Bravo Qihuang Culture!
SYMC International Students Immerse in Chinese Medicine
To deepen international students' understanding and appreciation of excellent traditional Chinese culture and enable them to experience the unique allure of traditional Chinese medicine up close, Shenyang Medical College organized its international students to participate in the 2nd Liaoning Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Night Market at Shenyang Olympic Sports Center on April 29. The students embarked on a distinctive traditional culture study tour to immerse themselves in the profoundness of traditional Chinese medicine culture.
Under the theme "Huangdi-Qibo Benefits Liaoning, Healthy Night Market Tour", this year's traditional Chinese medicine Culture Night Market centered on promoting traditional Chinese medicine culture. It integrated traditional Chinese medicine free clinics, featured therapy experiences, traditional Chinese medicine cultural and creative displays, and health preservation science popularization, creating a vibrant and culturally rich new scenario for traditional Chinese medicine health consumption. The event set up multiple themed zones, including traditional Chinese medicine free clinics, featured traditional Chinese medicine therapies, traditional Chinese medicine cultural and creative products, and health preservation, fully demonstrating the profound heritage and modern vitality of traditional Chinese medicine culture.
Accompanied by detailed explanations and guidance from teachers of the College of International Education, the international students wandered through the zones with great curiosity to experience the unique charm of traditional Chinese medicine culture in an all-round way. In the featured traditional Chinese medicine therapy experience zone, they closely observed the practice of traditional traditional Chinese medicine therapies such as acupuncture, tuina massage, and moxibustion, and actively participated in experience activities including sachet making, traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis, pestle needle therapy, and Honglu tendon smoothing. They listened attentively to professional physicians' explanations on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy and health preservation concepts, gaining a direct understanding of the traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic wisdom of "treatment based on syndrome differentiation". In the traditional Chinese medicine culture science popularization zone, various Chinese medicinal herbs, interesting traditional Chinese medicine cultural and creative products, and easy-to-understand health knowledge exhibition boards attracted the students to stop and linger. They carefully identified Chinese medicinal herbs and inquired about traditional Chinese medicine cultural allusions, gradually resolving their curiosity and doubts about traditional Chinese medicine through interactive communication.
The international students marveled at the traditional Chinese medicine concepts of "observation, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, and pulse taking", "food and medicine sharing the same origin", as well as its long history. They actively participated in the experiences and communicated with on-site staff and physicians in Chinese as much as possible. They stated that the activity allowed them to truly feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture and deepened their understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. ONEYA NELSON JADEN, a student from Tanzania, said: "This is a wonderful experience. I learned about Zhang Zhongjing and his works, whose medical skills can treat many common diseases. I think traditional Chinese medicine is amazing and practical. As a medical student, I understand that medicine knows no borders." MAKKOURI IMRANE, a student from Morocco, said: "The spring in Shenyang is beautiful! As a medical student, I know the mission of doctors is to heal the sick and save the wounded. The traditional Chinese medicine idea of 'prescribing the right medicine for the illness and treating the root cause' has inspired me a lot. I hope to pass on these ideas to people in Morocco and let everyone know the charm of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese culture."
Organizing international students to participate in the 2nd Liaoning Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Night Market is an important practice for the university to promote cultural education for international students and deepen cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. The activity has not only built a platform for international students to perceive excellent traditional Chinese culture up close, effectively spreading traditional Chinese medicine culture—a treasure of China—among international youth, but also enhanced the students' recognition and affection for Chinese culture. In the future, the university will continue to carry out various cultural experience and practical activities, continuously enrich the connotation of international student education, build more bridges for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, guide international students to understand and perceive China in depth, and encourage them to become disseminators of traditional Chinese medicine culture and excellent traditional Chinese culture, as well as envoys of friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries, contributing to cultural exchanges and mutual learning.
