把《本草纲目》唱到地球村
Introduction to the Character
人物介绍
Arthur Nyamekye Samuel, a lover of Chinese culture from Ghana in West Africa; Regoeng·Thuto·Kevin, a fan of "Compendium of Materia Medica" from Botswana in Southern Africa; and Jin Ling, who came to Changsha to study with friends from Pakistan... United by their passion for China, they gathered in Changsha from different countries and were deeply captivated by the charm of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) during their studies.
热爱中国文化的亚瑟来自非洲西部的加纳，爱听《本草纲目》的凯文来自非洲南部的博茨瓦纳，跟随朋友来长沙学习的金玲来自巴基斯坦……因为热爱中国，他们从不同国家汇聚到长沙，在学习过程中被中医的魅力深深吸引。
What They Said
他们说
"After completing our studies and returning to our hometowns, we are determined to bring TCM back with us. We want more people to experience its wonders and let this ancient knowledge bloom brightly in foreign lands."
等学成归国，一定要把中医带回自己的家乡，让更多人感受到中医的妙处，让这门古老的学问在异国他乡绽放光彩。
"Where does it hurt? Zhé lǐ ma?" He asked word by word.
“哪里痛？zhé里么？”他一字一句地问。
"Yes," replied the elderly person lying on the treatment bed.
“是的。”躺在治疗床上的老人答道。
"Hǎo de."
“hào的。”
A white coat paired with a black face; he spoke unfluent Chinese, but his TCM tuina techniques were skilled. On July 16, at the Jinping Community Health Service Center in Jinshanqiao Sub-district, Hunan Xiangjiang New Area, Arthur Nyamekye Samuel, a Ghanaian international student from Changsha Medical University, was providing free tuina treatments and consultations for elderly residents. These two striking contrasting scenes unfolded vividly before the reporter’s eyes.
白大褂，黑脸庞；口里说的是不那么熟悉的中文，举手投足间却是娴熟的中医推拿手法。7月16日，湖南湘江新区金山桥街道金坪社区卫生室里，长沙医学院加纳籍留学生亚瑟，正在为社区老人推拿、义诊。这两组反差强烈的画面，在记者眼前真实地呈现着。
Arthur is not alone. Just a short distance from the health center, the International School of Medicine at Changsha Medical University has enrolled over 1,000 international students from more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, over the past decade. Gaining hands-on "internship" experience at nearby clinics has become a routine for these students.
不止亚瑟一人，就在卫生室近旁的长沙医学院里，有一个国际医药学院，十几年间，已有来自美国、加拿大、阿联酋等30多个国家和地区的千余名留学生在此求学深造。到旁边诊所现场“实习”，是留学生们的“家常便饭”。
Insight Through Understanding – The Secret of an Acupoint Chart
心领神会，一张穴位图的秘密
Regoeng·Thuto·Kevinhails from Botswana in Southern Africa. Like many of his classmates, he is from Africa. Africa and Pakistan are the main source regions of students for the school, with more than 20 international students from 13 African countries currently studying here.
凯文来自非洲南部的博茨瓦纳。不仅是他，每天一起学习的同学们，很多也来自非洲。非洲和巴基斯坦是学院的主要生源地，就在当下，有来自13个非洲国家的20余名留学生在这里学习。
In the midsummer of Changsha, even the cicada chirps carry a listless laziness. When talking about the city’s weather, the African students unanimously joked in their broken Chinese: "Changsha is too hot – much hotter than our hometowns!"
盛夏的长沙，蝉鸣都透着无力的慵懒。说到长沙天气，非洲留学生们异口同声地用不那么流利的中文笑称：“长沙太热了，比我的家乡热得多！”
Their enthusiasm for learning is equally intense.
他们的学习热情与天气有一比。
"'The Spring of the Heart Meridian' at the highest point of the armpit – remember this metaphor, and you’ll find the Jiquan acupoint," said Teacher Ding Le, holding up the arm of a human acupoint model for demonstration in the acupuncture laboratory. More than 30 faces of different skin colors leaned in closely. Kevin stared intently at the armpit area where the teacher’s fingertips glided, struggling to record and express it in English.
