As China's national strength further rises on international
stage, more and more young foreign students want to learn Chinese
culture, especially traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Information
shows that last year, about 7,130 foreign students came to China to
learn traditional Chinese medicine, the Traditional Chinese
Medicine Journal reported.
Some of these foreign students were born into affluent families
and had a promising career prospect in their countries before they
came to China; some enjoyed a comfortable life at home since they
were the only child in the family; some are determined to learn TCM
even if they know that they might have a long way to go before they
can obtain a certificate in TCM practice.
Huang Xijing is one of the many foreign students who are
infatuated with TCM.
"I'm a sophomore at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese
Medicine. I am married and I have a daughter now. My husband loves
me very much. Since I have many roles in life, I need to do much
more work than other students. My husband also works in Tianjin now. Once, his company was on fire and
he rushed out to put out the fire. However, when he was spraying
water from the top of the building, the ceilings collapsed and he
broke his leg bones. It was really painful. Hearing this, my TCM
teacher showed me some acupuncture points that could alleviate his
pain. I tested my feet first and later I applied the treatment on
my husband's legs. I even used some traditional Chinese herbs in
the acupuncture treatment. It really worked. He felt much better
after that," Huang said.
She said she had a sense of fulfillment after the treatment. She
felt that her study in TCM had paid off, saying that the experience
could be described with a Chinese idiom Ku Jin Gan Lai
(after the bitter days have gone by come the sweet ones).
(China News Service September 18, 2007)