The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine was founded by renowned cardiothoracic surgery experts Professor Liang Qichen and Professor Wang Yishan. It is one of the earliest institutions in China to perform cardiac surgery and one of the first to offer master's and doctoral degree programs in the field. In 1954, Professor Lan Xichun performed China's first closed mitral commissurotomy at our hospital, pioneering cardiac surgery in China. The current Director of the Department is Professor Xue Song, a doctoral supervisor, member of the National Committee of the Chinese Medical Association Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, Chairman of the Shanghai Medical Association Cardiovascular and Great Vessel Surgery Society, Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, Vice President of the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association Cardiovascular Surgery Branch, Vice Chairman of the Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery Branch of the Expert Committee of the National Cardiovascular Disease Center, Standing Committee Member of the Vascular Surgery Professional Committee of the Expert Committee of the National Cardiovascular Disease Center, Member of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, Member of the Asia-Pacific Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Standing Committee Member and Deputy Secretary-General of the Cardiovascular Surgery Technology and Engineering Society of the China Medical Biotechnology Association, Deputy Head of the Cardiac Regeneration Group of the Tissue Repair and Regeneration Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Vice Chairman of the Cardiovascular Surgery Group of the Taiwan Strait Medical Development Committee of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association, Standing Committee Member of the Academic Committee for Interventional Treatment of Heart Valve Disease of the Chinese Chapter of the Asian Association for Heart Valve Disease (AAHVD), and Member of the Cardiovascular Discipline Branch of the China National Health Association. Under the leadership of Director Xue Song, after more than two decades of rapid development, the Department has become one of the centers with distinctive professional characteristics and high academic reputation in the hospital. It has developed into one of the largest cardiovascular and great vessel surgery centers in China integrating medical care, teaching, and research, with comprehensive strength ranking among the leading institutions domestically. For three consecutive years, it has ranked among the top in China in the STEM (Science and Technology Evaluation Metrics) ranking for cardiovascular surgery. The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Renji Hospital has strong technical capabilities and excellent clinical services. It is one of the largest centers for coronary artery surgery, great vessel surgery, and minimally invasive valve surgery in East China. Since Professor Xue Song became Director of the Department in 2004, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has become a signature technique of the Department. The volume, difficulty, and quality of coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries performed are in a leading position in Shanghai and East China. As a renowned domestic expert in coronary artery bypass grafting, Director Xue Song continuously pioneers and innovates. He was among the earliest in China to successfully perform minimally invasive small-incision single-vessel and multi-vessel off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, and hybrid coronary revascularization combining coronary artery bypass grafting with coronary stenting in the same session, benefiting a large number of patients with coronary heart disease. The surgical success rate exceeds 99%. The proportion of elderly and critically ill patients with complex coronary artery bypass grafting is the highest in East China. In 2004, Professor Xue Song successfully performed off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting on a 99-year-old patient, the oldest in China. As one of the largest great vessel surgery centers in East China, under the advocacy of Director Xue Song, the Department has gradually explored and established a comprehensive set of clinical diagnosis and treatment protocols and workflows, opening a 24-hour emergency green channel for patients and building a life-saving network for aortic dissection in East China, significantly improving the success rate of treating acute aortic dissection. The Department routinely performs surgery for thoracic aortic aneurysm and acute aortic dissecting aneurysm. Since 2014, Director Xue Song has routinely performed aortic root replacement with preservation of the aortic valve (David procedure) and total thoracoabdominal aortic replacement, representing the highest level of great vessel surgery, marking that our hospital's cardiovascular surgery has reached a leading domestic level in the surgical treatment of aortic dissection. Professor Xue Song was the first in Shanghai and among the earliest in China to apply intraoperative trifurcated stent grafts for the treatment of acute Type A aortic dissecting aneurysm, and was the first in China to apply stent implantation and hybrid surgical techniques for the treatment of aortic diseases. Multiple new technologies have achieved major breakthroughs, leading domestically. The Department has essentially achieved "no diagnostic and treatment blind spots" and "no technical shortcomings" in the field of great vessel disease diagnosis and treatment, and is steadily advancing toward the goal of building a top-tier cardiovascular surgery center nationally and internationally. The Department was the first in China to establish subspecialties in minimally invasive surgery and interventional treatment for cardiovascular surgical diseases. It was among the earliest in China to carry out minimally invasive surgical treatment, interventional treatment, and hybrid treatment for heart valve disease, coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, and great vessel diseases. It is at the forefront domestically in minimally invasive small-incision off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, thoracoscopic-assisted minimally invasive valve surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement for aortic valve disease, interventional mitral valve, interventional pulmonary valve, and interventional tricuspid valve procedures. In 2021, Director Xue Song's thoracoscopic-assisted minimally invasive multi-valve heart surgery was selected for presentation at the STS 2021 Annual Meeting in the United States, reaching the international stage. Currently, the proportion of minimally invasive cardiac surgery in the Department is increasing year by year, with nearly half of all cardiovascular surgical procedures able to be performed minimally invasively. The proportion of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgical procedures performed is also at a leading domestic level. The Department places great emphasis on teaching. It is one of the earliest institutions in China authorized to confer master's and doctoral degrees, and is also a training base for cardiovascular surgery specialists in Shanghai. The Department currently has 2 doctoral supervisors and 3 master's supervisors, enrolling 3-5 doctoral and master's students each year. The Department annually undertakes teaching and clinical mentorship for the five-year English program, eight-year program, master's, and doctoral students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. It has continuously held 17 sessions of the "National Coronary Artery Surgery Basic Training Course," training a large number of cardiovascular surgery professionals for China. The Department is also currently a Shanghai Cardiovascular Surgery Interventional Training Center, specifically training interventional talents in the field of cardiovascular surgery. The Department attaches great importance to external exchanges and talent development. It has established friendly cooperative relationships with first-class hospitals and research institutions in the United States, Germany, Italy, France, and other countries, and has repeatedly sent young and middle-aged physicians to friendly hospitals for further training and study. The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Renji Hospital has strong research capabilities, with research directions closely following international professional frontiers, achieving remarkable research results. For three consecutive years, it has ranked among the top in China in the STEM ranking for cardiovascular surgery. In recent years, the Department has undertaken 9 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and 19 other provincial and ministerial-level or higher projects, with total research funding of over 5 million yuan, and has published more than 70 SCI articles. Entering a new era, the Department faces unprecedented development opportunities. The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Renji Hospital will uphold the spirit of "Benevolent Art, Saving the World," put patients at the center, forge ahead, boldly innovate, unite and strive, and endeavor to advance toward the goals of a first-class team, first-class management, and first-class service, striving to build a nationally and internationally first-class cardiovascular and great vessel surgery center.