be effectively communicated.

“Human nature is complex,” he stated. Medical research primarily focuses on physical health issues. However, in their daily practice, physicians must also address psychological concerns and manage social issues such as interpersonal relationships.

Books appear to be an excellent medium. Through them, he engages in dialogue with patients from the perspectives of both the patients themselves and their families. By employing extensive narrative exposition, he imbues medical knowledge with storytelling; through intricately structured plots, he reveals the complexities of human nature and the doctor–patient relationship; and ultimately, he conveys medical knowledge through these narratives.

The barrier to entry for the audience of popular medical science books is relatively high; readers and authors engage in a dialogue across time and space, yet remain mutually distant. He need not be disturbed by public opinion or traffic metrics. Therefore, for Wang Xing personally, this represents a relatively comfortable state.

“I appreciate this safe and quiet approach to content creation,” he remarked. Even so, Wang Xing remains a prolific medical science communicator. In 2021, he became a contracted author on Toutiao, a arrangement that has enabled him to maintain a stable output for his readers and dedicate himself regularly to medical science popularization. He also maintained a consistent posting schedule on Wukong Q&A for three consecutive years, publishing at least ten articles per month.

“Whether it’s a department or an individual, there must always be the pressure to evolve that drives you forward; you must always be doing something,” he stated.

In addition to the aforementioned Lung Talk and Family Members of Patients, Please Come In, he has published a total of five books in recent years. These include four popular science books and one medical novel, Notes from an Eccentric Doctor. During the two-month lockdown in Shanghai in 2022, he secluded himself to write two books: Medical Thinking Course, scheduled for publication in 2023, and the sequel to his medical novel, Notes from an Eccentric Doctor 2.

In addition to writing, Wang Xing is also exploring other avenues. From books to illustrated articles, he continues to leverage his expertise in science communication on new media platforms such as Zhihu Yanxuan, Qianliao, and Jinri Toutiao, with individual articles on Jinri Toutiao garnering over one million views.

In terms of traditional media, he participated in the recording of two CCTV programs, The Road to Health and Open the Door to Good Fortune, and served as a live guest on Xinhua News Agency’s Xinhua Big Health program. Leveraging CCTV’s media platform, he disseminates accurate, market-relevant science popularization content.

Meanwhile, he has entered insurance-focused live-streaming rooms to disseminate evidence-based cancer prevention knowledge and concepts related to critical illness, urging patients not only to reduce the likelihood of disease occurrence but also to plan ahead in order to minimize the potential health impacts and financial burdens associated with illness. In parallel, he has engaged in offline outreach by visiting universities and high schools to promote advanced, accurate health concepts among students, and by going into communities to educate the public on correct COVID-19 prevention knowledge and practices. This effective communication continues to circulate within these individuals’ social networks, thereby reaching a broader audience.

In August 2021, Wang Xing acquired a new identity—screenwriter. He officially sold the film and television adaptation rights to *Notes of an Unconventional Doctor* and will serve as the screenwriter for the adaptation. Reportedly, this will be the first film or television production in China written by a practicing chief surgeon, potentially further fueling the already popular trend toward more professionally accurate medical dramas.

Nevertheless, despite having achieved a certain level of accomplishment and influence in both the literary field and the realm of medical science popularization, Wang Xing has remained consistently indifferent to fame.

"No hype, no chasing traffic, and no skirting the edge of propriety—these are the principles he adheres to in medical science popularization. Regardless of external changes, he consistently dedicates his quiet evenings after work or fragmented moments of solitude to thoughtful content creation."

Doctor, author, screenwriter—the labels attached to Wang Xing are becoming increasingly diverse. Yet, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that all these roles revolve around patients and their experience. After listening to his sharing, the VCBeat team had been striving to encapsulate the tension and harmony within Wang Xing in a single sentence, until we found the answer in one of his previous interviews: “A slender scalpel in hand—wield it, and you seem divine; set it down, and you are merely mortal.”

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