In October 1949, a foreigner was invited to the Tian’anmen gate tower for the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China. The foreigner was George Hatem, known as Ma Haide in China, the first Westerner exceptionally approved to become a CPC member and obtain Chinese citizenship.
    1949年10月，一位外国人受邀去天安门城楼参加中国人民共和国开国大典。这位外国人就是乔治·海德姆（George Hatem）。他还有一个为中国人熟知的名字：马海德。他是历史上第一个特批加入中国共产党的外国人，也是第一个加入新中国国籍的外国人。

    In 1933, George Hatem, an American doctor, came to Shanghai to study tropical epidemic diseases. Influenced by his friends, Hatem began to read Marxist works and study China’s revolution. In June 1936, recommended by Soong Ching-ling, Hatem arrived in Bao’an, Shaanxi, then temporary headquarters of the Chinese Red Army. In the months followed, he joined different Red Army troops at their operations and witnessed this extraordinary people’s army. He was impressed by the indomitable Red Army soldiers and their solidarity in the face of tremendous hardships. Braving all odds, the army and the people were united as one. It inspired Hatem to stay in China for the rest of his life, as he believed that only those people could change the future of the country. In October 1936, the American journalist Edgar Snow, after doing interviews in Yan’an, asked Hatem about leaving with him. Hatem, however, made a big decision: he would stay in northern Shaanxi. And he gave himself a Chinese name “Ma Haide”. In February 1937, Hatem officially joined the CPC. He said that he felt extremely delighted to be able to participate in this great cause of liberation, to get truly involved rather than stay as an outsider. In 1950, Hatem officially became a Chinese citizen, and was appointed Medical Consultant of the Ministry of Health of the PRC.
    乔治·海德姆本是一名美国医生。1933年，他为了研究热带流行病来到了上海，受朋友影响，开始读马克思主义著作、研究中国革命问题。1936年6月，由宋庆龄推荐，他去了当时中国红军的临时驻地，陕西省保安县。之后的几个月里，他多次参加红军疗诊工作，见证了这支人民军队的卓越成就。红军战士们面对困难险阻不屈不挠、团结一致；军民上下一条心，将难题逐一击破。看到如此种种，他感触颇深，决定余生留在中国。他相信，只有这些人能够改变中国的未来。1936年10月，埃德加·斯诺（Edgar Snow）结束了延安的采访活动，问海德姆要不要跟他一起回美国，海德姆拒绝了。他做出了一个重要的决定：留在山西北部。他还给自己起一个中文名：马海德。1937年2月，马海德正式加入中国共产党。他说，他非常高兴能够加入解放事业，成为中国共产党的一份子，再也不是外人了。1950年，马海德正式成为中国公民，担任中国人名共和国卫生部（现称中华人民共和国国家卫生健康委员会）顾问。
    Looking back, Hatem said that the past fifty years of life taught him a truth: one must have strong convictions to be useful for the society, and that life is about fighting against difficulties and scaling new heights, one after another.
    马海德回首过去的五十年，悟到了一个真理：一个人，要全心全意为社会服务；所谓生活，就是不断披荆斩棘，勇攀高峰。