Health & Beauty

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the "the Belt and Road" initiative. More than 2000 years ago, traditional Chinese medicine was promoted and exchanged along the ancient Silk Road in countries along the route, becoming an important part of Sino foreign trade exchanges. Today, with the change of health concept and medical model, the exchange and cooperation of traditional Chinese medicine has become a new highlight of high-quality development of the "the Belt and Road" international trade.

Recently, the first integrated Chinese medicine anti epidemic medical team dispatched by China to foreign countries -17 members of the Chinese medicine anti epidemic medical team in Cambodia won the Knight of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The triumphal welcome ceremony was held at the Xiyuan Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the work of the second Chinese medicine medical team in Cambodia is also being promoted.

The reporter of the Economic Information Daily learned that from more and more TCM enterprises and overseas TCM centers taking root along the "the Belt and Road" to groups of overseas "TCM fans" coming to China to "learn from" and then return to China for dissemination, TCM is striding towards the world along the "the Belt and Road" region, contributing unique "oriental strength" to the health and well-being of people along the "Belt and Road".

Traditional Chinese Medicine Accelerates "Going to Sea"

Outside the production workshop of Anhui Xiehe Cheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., more than a dozen workers are busy transporting packaged medicinal materials and herbal decoction pieces to containers. These products will arrive at Haiphong Port in Vietnam in about a week by sea.

"Almost every week, containers destined for countries along the the Belt and Road are loaded here. For example, this time, containers destined for Vietnam include about 50 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials and decoction pieces, including white peony, peony bark, which are worth more than 1.5 million yuan." Yang Dan, the customs manager of Anhui Xiehe Cheng Pharmaceutical Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company has strengthened cooperation with Vietnam, Thailand Malaysia and other countries along the "the Belt and Road" have cooperated in the market of traditional Chinese medicine, and the export volume of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces has also seen a substantial growth.

Bozhou City, Anhui Province, where Anhui Xiehecheng Pharmaceutical Pieces Co., Ltd. is located, is the hometown of the miracle doctor Hua Tuo, and has been known as the "Capital of Chinese Medicine" since ancient times. While promoting the cluster development of TCM industry, Bozhou is also actively promoting TCM to countries along the "the Belt and Road".

According to the statistics of Bozhou Customs, from January to April this year, the export of Chinese medicinal materials in Bozhou City was 190 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, accounting for 85.8% of the total export value of Chinese medicinal materials in Anhui Province, of which 45.509 million yuan was exported to countries along the "the Belt and Road". South Korea, Vietnam and other countries are the main export markets for international trade.

Bozhou, dedicated to building the "World Capital of Traditional Chinese Medicine", is a microcosm of China's accelerated "going global" of traditional Chinese medicine. As a treasure of the Chinese nation, Chinese medicine is being welcomed by more and more people in countries along the "the Belt and Road".

The Development Plan for Promoting the High Quality Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine into the Joint Construction of the "the Belt and Road" (2021-2025) (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") issued in 2022 proposed that during the "13th Five Year Plan" period, the total import and export trade of traditional Chinese medicine products reached 28.19 billion dollars, and the application scope of traditional Chinese medicine services and products was further expanded.

In order to better meet the needs of countries along the "the Belt and Road", TCM enterprises continue to carry out product research, development and innovation. "We use scientific and technological innovation to further develop refined small package decoction pieces, traditional Chinese medicine extracts, traditional Chinese medicine formula granules, traditional Chinese medicine health care products, etc., and gradually diversify our products. Export products have increased from single traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces to traditional Chinese medicine extracts, traditional Chinese medicine formulas, Polypill and other products with high added value." Zhao Weihe, deputy general manager of Anhui Xiehe Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, The company is also establishing an office in Vietnam to strengthen communication and cooperation with the local market.

Deeply integrate into the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road"

At the Ratz Pharmacy in Stralsund, a small city in Germany, the Chinese medicine granules produced by Anhui Jiren Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. are being sold to German citizens through the Chinese medicine formula granules department in the pharmacy. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules department of this pharmacy was officially established in 2019, marking the first time that traditional Chinese medicine formula granules that have passed official quality inspections have entered the German market.

