'Barefoot doctor' from Africa promotes TCM

BEIJING - If Diarra Boubacar did not have very good reflexes and a pair of sturdy legs, he might never have been able to distinguish himself as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

The 53-year-old still has a good laugh when he talks about his first day working as a doctor at a private hospital in Chengdu, the city in southwest China known for its panda research base.

For three days, he didn't get a single patient. Then, on the fourth day, a matronly woman opened the door of his office, saw him - and ran away. "I had to run after her, saying I can help you with your problem!" he laughed.