TCM Apply to the United Nations for World Cultural Heritage

News from State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine: The Traditional Chinese Medicine would firstly apply to UNESCO for World Cultural Heritage so as to protect and carry forward the precious traditional Chinese medicine culture.

Shen Zhixiang, the director of the international cooperation office of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said that The Administration was preparing for the application with Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Public Health and other concerned departments. The first draft of the application had been finished and it needed improving further. The application was to be submitted within the year. The Chinese medicine in the application includes the traditional Chinese medical science, the traditional Chinese medicine and national medicament. The content of the application is non- material.

Sheng Zhixiang said, the traditional Chinese medicine was an excellent traditional culture of China and the traditional Chinese medical science forms its own special system during the long process of the development by Chinese people. The traditional Chinese medical science had complete theory system and clinic practice system. World Health Organization indicates in the 2003 Global Traditional Medicine Development Strategy that tradition medicines such as acupuncture and the traditional Chinese medicine etc were getting more and more attention and they would play a very important role in the health protection.

The international influence on the traditional Chinese medicine is becoming stronger and stronger. By the end of 2004, our country had signed many healthy coalition agreements including the contents of the traditional Chinese medicine with 51 countries such as America, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, etc. 17 agreements specialized in the traditional Chinese medicine have reached with Norway, Ireland, etc. An international cooperation pattern with different forms, ways and levels has been set up. According to the incomplete statistics, there are 50 thousand traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and clinics, more than 100 thousand acupuncturists, and more than 20 thousand registered Chinese traditional doctors in more than 130 countries in the world. Every year about 30 percent of the native people and more than 76 percent of the Chinese receive the health service of traditional Chinese medicine. Two weeks ago, the world’s biggest, longest and strictest acupuncture experiment was finished by two departments of American National Health Research Institute. The experiment involved 570 patients. It showed that Chinese acupuncture was totally a new way to treat arthritis. Chinese acupuncture could relieve pain and improve the functions of the arthritis. And at the same time, there was no side effect. (Reporter Wang Shujun)