MUST Rector Liu Liang
The Rector of the Macau University of Science and Technology has called for traditional Chinese medicine to more closely align with modern science, adding that being the first formalized medical practice in human history, it was worthy of being passed down to younger generations.
As a researcher in the field of Chinese medicine, MUST Rector Liu Liang discussed traditional Chinese medicine yesterday during a seminar in front of approximately 300 people, the majority of whom were middle school students.
Liu talked about the glamorous history and promising future of Chinese medicine. Liu used the examples of anesthetics and acupuncture, among others, to claim that Chinese medicine appeared in human history earlier than modern medicine.
“Chinese medicine was all kinds of ‘first’ in world medicine history,” said Liu, who also stated that many modern medicines result from the combination of Chinese medicine with modern technologies.
Liu, who was recently announced as Macau’s first member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, made proposals for Chinese medicine research and for the future of Chinese medicine.
In Liu’s opinion, Chinese medicine must closely integrate advanced and modern technology, similar to what modern medicine is doing. For example, it must seek the scientific explanations behind its effectiveness, he said.
Liu believes that the approaches, theories and methods of Chinese medicine are fundamentally different from modern medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine is growing as a discipline in Macau.
In August 2015, the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine was officially established in Macau. The Macau University of Science and Technology has set up a traditional Chinese medicine education and research system, including the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, which is jointly operated with the University of Macau.
Moreover, the Guangdong-Macao traditional Chinese medicine science and technology industrial park, established by the Macau SAR government and the Guangdong provincial government, now has 159 registered traditional Chinese medicine companies and 39 of them are from Macau.
The idea is to make Macau a gateway to the world for traditional Chinese medicine, particularly for countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.
During a question and answer session at yesterday’s event, two attendees asked Liu about how Chinese medicine can reassure the public about its value and effectiveness, which are sometimes questioned. One question also touched on how Liu overcame this difficulty during his research on traditional Chinese medicine.
In answer to the questions, Liu pointed out that there is a strong support in Macau for traditional Chinese medicine. In contrast, in Hong Kong, people do not attach importance to Chinese medicine and instead value modern medicine alone. Liu said that the state of disbelief in Hong Kong disappointed him.
Liu voiced that Chinese medicine is an “open” field, meaning Chinese medicine researchers are open to modern changes and modern technologies.
He also stated that “Chinese medicine research is very important [in the task of providing] evidence [in accordance] with international standards.”
Talking in front of a body of students, Liu expressed his hope that the younger generation can learn about Chinese medicine in order to pass down the tradition. He believes that the participation of younger generations will make the future development of Chinese medicine even brighter.
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