Foreword from Professor Lifei Guo

It is a great time for Chinese plastic and reconstructive surgery and it is against this backdrop that theChinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeryis being christened.This moment has arrived because of the many trail blazers,who made numerous historic contributions,be it with the anterolateral thigh flap,with forearm replantation,with flap prefabrication,or with the radial forearm flap (or in the West,sometimes called the Chinese flap).This moment has arrived because of the decades-long consistent excellence and standard bearing by Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery.This moment has arrived also because of the renaissance rise of China,with ensuing demands from much improved quality of life by a much larger swath of its vast population.

As a Shanghai native,who left for the US only at the end of my teenage years,I feel undoubtedly proud to witness this new Chinese millennial renaissance.As a practicing academic plastic surgeon in the US,I feel extremely special to be able to rotate my American residents to the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital to learn plastic surgery and to build upon the exchange tradition and cooperative spirit between the two great people.As the scientific co-chair of the World Association for Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent,I feel particularly honored to serve as an inaugural international editorial board member of theChinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The last 12 months,however,have been very difficult for everyone.Covid-19 has rampaged through every corner of the world.While many East Asian countries,including the first-hit China,have dealt with the pandemic rather successfully,our Western brethren have not been as fortunate.Furthermore,while the virus observes no borders,there have been artificially created geopolitical barriers over the last few years that have deteriorated the exchange of cultures,ideas,expertise,knowledge,and experiences.These barriers have also contributed to a less than ideal global response to the pandemic.There are some who seem to have forgotten that we are inhabitants of the Village Earth before we are citizens of our respective countries.But to the rest of us,it is not a foregone recognition that only by working together globally with unimpeded cooperation,would we be able to advance together synergistically and to improve knowledge and subsequently the quality of life for the entire mankind.

These seemingly unrelated admonitions are in fact pertinent as this new journal is being launched.They serve to remind everyone what Chinese plastic and reconstructive surgery can offer.They help crystallize the mission of the journal to elevate the practice and science of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery by enhancing communications and collaborations among plastic surgeons around the world.The very fact that this is an English language academic journal from China speaks to the high level of confidence of Chinese plastic surgery in gesturing to the world.Not only will this journal provide an important window to showcase the vast innovative potential of Chinese plastic surgeons,it is also destined to become an academic hub of plastic surgery creative minds from all around the world.I am fully convinced that under the leadership of its founding Editor-in-Chief,Dr.Qingfeng Li,and Co-Editor,Dr.Xiaoxi Lin,theChinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgerywill soon become a mainstay of the knowledge base in our field.