On the morning of October 21, 2016, accompanied by a drizzle, around ten students from the Stanford Program in Beijing and the Peking University Traditional Chinese Medicine Society went to the Tongrentang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) located in Xidamochang street in Beijing. Founded in the Qing Dynasty in 1668, after three hundred years Tongrentang remains committed to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today, Tongrentang is a household name in China.
Guided by the Party Secretary of Tongrentang, they arrived at the VIP consulting room. There, Director Liu, an experienced TMC doctor, showed them how to practice acupuncture and cupping and explained their effect on treating lumbar disc herniation and facial paralysis. Mr. Shi, the teacher from Peking University, demonstrated acupuncture, with himself acting as a patient. He had suffered from shoulder pain, but after a short session of acupuncture practiced by Director Liu, his pain was relieved. Witnessing the whole process, Stanford students were very astonished, "Acupuncture is so magical, but how exactly does it work?"
Carrying all kinds of doubts, the whole group went to the Tongrentang drug store. On both sides of Tongrentang's symbol at the store stood two statues; one was processing drugs, the other weighing them. A doctor from Tongrentang taught the students how to identify Ginseng, Dendrobium, and Bezoar and how to weigh medicine. "Lining your eyes to the scale is the first step", he said. Later, they learned about the most famous patent medicine of Tongrentang, Angong Niuhuang Wan, which can treat stroke and cerebral thrombosis.
Chinese Medicine Master Studio was the third stop of their morning tour at Tongrentang. Established in March 2010, it aims to pass down Tongrentang's culture and Chinese medicine techniques, and to cultivate more elites in this field. Drawing on experiences of familial inheritance, mentoring and school education, it holds seminars for Chinese medicine masters to exchange ideas and welcomes scholars for visits and training from home and abroad. Gladis, a student from Stanford University, said excitingly, "Chinese medicine can cure serious diseases without operations, why not just let western doctors combine Chinese and Western medicine theories, and then patients may be free from pains of some surgeries?"
About 2 p.m., the whole group traversed to the Museum of Chinese Medicine at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. They first visited the exhibition hall of Chinese medicine. The guide introduced them the distribution layout of Chinese medicine, including drugs for relieving exterior syndromes like Ephedra, and drugs for draining dampness as Poria. Then at the exhibition hall of Chinese medicine history, they traced back the development of Chinese medicine theories and practices from the primitive society, the Spring and Autumn to the Ming and Qing Dynasty. After nearly 40 minutes of tour in the afternoon, the visit to Traditional Chinese Medicine came to an end.
In an era of Western medicine as the mainstream, the development and survival of Chinese medicine has always become a focus of Chinese society. This tour has enriched students' knowledge about Traditional Chinese Medicine, and more importantly, deepened their understanding about Chinese culture.
Written by: Gao Kailin
Edited by: Xu Zheqi
