Appeal never fades, ancient therapy remains fresh, attractive

NANCHANG -- Anne Praxed, from Cameroon, is marveled at how the centuries-old traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) continues to innovate after becoming familiar with it when coming to China in 2016.

"TCM, to many of us in Cameroon, is about acupuncture and cupping therapies. It's totally out of my imagination that TCM now so closely knits with modern technology," said Praxed.

Jiangxi is known for its age-old history of TCM and a robust basis for the development of the TCM industry.

In recent years, Jiangxi has constantly accelerated the development of the TCM service system. It has also been exploring new paths and development models of TCM and promoting TCM overseas.

Portuguese Isabel Figueiredo studied TCM in Jiangxi in 2017 and became a TCM practitioner in Portugal after graduation. "In addition to acupuncture and manipulation, I was most impressed by the thermal moxibustion technology, which is also the most popular treatment among patients in Portugal," said Figueiredo.

"New technologies such as thermal moxibustion have broken the traditional cognition of acupuncture among foreign students and explained relevant mechanisms in a much clearer manner," noted Chen Rixin, vice president of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine.

"Many overseas students have formed a new understanding of TCM after coming to China," echoed Xu Lanbin, Party secretary of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine.

The university was among the first batch of universities approved by the Ministry of Education to recruit foreign students in 1993. It is also the only institution in Jiangxi that provides TCM education for overseas students.

So far it has established cooperations with dozens of institutions in countries and regions along the Belt and Road and has trained more than 2,000 students from 39 countries and regions.

Though having returned to her home country, Figueiredo still frequently communicates with peers and experts in China.

"Most of our patients are satisfied with the treatment, and I eagerly look forward to visiting China again to sharpen my skills after the pandemic," said Figueiredo.