Tao still feels discomfort in his left hand from time to time. "Sometimes it prickles, or feels cold. The sense of touch is diminished. I can make big movements like balling my hand into a fist, but can't make the small movements needed for performing intricate surgeries," he tells China Daily, adding that he can only conduct a few simple procedures now.

In 2020, Tao was attacked by Cui Zhenguo, who, brandishing a cleaver, slashed at Tao's head, neck, left hand and arm as he was examining another patient. He was rushed to the ICU, and stayed there for two weeks in critical condition.

Those were the darkest days of his life. Before that, Tao had tried to do his best as a doctor and had achieved an admirable resume. At just 35 years old, he had ascended to the position of chief physician, the highest professional rank for a doctor in China, with 98 Science Citation Index essays to his name. He has worked to cure uveitis, a complicated eye problem that can lead to blindness, becoming the last hope for many patients with the disease.

He treated his patients well, meeting about 100 patients a day when he provided outpatient care, and often spent his own money to help many poor patients. He even bore the pain in his back, caused by a previous operation, for two hours as he conducted the surgery on Cui, never considering that the patient would one day cause him great harm in such a brutal way.