TCM lauded as old practice becomes more advanced

Celebrating the theme of smart life and technological traditional Chinese medicine, this year's TCM booth is showcasing the latest products and technologies from the industry at the ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing.

Tu Zhitao, director of the Beijing Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said TCM-related intelligent equipment has entered people's daily lives and helped improve their experiences with TCM doctors.

One of the products - a visual instrument - made its debut at this year's CIFTIS.

The equipment can analyze the collected eye image information to monitor the patient's health condition and give early warning signals, by utilizing modern engineering technology and solutions featuring big data and artificial intelligence.

Technologies make great contribution to the growth in TCM service trade and to enhancing the competitiveness of TCM worldwide through quality control in the whole industrial chain, including planting, production, processing and transportation, according to Tu.

The latest source-tracing system can obtain the total quality test data of TCM materials from planting to processed herbs, which provides quality assurance for TCM to go abroad.

"The TCM industry is also making efforts to take more social responsibilities, such as in poverty alleviation projects, planting high-quality TCM materials in poor areas," Tu said at an earlier briefing meeting.

In addition, a TCM international remote consultation platform, a pulse diagnosis teaching instrument and a TCM professional synchronous translation system provide support for the development of TCM in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

On the TCM-themed day on Wednesday, 10 demonstration projects of TCM promotion in foreign countries were announced.

The China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies signed agreements with Japan and Nigeria on the day.

Tu said he expected the demonstration projects to unify the quality standards of TCM clinics abroad. They also plan to launch TCM training centers for oversea Chinese in Beijing.

Companies also make efforts to promote the development of TCM abroad. Tongrentang, a Beijing-based time-honored TCM business brand, has opened 149 stores in 28 countries and regions, since it opened its first business in Hong Kong in 1993.

(China Daily 05/30/2019 page12)