“腋窝最高点的‘心经之泉’——大家记住这个比喻，就能找到极泉穴了。”长沙医学院的针灸学实验室里，丁乐老师举起人体腧穴模型的手臂示范着，30多张肤色各异的脸庞凑向模型，凯文紧紧盯着老师指尖划过的腋窝部位，纠结着怎么用英文记录和表达。
"How to prove the existence of meridians, which cannot be seen, and qi, which cannot be touched?" This is the most common question from students. Chinese students need thousands of practice sessions to master pulse diagnosis, and it is even more challenging for foreign students to perceive the subtle differences between "floating, deep, slow, and rapid" pulses from a different cultural background. To facilitate understanding, teachers break down acupoint names into explanations that are easy for foreign students to comprehend and remember, helping them quickly memorize the locations and effects of acupoints starting from their names.
“经络看不到、气摸不到，怎么证明它存在？”这是学生最常问的问题。中国学生学习把脉，指感要上千次才出功夫，更何况外国学生，要从不同的文化背景中感悟“浮、沉、迟、数”的微妙差异。为了让学生易于理解，老师会把穴位名称拆解成外国学生好懂好记的解释，方便学生从穴位名称入手，更快记住穴位定位及功效。
When the teacher wrote the Chinese characters "Ji"and "Quan" on the blackboard, everyone still looked confused. But when she translated "Ji" as "top", referring to the midpoint of the armpit, where the axillary artery pulses, and "Quan" as "spring", naturally gushing underground water, explained as "the source of gushing qi and blood", Kevin suddenly realized.
当老师在黑板上写下“极”与“泉”两个汉字时，大家依然一脸茫然。但当她将“极”译为“top”，指极泉穴定位在腋窝正中顶点、腋动脉搏动处；将“泉”译为“spring”，指自然涌出的地下水，解释为“气血涌出的源头”时，凯文恍然大悟。
"It’s like the spring water on the top of the mountains in my hometown, flowing down to nourish the land," Kevin explained to his classmates, who quickly remembered this important acupoint that regulates heart function and unblocks qi and blood.
“就像我们家乡山顶的泉水，从最高处流淌下来滋养大地。”凯文向身边同学解释，大家很快就记住了这个能调节心脏功能、疏通气血的重要穴位。
"Learning Chinese is difficult, and TCM-related Chinese is even harder," said 22-year-old Luo Meicifrom Nigeria. "But when we learn that every acupoint name holds the secret to curing diseases, we find it magical and magnificent." The African girl’s class notes are filled with acupoint diagrams. To avoid locating the wrong points, she annotates the allusions explained by the teacher with Pinyin and English during class. After class, she practices acupoint location and simple operations on herself. When she discovered that the needling sensation not only stays at the acupoint but also spreads along the meridians, she gradually understood the existence of "qi." After two years of study, she can accurately find many commonly used acupoints and even provide simple tuina conditioning for her classmates.
“学习中文很难，遇到中医相关的中文更难，但当我们知道每个穴位名称里都藏着治病的秘密时，就觉得很神奇和伟大。”22岁的罗美慈来自尼日利亚。这个非洲姑娘的课堂笔记里贴满了穴位示意图，为了不找错穴位，她上课时用拼音和英文标注着老师讲解的典故。下课后，她在自己身上进行穴位定位和简单操作练习。当她发现针感不仅局限于穴位局部，而是会随着经络循行传导，她慢慢理解了“气”的存在。经过两年学习，她已经能准确找到许多常用穴位，甚至能为同学进行简单的推拿调理。
Practicing What They Learn – The Magical Effects of Baduanjin
身体力行，一套八段锦的奇效
Baduanjin is no stranger to us. But what surprised the reporter was that the international students also practice Baduanjin – and quite skillfully.
