To facilitate communication between the faculty and students worldwide, the School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA) at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) launched a dialogue series for presenting China’s stories globally. It’s named Zhaomingde [昭明德], borrowed from Chinese classic The Book of Changes, interpreted in English as “a gentleman demonstrates his virtue by practicing it, just as the sun shows its brightness by sunrise”.

In the evening of November 28th, 2022, Ms. Lai Han of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was invited to share her story with traditional Chinese medicine (TMC) at the sixth session of Zhaomingde dialogue. This lecture was chaired by Professor Zhang Shaoduo, Secretary of CPC Committee of SIRPA, SISU.

Firstly, Lai Han introduced the different treatment of TCM, including acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbs, Gua Sha, moxibustion, tui-na massage, qi gong and other traditional Chinese medicine treatments. Then, she shared the legendary story of the famous doctor Sun Simiao, who had "one needle saves two lives", and combined it with his book "A Master Physician Must Have Superb Skill and Sincerity" to reveal that Chinese medicine requires not only exquisite medical skills but also high moral cultivation.

Ms. Lai Han shared her experience in promoting international exchange of TCM in the Czech Republic from Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. She argued that in the face of the low tolerance of uncertainty in Czech society, promoting the spread of TCM with experiential teaching can allow foreign students to experience TCM more intuitively through practical activities such as observing the tongue and practicing acupuncture directly in a relaxed environment.

At the end of the lecture, Lai Han compared TCM and Western medicine from three dimensions: theory, diagnostic approach, and treatment methods. She pointed out that TCM is a summary of the Chinese people's experience in fighting diseases, reflecting the Chinese understanding of health and diseases, TCM is not only a medical theory system, but also a part of the excellent traditional Chinese culture.

SIRPA houses the largest number of international students at SISU, with two master’s degree programs taught all-through in English, International Relations and China Studies. The school is committed to preparing future global talents for a wide range of international expertise. The Zhaomingde dialogue series was a platform for both Chinese and international students to have a better understanding of contemporary China and tell Chinese stories globally.