On May 15, 2026, just before China's National Day for Helping the Disabled, a special participant entered the State Council Information Office press room: Aiju, a Labrador guide dog. She stood quietly beside Wang Zhihua, a visually impaired accessibility worker, and showed what guide dogs truly do: not perform, but hold direction, dignity, and safety in public space.
State Council Information Office press room, Beijing, China
A quiet participant
On the afternoon of May 15, 2026, the State Council Information Office held a meeting with Chinese and foreign reporters. In the press room was a special participant: Aiju, a Labrador guide dog. Xinhua reported that she went onto the stage and stayed quietly beside Wang Zhihua. It was the first time a guide dog accompanying its user had appeared in that press room.
The scene was not loud. Aiju was not there to perform or to be turned into a symbol she could not understand. She did what she does in daily travel: stayed steady, followed her handler, and stopped where she needed to stop. That is why the moment matters. A serious public space made room for a working guide dog.
More than direction
Wang Zhihua works on accessibility for a ride-hailing platform. In Xinhua's report, he introduced his work and said guide dogs do more than lead the way: they also offer companionship and psychological support for visually impaired people.
A guide dog is not a moving cane. It reads steps, doors, crowds, vehicles, and sudden obstacles. Over long companionship, it also becomes a partner that helps a person re-enter public life. Its work is often so quiet that people miss it, but when a space rejects the dog, the person's freedom is blocked too.
From one press room to every doorway
Xinhua noted that China's barrier-free environment law requires public venues, transport facilities, and public transport operators to provide convenience for people with service dogs such as guide dogs, hearing dogs, and assistance dogs. Li Qingzhong of the China Association of the Blind also said China now has nine guide dog training bases, and more venues have begun to routinely accept guide dogs.
Law gives direction, but the road is built by concrete acts of acceptance: restaurants, subway platforms, ride-hailing cars, malls, elevators, and hotel desks. Each small refusal avoided means the guide dog's training is not wasted, and its user needs to explain a little less.
Turning kindness into habit
On April 25, 2026, Beijing held an International Guide Dog Day event. Science and Technology Daily reported that the event called on the public to understand and accept guide dogs and follow the public rule: do not touch, feed, call, or refuse them. Beijing also launched a public-interest guide dog family doctor project for registered guide dogs.
Aiju's appearance in the press room was more than a warm news image. It reminds us that treating working animals well means respecting their work, not using them as decoration. When guide dogs are seen, understood, and allowed into public space, more visually impaired people can enter the world with confidence.
Timeline
- 2026-04-25 Beijing held an International Guide Dog Day event and launched a public-interest family doctor service for guide dogs.
- 2026-05-15 Guide dog Aiju accompanied Wang Zhihua into the State Council Information Office press room and onto the stage.
- 2026-05-15 Xinhua reported that this was the first accompanying guide dog to appear in that press room.
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