10 March 1988

China's first test-tube baby was born

On March 10, 1988, China's first test-tube baby was born.

Zheng Guizhen (鄭桂珍), hailing from Yanguan Town, Li County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, suffered from fallopian tube disease and was unable to conceive.

After learning that Professor Zhang Lizhu (張麗珠) of the Third Hospital of Peking University was conducting research on "test-tube babies," she decided to take a chance.

Although medical conditions at that time were very underdeveloped, such as the need to sharpen and reuse egg retrieval needles, using thermos cups to store follicular fluid, and preparing culture medium manually, the team successfully performed "open abdominal egg retrieval" for Zheng Guizhen and smoothly completed in vitro fertilisation and returned the fertilised egg to the uterus.

After the child was born, Zheng Guizhen named her "Mengzhu" (萌珠), deriving "Meng" from the word for germinate, and "Zhu" to thank Professor Zhang Lizhu.

When Zheng Mengzhu (鄭萌珠) was born, she weighed 7.8 jin (about 8.6 pounds) and was 52 centimetres long.

All her health check-ups were up to standard, and she was very healthy.

As the first case, Zheng Mengzhu continuously received follow-up research from medical researchers during her growth, showing that her language ability, IQ, and physical development all performed no differently from ordinary people.

Arbor Day

12 March 1979

China' first Arbor Day

2025-03-11
Chen Lu

11 March 1995

Chen Lu became China's first figure skating world champion

2025-03-10
Bou Shorgan

9 March 1984

China and Japan jointly breed world's first "test-tube goat"

2025-03-08
Beijing Television University officially opened

8 March 1960

China's first national TV broadcasting university opened

2025-03-07
Contemporary China - Today in History - Central Government Approves the Establishment of Kashgar Economic Development Zone in Xinjiang

19 May 2010

Xinjiang's Kashgar Economic Development Zone approved for establishment

2025-05-18
Kunqu Opera

18 May 2001

China's Kunqu Opera selected as "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity"

2025-05-17
Contemporary China - Today in History - Jidihao

17 May 1987

China's first polar research vessel successfully completed its mission

2025-05-16
Contemporary China - On This Day - Dongfeng Sedan

12 May 1958

The first "Dongfeng" brand domestically produced sedan rolled off the production line

2025-05-11
Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth

11 May 1978

The article "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth" was published

2025-05-10
Contemporary China - On This Day in History - High-Tech Industry

10 May 1988

China's first high-tech industry development experimental zone officially established

2025-05-09
WeChat
We use cookies to deliver our services and to provide you with a personalised experience. By using our services, you need to agree to our Privacy Policy.
Agree and close