八段锦对我们并不陌生。但令记者惊叹的是，留学生们也会打八段锦，竟然还很有范。
Baduanjin is offered as a physical education course at the International School of Medicine. Following the teacher’s movements, the students stretch, bend, and lean. In these movements, they not only relieve shoulder and neck soreness from prolonged sitting but also gradually comprehend the profound meaning of "smooth flow of qi and blood" in TCM through physical stretching. Jin Ling, a 21-year-old international student from Pakistan, told the reporter that practicing a set of Baduanjin every early morning makes her feel energetic throughout the day.
国际医药学院的体育课中开设了八段锦课程。留学生们跟着老师一招一式练习，抻拉、俯仰间，不仅缓解了久坐学习的肩颈酸痛，更在肢体舒展中慢慢体会到中医“气血流通”的深意。来自巴基斯坦的21岁留学生金玲告诉记者，每天清晨练上一套八段锦，一整天都觉得浑身轻快。
Four years ago, a friend of Jin Ling’s who was studying in Changsha often talked excitedly on the phone about the city’s lively streets, unique charm, and fascinating TCM culture. These words took root in her heart – soon after, she packed her bags and embarked on a journey to Changsha.
四年前，金玲在长沙求学的朋友总在电话里兴致勃勃地说起这座城市的热闹街巷、独特韵味，还有让人入迷的中医文化，这些话在她心里悄悄生了根——没多久，她便收拾好行囊，踏上了前往长沙的路。
When she first came into contact with TCM acupuncture, Jin Ling was extremely afraid of the pain and felt nervous. However, once, when she suffered from severe cervical spine pain, the teacher treated her with acupuncture, and her symptoms improved significantly after a few sessions. Since then, Jin Ling has "loved" acupuncture. "For aversion to cold caused by wind-cold colds, needling the Kunlun acupoint has the effect of dispelling cold," she said. After getting caught in the rain and catching a cold, she immediately thought of soaking her feet in herbal water to dispel cold, followed by needling the Kunlun acupoint; when a classmate had shoulder soreness, she performed cupping for them, and the classmate also said, "It’s much better."
刚接触中医针灸时，金玲对针刺的疼痛感十分恐惧，紧张不已。但有一次，她颈椎疼痛难忍时，老师为她进行针灸治疗，几次之后症状明显缓解。从那以后，金玲就“很喜欢”针灸了。“对风寒感冒引起的恶寒，针刺昆仑穴有散寒作用。”淋雨后她感冒了，立刻想到用草药泡脚散寒，再针灸昆仑穴驱寒；同学肩膀酸痛，她为其拔罐，同学也说“好多了”。
Through repeated practice, the international students have gradually been "conquered" by TCM. Once, 25-year-old Arthur sprained his ankle while playing football, and it didn’t improve for more than a week. The teacher treated him with acupuncture during an experimental class. After personally experiencing the immediate pain-relieving effect of acupuncture, Arthur was amazed. "Teacher, my arm hurts," "I sprained my waist"... Soon, a group of dark-skinned young men lined up, eager to experience the charm of acupuncture.
一次次身体力行，让留学生们渐渐被中医“征服”。一次，25岁的亚瑟踢足球后踝关节扭伤，过了一周多仍未好转。老师在实验课上为他进行针灸治疗，亲身体验到针灸即刻止痛的效果后，亚瑟惊叹不已。“老师，我胳膊疼”“我腰扭伤了”……很快，一群皮肤黝黑的小伙子排起队，争相体验针灸魅力。
After studying acupuncture for some time, Arthur began to try it on himself and his fellow villagers. Once, he had a headache. "I used to buy medicine for it," but after that magical experience with acupuncture, he hesitated: "I can buy medicine or use TCM – which one should I choose?" In the end, he resolutely gave up buying medicine. Instead, he picked up silver needles with his classmates, accurately found the Hegu acupoint, and felt his headache gradually ease with gentle needling and slight trembling.
学习针灸一段时间后，亚瑟开始在自己和老乡身上尝试。有一次他头痛犯了，“以前都是买药吃”，但有了那次针灸的神奇体验后，他自我斗争了一番：“可以买药、又可中医，选哪个？”最后，他果断放弃买药。而是和同学一起拿起银针，找准合谷穴，在轻轻针刺、微微抖动间，感受着头痛症状逐渐缓解。
Blending TCM with Western Practices – Dandelion Seeds Spread Across the World
中医西用，一把撒向世界的蒲公英种子
"Teacher, is 'wind pathogen' in TCM similar to the concept of 'energy imbalance' in our culture?
