To implement the Understanding China initiative set by the China Scholarship Council and to enhance international students' understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and wellness philosophy, on September 14, Wan Yina, Deputy Dean of the Overseas Education School, led over 30 international students from the university on a visit to the Jiangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Culture Museum. This visit provided them with an opportunity to experience the unique philosophical and cultural foundation of traditional Chinese medicine and to appreciate the essence of Chinese civilization spanning over 5,000 years.

The Jiangxi TCM Culture Museum consists of three exhibition halls: the Chinese Traditional Medicine Hall, the Chinese Traditional Pharmacy Hall, and the Jiangxi TCM Specialty Hall. In the Chinese Traditional Medicine Hall, the international students learned in detail about the origins, development, and significant historical events in TCM, as well as about notable medical figures in the history of Chinese medicine.

In the Chinese Traditional Pharmacy Hall, the students were introduced to the efficacy and preparation methods of various traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, the geographic distribution of authentic medicinal materials, ancient TCM texts, classical prescriptions, and the philosophy of health preservation through medicine. Shen Mingming, a Ph.D. student in International Trade from Bangladesh, remarked, “I’ve never seen such a wide variety of medicinal herbs or such marvelous traditional formulas before. I didn’t realize Jiangxi had such abundant herbal resources and a profound TCM culture. It’s truly amazing!”

Moving on to the Jiangxi TCM Specialty Hall, Song Lin, a student from Vietnam, showed great interest in Thermal-Sensitive Moxibustion. He carefully studied the acupuncture points chart and commented that if he had known about this therapy earlier, he might have suffered less from back pain. He expressed his desire to introduce this therapeutic method to his family and friends so they too could benefit from its remarkable health effects.

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After the visit, many of the international students expressed their admiration for Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals. They felt that TCM culture is vast and profound, deserving of in-depth study, and that its wellness philosophy should be shared and promoted worldwide. They also expressed hope that by applying the principles of TCM, they could improve their health and help their family and friends achieve better wellness.

This Understanding China activity successfully integrated the international students' learning experiences across three classrooms—the primary classroom (formal education), the second classroom (extracurricular activities), and the third classroom (social practice). It deepened their understanding of traditional Chinese culture. The Overseas Education School will continue organizing Understanding China social practice activities, enabling international students to deepen their knowledge through field visits and hands-on experiences, broaden their horizons, enrich their personal experiences, and enhance their cross-cultural communication skills.