China News Service, Ordos, February 12th, title: A "post-00s" Taiwan compatriot's study and observation of Chinese medicine in the mainland

　　Author Olan

　　Among the campers who are participating in the Inner Mongolia Branch (West Front) of the 29th Taiwan Youth Winter Camp of the National Taiwan Federation in 2023, Xu Zezhong is a bit special.

In his spare time, he always likes to spread out an ancient Chinese medicine book and read it carefully.

　　Xu Zezhong has lived in Taiwan since he was a child. Since he was admitted to Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to study Chinese medicine in 2020, he has been studying and living in the mainland for nearly two years.

Talking about this period of study, he is like a child who gives his precious things to others, with a serious expression and bright eyes, and he can't help talking.

　　Everything happens for a reason.

Xu Zezhong told the reporter that the "opportunity" for him to embark on the path of Chinese medicine was the "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" given to him by his father.

When he was young, it was precisely because he understood the brilliance of Chinese culture that he regarded "using traditional Chinese culture in life" as his life wish.

After screening, he chose Chinese medicine.

"My dad told me at the time that the mainland is the birthplace of Chinese medicine. If you want to learn Chinese medicine, you must come to the mainland."

　　Finally, Xu Zezhong became a 2020 freshman of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

After half a year of online classes, he came to Beijing in March 2021 to officially start his Chinese medicine studies in the mainland.

The picture shows Xu Zezhong doing activities with friends in mainland China.

Photo courtesy of Xu Zezhong

　　Compared with Taiwan, the Chinese learning atmosphere in the mainland is obviously much stronger.

Xu Zezhong found that many provinces in mainland China have universities of traditional Chinese medicine, and the government also provides great support for traditional Chinese medicine.

In Taiwan, Chinese medicine exists as a discipline in private medical schools, and the course content is mainly Western medicine.

　　He was also impressed by the school's curriculum.

On his schedule, there will not only be courses on traditional Chinese culture, but also professional courses such as basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine, diagnostics of traditional Chinese medicine, prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, and internal medicine of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as pharmacology, anatomy, histology, basic diagnostics of western medicine, etc. Western medicine courses.

　　"When practicing medicine today, the detection of Western medicine is a very good auxiliary tool, and it is sometimes more effective to explain to patients with Western medicine concepts such as indicators and parameters." Xu Zezhong told reporters that with the development of society, Chinese medicine is also changing.

Compared with the traditional Chinese medicine learning method of apprenticeship and inheritance in the past, there are many changes in the Chinese medicine discipline that has become a university major.

"In our school, it is divided into three majors: traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and acupuncture. There are systematic teaching materials, and each teacher will lead a lot of students."

　　"In the past, moxibustion required hundreds of pillars at a time, and it took a long time for doctors to do moxibustion. Now the time and quantity have been reduced a lot, and the effect is not the same." The change in the art of moxibustion also made him feel a little bit emotion.

"In the past, there would be scars after moxibustion. But in the current social environment, who would be willing?"

The picture shows Xu Zezhong (first from left) communicating with students at Inner Mongolia University during the winter camp.

Photo by Fu Yaxin

　　Although the times are changing, the hard work required to learn Chinese medicine well is still indispensable.

　　As the saying goes, the master leads the door, and the practice is up to the individual.

In the process of chatting with Xu Zezhong, the reporter always felt his "thirst for learning" about Chinese medicine.

　　"There are too many books, and I can't finish them." The reporter learned during the interview that extended reading outside the curriculum has almost become Xu Zezhong's routine operation in addition to class.

When studying Chinese pharmacy, he went to the library to borrow "Shen Nong Baicao Jing"; if he took an elective course of internal classics, he read the entire "Huangdi Nei Jing"...Before the epidemic, it was inconvenient for him to go out during the holidays, so he simply stayed at school to study.

"After reading the scriptures thousands of times, the meaning will emerge. Some books are written in classical Chinese, and it takes a lot of time to sort them out before you can understand what they are saying."

　　What is learned on paper is what is learned.

In order to exercise his skills, Xu Zezhong also joined a Chinese medicine society at school.

　　"Although there is no teacher to guide, but after a lot of touch, you will know how different each person's pulse will be." The experience of the pulse school has benefited him a lot.

Whenever he had the opportunity, he went to the cafeteria with everyone to set up a stall, and gave free pulses to alumni.

"A lot of traditional Chinese culture pays attention to 'enlightenment'. In fact, learning Chinese medicine is like this, and it is a little difficult. For example, the pulse number is not clearly written in the book, but a feeling."

　　"Like the course of traditional Chinese medicine, I hope that the proportion of partial recognition can be given a greater weight, instead of emphasizing memorization of knowledge from books. And it's a pity that we don't have activities like going to the mountains to collect herbs." School time Even though it is fulfilling, Xu Zezhong admitted that he still has some regrets.

"The smell and taste of plants are very related to their medicinal properties and growth environment. If you have this kind of experience, your understanding will be more perceptual, and your understanding will be more three-dimensional. This is something that can't be achieved by comparing the effects of books."

　　"In the future, I should stay in the mainland." The undergraduate course of Chinese medicine is 5 years, and now I am halfway through my studies.

In a few days, Xu Zezhong will usher in a new semester.

"When I graduate from university, I should take a postgraduate entrance examination first." (End)