"We cooperated with local public pharmacies to sell 128 varieties of traditional Chinese medicine granules, which are very popular in Germany." Zhu Qiang, deputy general manager of Anhui Jiren Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., said that taking Shufeng Jiedu granules as an example, after the COVID-19 broke out, more than 100000 pieces of Shufeng Jiedu granules configured with formula granules were sold in 27 member countries of the European Union and Switzerland, effectively participating in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

As Chinese medicine accelerates to go overseas, it is also more deeply integrated into the local community, taking root and sprouting along the "the Belt and Road", and becoming an ambassador for health and cultural exchanges between China and countries along the Belt and Road.

In Athens, Greece, the Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Athens Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, which was established by Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in cooperation with the Greek International Health Tourism Center, has become a window for traditional Chinese medicine to enter the lives of local people.

"We provide acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, health consultation and other traditional Chinese medicine services to local Chinese and overseas Chinese and foreign people, which has been highly recognized. We hope that through this platform, more foreign people can experience the charm of traditional Chinese medicine and strengthen the exchange of Chinese and western medicine and culture." Wang Kai, deputy director of the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, said.

Such an international trade center of traditional Chinese medicine is being built in more and more countries along the "the Belt and Road". Gansu Province has established 16 overseas Qihuang TCM centers and colleges in 12 countries, including Thailand, Hungary and Belarus, with more than 80000 patients diagnosed and treated and more than 100000 free clinics. Zhejiang Province has also established overseas centers for traditional Chinese medicine in countries and regions such as Israel, Belarus, and New Zealand.

It is reported that based on the previous work of the Chinese medicine medical team for Cambodia, the national China Cambodia Chinese medicine center undertaken by Xiyuan Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Sciences has officially signed a contract, which has been included in the Joint Statement of the China and the Kingdom of Cambodia on Building a China Cambodia Community of Destiny in a New Era in February this year.

The Plan proposes that during the "14th Five Year Plan" period, China will cooperate with the "the Belt and Road" countries to build 30 high-quality overseas centers for international trade in traditional Chinese medicine, promulgate 30 international standards for traditional Chinese medicine, create 10 overseas dissemination brand projects of traditional Chinese medicine culture, build 50 international cooperation bases for traditional Chinese medicine, and build a number of national export bases for international trade in traditional Chinese medicine services.

Traveling across the sea to China to "learn from classics"

While Chinese medicine is accelerating its "going global", more and more Chinese medicine lovers from countries along the "the Belt and Road" are coming to China to "learn from", and then bring Chinese medicine back to their own countries, so that this Chinese treasure can benefit more people.

Lin Shiguang, a 43 year old Malaysians, is one of those who came to China to study Chinese medicine in depth. While pursuing doctoral studies at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Lin Shiguang also runs a Chinese medicine museum in Malaysia, serving the local people with the knowledge and technology of Chinese medicine he has learned in China over the years.

"My father is a traditional Chinese medicine. I was very interested in traditional Chinese medicine when I was young. When I was in college, I came to China to systematically study the theory and technology of traditional Chinese medicine, and then continued to study for master's degree and doctor's degree here." Lin Shiguang said that the professional diagnosis and treatment methods and profound culture of traditional Chinese medicine he learned in China strengthened his determination to open a good Chinese medicine museum in Malaysia and promote traditional Chinese medicine.

Although Lin Shiguang's TCM clinic is small, it has complete and clean facilities. It can not only provide acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, bone setting and other services, but also recuperate internal diseases and prescribe according to different diseases.

Although traditional Chinese medicine has a slow course of treatment, it has good effects and minimal damage to the body. Dozens of people come to see doctors every day, many of whom come multiple times. "Lin Shiguang said," Nowadays, the local acceptance and recognition of traditional Chinese medicine in Malaysia are increasing, and the number of traditional Chinese medicine clinics is constantly increasing. More and more people like him are going to China to "seek scriptures".

According to Zhou Yadong, dean of the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, the university has been recruiting international students majoring in traditional Chinese medicine since 1994, many of whom are from Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and other countries along the "the Belt and Road".

"Traditional Chinese medicine is an important area of cooperation between China and countries along the the Belt and Road. We hope to provide more local people with traditional Chinese medicine medical care services by cultivating more overseas talents who love traditional Chinese medicine," said Zhou Yadong.