Working to make vision a reality

In 2021, he initiated a project to help blind people. In his career, he has met many blind or low-vision people who seem to have lost hope in life, and are no longer eager to learn or work. As a result, the project pays attention to the entire process of their life, from educating children and nurturing young people's hobbies, to helping adults gain vocational skills, find jobs and care for the elderly who are on their own.

"We try to help the visually impaired improve their eyesight, but we also want to bring more hope and warmth to those people living in darkness," says Tao.

Although his physical injuries haven't totally healed yet, Tao has recovered mentally. When Tao was attacked in 2020, a woman surnamed Tian, the mother of the patient that Tao was examining when he was attacked, suffered injuries to her hands as she tried to protect him.

"I didn't consider much at that time. Doctor Tao is a professional and seeing him is always assuring. He's kind, amiable, and always helps his patients save money. For us, he is a friend, and even a family member," Tian told Beijing Daily in 2020.

"She blocked the cleaver for me with her bare hands, and that has endowed me with a second life. How can I succumb to melancholy?" Tao says, recalling what he was thinking during his recovery, adding that it helped him get through such a dark time and return to his work.

In 2021, Cui, the attacker, was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and deprived of his political rights for life.

"If I should meet him one day, I would show him the wound on my lumbar vertebra (which caused Tao great pain when carrying out the operation for Cui). I want to tell him we did all we could to help him at that time, conducting the operation for him and helping him save money. I want him to know that society is not as dark as he imagines," Tao told Southern People Weekly in 2020.

On July 1, 2020, a regulation on managing the security at Beijing hospitals was initiated, which means security facilities, like security checks and alarm devices to alert the police quickly, were established in all hospitals in the city.

Tao's account on Sina Weibo, China's major microblogging platform, where he popularizes medical knowledge, has garnered more than 2 million followers. At first, he saw his fame as somewhat of a burden, as he told himself to pay careful attention and not let people down, but now he is far more relaxed about it.

"At the end of the day, everyone will return to their true nature, since no one can pretend for long. I don't need to blackmail myself morally, and all I should try to do is to accomplish my tasks well," says Tao.