老师，中医里的“风邪”是不是和我们国家文化中“能量失衡”的说法有相似之处？
How is it different from traditional African natural therapy?"
和非洲传统的自然疗法有什么不同？
"Teacher, do the material and thickness of acupuncture needles affect the therapeutic effect?"
老师，针灸时针的材质、粗细，对疗效是不是也有影响？
……
...
Lei Ting, 25, from Lyon, France, started learning Chinese in March last year. He said he wanted to study TCM because someone he knew had learned it; Arthur has studied "Laozi," and Kevin knows about "Compendium of Materia Medica." During the process of learning Chinese and TCM, they often have doubts and ask countless questions. In their words, they gain a "sense of accomplishment" from learning.
来自法国里昂的雷霆今年25岁，去年3月开始学中文，他说，有认识的人学了中医，所以他也想学；亚瑟学过《老子》、凯文知道《本草纲目》，在中文和中医的学习过程中，他们时常会有困惑，迸出“十万个为什么”。用他们的话说，在学习中就会有“成就感”。
TCM, an ancient practice with a history of thousands of years, has opened up a brand-new world for them. The international students are like dandelion seeds, carrying Chinese wisdom to all corners of the world.
数千年历史的古老中医，为他们打开了一个崭新的世界。留学生们，就像蒲公英的种子，带着中国智慧飘向世界各地。
When Jin Ling returns to Pakistan during vacations, she uses acupuncture and tuina to treat her family’s neck and lumbar pain. She told the teacher that her grandmother’s illness has improved significantly through acupuncture; she also told the reporter that she now sends traditional Chinese medicine to Pakistan, and her mother’s uterine fibroids have had reduced pain through TCM conditioning. Five years ago, when Kevin first entered the campus, he knew nothing about TCM, but now, as he is about to graduate, he has become a "TCM fan."
金玲假期回巴基斯坦时，会用针灸和推拿为家人治疗颈腰椎疼痛。她告诉老师，奶奶的病痛通过针灸已明显好转；她告诉记者，现在还会寄中药去巴基斯坦，妈妈的子宫肌瘤通过中药调理缓解了疼痛。五年前，凯文第一次走进校园时，对中医还是懵懵的，但如今，马上就要毕业的他，成为一个“中医迷”。
After graduating from the clinical medicine program, most of the international students return to their hometowns and engage in medical-related fields – some work in hospitals, some become team doctors for football teams, and others open their own TCM clinics.
从临床医学专业毕业后，留学生们绝大部分回到自己的家乡，投身医学相关领域——有的进入医院就职，有人到足球队当了队医，还有的则开办了自己的中医诊所。
The reporter learned that Indriani Safitri (Kong Lin), a 2022 graduate from Indonesia, has completed a total of 450 hours of medical assistance programs in New York, the United States, after graduation. She has not only shared what she learned and experienced in China with people in Indonesia and the United States but also returned to the school at the end of last year to visit and share experiences with her juniors and seniors. "Bacha Hammad, a Pakistani student who graduated a few years ago, married a girl from Wangcheng after graduation. Whenever he comes to Changsha, he will come back to walk around and have a look," the teacher said with emotion. When one drinks water, one should remember the source – their affection is not only for TCM but also for this land.
记者了解到，2022届毕业的孔琳Indriani Safitri来自印度尼西亚，毕业后，她在美国纽约累计完成450个小时的医疗救助服务项目，不仅把自己在中国的所学和经历分享到印度尼西亚和美国，去年底，她还回校看望并给学弟学妹分享经验。“几年前毕业的巴基斯坦学生Bacha Hammad，毕业后娶了我们望城的姑娘。他只要到长沙，就会回来走一走、看一看。”老师感慨地告诉记者，饮水思源，他们有着的，不仅仅是对中医医术、更是对这片土地的浓情。
