Source: People’s Daily Online-People’s Daily Overseas Edition
At the National Two Sessions this year, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference put forward a proposal on “Proposal on Promoting the Overseas Dissemination of Chinese Culture Relying on Traditional Chinese Medicine”. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, the traditional Chinese medicine culture exhibition space located in the main media center venue was full of visitors, and it also attracted the attention of many domestic and foreign media. This space is set up by the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and excellent enterprises in the Chinese medicine industry.
Propagation of medical culture
Lianhua Qingwen Capsule is included in the epidemic prevention gift package of overseas Chinese in Spain. Chen Jianxin, president of the Spanish Overseas Chinese Association, said: “We have been distributing Chinese medicines from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Zhejiang Province, including 1,000 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen Capsules and 500 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen Granules.”
Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Zhao Yuping, deputy director of the Press and Publicity Center of the Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with this newspaper: “Under the epidemic, my country’s export of traditional Chinese medicine has continued to grow, but the overseas dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine should not only allow drugs to go overseas, but also allow the cultural theory of traditional Chinese medicine to go out. ‘.”
On the way of “going out” of traditional Chinese medicine, cultural differences are the biggest obstacle. In the cross-cultural communication of traditional Chinese medicine, overseas Chinese can take advantage of their own advantages to bridge cultural differences. For example, Chen Zhen, president of the Central and Eastern European Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine, insisted on explaining the culture of traditional Chinese medicine in a comprehensive, authentic and three-dimensional manner in a language that can be understood locally, and contributed to the establishment of the first Confucius Institute with characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine in Europe.
Traditional Chinese medicine culture has become an important carrier of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries. With the theme of “anti-epidemic”, the exhibition space of traditional Chinese medicine culture showcases the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine culture to media reporters and venue staff at home and abroad through various forms such as video, graphics, physical objects, and AI interactive experience.
Song Yingmei from Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is an instructor at the exhibition hall. She said, “When I saw many visitors understand the development history of traditional Chinese medicine and its contemporary application value, I was very impressed. It has strengthened the belief in telling the story of traditional Chinese medicine.”
Inheriting traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture
The acupuncture bronze figure in the traditional Chinese medicine culture exhibition space has attracted the attention of many overseas people. As an important part of traditional Chinese medicine, in 2010, acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine was officially included in the United Nations Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Wang Yanyao, a licensed acupuncture and Chinese medicine practitioner in New York State, was born in a family of Chinese medicine practitioners and has been fascinated by Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion since childhood. During his master’s study, he studied acupuncture at the New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine; this year, he will continue to study for a doctorate in Western medicine at a medical school in the United States. “Learning Western medicine is also to better carry forward traditional Chinese medicine. I hope to return to China to do some meaningful work for the motherland after graduation.” Wang Yanyao said.
During the Winter Olympics, Wang Yanyao returned to China for nearly 3 months and applied what he had learned to work related to the Winter Olympics. As a Chinese ice and snow medical security expert, he provides professional medical services for sports athletes, at the same time, he popularizes the knowledge of acupuncture and moxibustion to the staff, and participates in the translation of medical terms in the exhibition space of traditional Chinese medicine culture.
Wang Yanyao is not only good at treating sports injuries, but also has expertise in treating acute and chronic pain. He said: “In the United States, many people suffer from pain disorders. Through western medicine treatment, patients are prone to drug dependence. However, traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture is not only effective, but also has no side effects, so it has been recognized by many people.”
In addition to being an acupuncture physician, Wang Yanyao has also undertaken a lot of overseas dissemination of acupuncture and moxibustion, such as promoting the unification of international standards for acupuncture needles, which is very important for the inheritance and dissemination of orthodox traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture.
Empowering Pharmaceutical Trade
According to China Customs statistics, in 2021, my country’s total trade in traditional Chinese medicine will be US$7.741 billion, a year-on-year increase of 19.1%. Among them, the export value was 5.001 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 16.5%. Overseas people have an urgent need for traditional Chinese medicine, but the “going out” of traditional Chinese medicine is not smooth sailing.
In an interview with this newspaper, Yu Zhibin, director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, said: “At present, the threshold for overseas registration of traditional Chinese medicine is high, and the certification of overseas distribution channels is difficult. Many traditional Chinese medicine products are Most of them enter the overseas market in the form of food and health care products, and the true ‘identity’ of their medicines has not been widely recognized.”
Yu Zhibin said: “Chinese medicine going overseas requires not only relevant domestic organizations, medicines and talents. Going out requires the help of overseas Chinese. First, overseas Chinese are familiar with the local market environment, which is conducive to determining the scope of application of products, while reducing cultural differences and promoting drugs to go out; To promote the overseas localization of the TCM industry; third, to reserve TCM overseas talents to help TCM and TCM go overseas. TCM guides TCM, TCM cooperates with TCM, and the two develop together, so that TCM can be used in countries along the ‘Belt and Road’ and even in countries around the world. Great progress has been made.”
During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty gave peony, cinnamon, dried ginger and other medicines to the envoys of the Western kings. From the Silk Road to the “Belt and Road”, Chinese medicine culture has become an important medium for cultural exchanges and dissemination between my country and other countries. Chinese medicine culture belongs to China as well as the world.