Int'l Students Explore Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture in Nanchuan

Chongqing - Recently, 17 international students from Myanmar, Nigeria, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and other countries visited Dongjie Culture and Tourism Town in Nanchuan District to experience traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture and make TCM sachets.

International students make TCM bookmarks.

At the TCM culture market, international students tried traditional Chinese health teas, food with medicinal purposes, and innovative TCM products. They visited the exhibition area of Chinese medicinal herbs to learn about the historical origin of TCM and the culture of Chinese medicinal herbs. In addition, they spent a happy time making sachets and TCM bookmarks, experiencing the charm of traditional TCM techniques.

International students make sachets.

DERROUICH YOUSSEF, an international student from Morocco, shows the sachets he made.

DERROUICH YOUSSEF, an international student from Morocco, said, "In Nanchuan, I felt like stepping into a treasure trove of TCM. The rich and diverse offerings at the TCM culture market truly widened my horizons, especially the traditional TCM crafting techniques, which made me appreciate the extensive and profound cultural heritage of TCM. Making sachets was particularly interesting; I picked my favorite Chinese medicinal herbs and placed them in them. This process represents an inheritance of traditional culture and an art of life."

International students experience TCM massage.

In the free medical consultation area, renowned TCM doctors and experts at the national and municipal levels provided on-site consultation services for them, including pulse diagnosis, constitution identification, and health advice, and shared TCM knowledge about health maintenance, dietary regimen, and daily health management. In the appropriate TCM technique experience area, techniques such as acupuncture, massage, auricular acupressure therapy, and Sanfutie (or Sanfu medicinal patch) were prevalent among them.

A TCM doctor consulted AYOUBI ABDUL RAOOF from Afghanistan.

AYOUBI ABDUL RAOOF from Afghanistan said excitedly, "I never thought that TCM culture could be so colorful and close to our lives. This visit allowed me to deeply experience the magic of traditional Chinese medicine. Those renowned TCM doctors can assess my physical condition simply by checking my pulse, which surprised me. I also benefited a lot from the health consultation with TCM experts. They taught me how to maintain my health using traditional Chinese medicine, which gave me a more profound understanding of TCM."

International students experience pill making.

Subsequently, they went to Nanchuan Hospital of TCM to learn how to make TCM and experience its application and efficacy in clinical treatment. They also learned the health exercise "Ba Duan Jin" and said they would insist on practicing it.

International students  learn Ba Duan Jin.

In recent years, Chongqing's policy environment for the development of TCM has been more optimized, achieving great progress in market expansion and quality improvement of the TCM service system, as well as increasingly competitive TCM characteristics. Chongqing has successfully established one national TCM inheritance and innovation center, one national TCM inheritance and innovation development pilot zone, and two national regional medical centers for TCM. Moreover, the TCM cultural literacy level of the city's residents reaches 29.04%, ranking seventh in China. Take Nanchuan District as an example. As Nanchuan Hospital of TCM has successfully upgraded to Level III, the district has been selected as a national demonstration area for TCM health tourism, a foundation unit of the National Pilot Area for Inheritance, Innovation and Development of TCM, and a pilot district for national comprehensive pain management and national TCM intervention program for obesity in children and adolescents.

This activity not only enabled the international students to experience the charm of TCM culture but also gave them a deeper understanding of the role and value of TCM in health preservation and disease treatment. All overseas recommendation officers expressed that they would share the magic of TCM with their families and friends.