Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the treasure of ancient Chinese science and the key to the archive of Chinese civilization, shining with the light of China’s excellent traditional culture. China’s President Xi Jinping, who has said that “Upholding the belief that all countries are members of one and the same family, we take responsibility for the lives and health of the Chinese people; we also make due contribution to global public health security”, has also mentioned TCM at many important meetings, activities and occasions, and has given important instructions on the work of TCM.
In recent years, the display of TCM culture at large-scale events has become a fixed collocation. For example, Nishan World Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine, as one of the sub-forums of the Ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, set up a Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Experience Center, led by Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which attracted many Chinese and foreign guests, media reporters and volunteers to visit and experience during the forum. Shandong, as the province where the forum was held, is a major province of TCM, not only rich in land and sea natural resources, but also has a long cultural and historical heritage.
Chinese herbal medicines are natural products originated from plants, animals or minerals. The Yellow River is known as the Chinese nation’s Mother River, and is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Shandong Province, which is located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, has superior natural conditions, giving birth to rich wild resources of Chinese medicinal materials. What’s more, Shandong is not only the estuary of the Yellow River, but also the area where cold and warm currents meet bordering the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, so it is extremely rich in marine resources.
Moreover, Mount Tai rises from here, the Yellow River enters the sea from here…the superior natural scenery of mountains, rivers and seas are the natural advantages for the development of Shandong’s health care industry. Just imagine, when you are in the mountains with fresh air or the vast seaside, enjoying the natural scenery to relax yourself, tasting seasonal natural ingredients to nourish the body, and experiencing the ancient people’s philosophy of the unity of nature and human, it is definitely a pleasant trip for body and spirit.
TCM has three distinctive characteristics in Shandong Province—Qilu culture, Bian Que’s hometown and the birthplace of acupuncture. As the holy land of Qilu culture, Shandong has a long history and profound cultural deposits. This great land not only has famous mountains and rivers, but also has given birth to a very splendid civilization in the long development process of civilization history. Specifically, many historical figures such as Confucius and Mencius were born here. The development of traditional Chinese medicine in Qilu is inseparable from the birth of traditional culture. Qilu Traditional Chinese Medicine, nurtured by Qilu culture, is an important part of TCM.
Shandong has a large number of excellent famous doctors, which have laid a solid foundation for the formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine. There is a famous article about the “divine doctor” Bian Que, which tells the story of when Duke Cai rejected Bian Que’s recommendation for medical treatment on four visits, and finally fell ill in the bone marrow and passed away tragically. The article warns people to have the courage to face reality, personal disasters and social crises, and take early measures to treat them. This is also an article that can well express the law of disease development from the perspective of medicine. In modern medical conditions, with regular physical examination, many diseases can be cured at an early stage with early treatment.
With the improvement of health awareness, the public’s understanding of TCM has been continuously enhanced and TCM health care is becoming a new fashion for young people. The medical experience and medical practice of famous doctors in ancient China still has a great influence on the development of human medicine. It can be easily seen on social media that acupuncture, massage, dietary therapy, cupping, moxibustion, scraping therapy and foot baths which used to be popular with middle-aged and elderly people in China, are now gradually becoming more and more popular among young people around the world. According to Gen Z Nutrition Consumption Trends Report released by Xinhuanet in 2022, young people are becoming the main force behind health care consumption, with the average annual expenditure of each urban resident exceeding 1000 yuan ($138) for health and wellness, and the proportion of young consumers aged 18 to 35 is as high as 83.7%.
In Barbecue hotspot Zibo, activities such as the night market of traditional Chinese medicine culture and the free clinic of old Chinese medicine have brought more attention to TCM. According to data provided by Zibo Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the proportion of young people aged 18 to 35 who visit the hospital has increased from about 20% to about 30% compared with five years ago.
Besides, there are many simple ways to live a healthy life in addition to seeing a TCM doctor. For instance, have an herbal foot bath at night, sleep before midnight, drink herbal tea to get rid of moisture, and make tea with goji berry and keep it warm in a thermos. This seemingly simple but scientific health care knowledge, in fact, contains the wisdom and experience of the ancients, which is closely related to Chinese philosophical thought. Thus, to boost the traditional Chinese medicine industry, the inheritance of excellent traditional Chinese culture is indispensable.
TCM has made remarkable progress and contributions to people’s health for a long time. According to official news sources, in the practice of TCM since the prevention and treatment of the new crown epidemic in 2019, the combination of TCM and Western medicine has achieved good results. In the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which attracted worldwide attention, the Exhibition Hall of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture took the platform of sports events as an opportunity to provide TCM specialty services, spread TCM culture and jointly improve human health. In the future, TCM is destined to fulfill the unique role in promoting Chinese culture to the world and benefiting the lives and health of human beings.
With the continuous development of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the “Internet and medical health” have developed rapidly, and cutting-edge technologies such as new generation information technology, big data and artificial intelligence have accelerated their penetration into the field of TCM. According to Development plan of traditional Chinese medicine industry in Shandong Province (2022-2025), Shandong deeply excavates the essence of Qilu TCM, makes full use of cutting-edge technology, and promotes the deep integration of modern science and technology and TCM theory. Up to now, 134 public traditional Chinese medicine hospitals above the second level in Shandong Province have implemented and promoted the “five general practices”, popularized 66 appropriate technologies of traditional Chinese medicine and 19 intervention programs for the treatment of pre-existing diseases.
In the new era, new formats and models of TCM services in Shandong have flourished. Under the leadership of the central government, Shandong will promote the high-quality development of Qilu TCM industry, and help inherit and innovate China’s excellent traditional culture and carry it forward worldwide.
Meng Xin is a student at Shandong University, and a trainee at the workshop “Telling Shandong Stories Well” hosted by Global Engagement Academy in the School of Culture and Communication at Shandong University (Weihai). The views don’t necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
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