By Li Hui | Anhui University of Chinese Medicine | Updated: 2026-10-17
On the morning of October 16, the Symposium on International Cooperation of Chinese Medicine-based Health and Wellness Tourism was held at our university. Lv Xiaomei, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Anhui Provincial People’s Government, Gui Dapeng, Deputy Director of the Protocol Division, Xie Ruijin, Party Secretary of our university, and Dr. Huang Lu, person-in-charge of Sofia Tian’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Center in Bulgaria, attended the symposium. Some faculty representatives from the School of Humanities, International Education and Exchange also took part in the event. The symposium was presided over by Zhou Yadong, Director of the University Foreign Affairs Office. Centering on the theme of International Cooperation of TCM-based Health and Wellness Tourism — Boosting Anhui TCM to “Go Global and Break New Ground”, participants carried out exchanges and in-depth discussions.
At the symposium, Xie Ruijin pointed out that Anhui boasts profound resources for traditional Chinese medicine, culture and tourism. In the north lies Bozhou, hometown of Hua Tuo and a renowned hometown of medicinal herbs; in the south sits Huangshan, birthplace of Xin’an Medicine. The time-honored Anhui TCM system is represented by “Hua Tuo in the North and Xin’an Medicine in the South”. Bozhou takes a national lead in the cultivation, processing and trading of Chinese medicinal materials. Scenic mountains such as Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, together with forests and hot springs, create natural favorable conditions for developing health and wellness tourism. In Anhui, traditional Chinese medicine and health-wellness tourism reinforce each other and bring out the best in one another.
Xie Ruijin stated that as Anhui’s key base for TCM talent cultivation, scientific research, medical services and cultural inheritance, as well as the chair-unit of the TCM Health-Wellness Culture and Tourism Innovation Alliance, the university regards serving national opening-up strategies and regional economic and social development as a core institutional mission. “Going global” means broadening vision and embracing the world, while “breaking new ground” stands for cross-border integration and exploring new development tracks. The integration of traditional Chinese medicine, international cooperation and health-wellness tourism aims to advance the in-depth integration of wellness and cultural tourism, and blaze new paths for Anhui TCM to reach the global stage. Taking this symposium as an opportunity, the university will translate consensus into institutional mechanisms and concrete actions, promote the sound development of TCM in Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, and contribute Anhui’s strength and TCM wisdom to building a global community of health for all.
Lv Xiaomei commended the university’s achievements in international exchanges and cooperation, and put forward guiding suggestions for advancing TCM international cooperation under new circumstances. She noted that the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office will continue to support the university. Leveraging its disciplinary strengths and the platform of the TCM Health-Wellness Culture and Tourism Innovation Alliance, the university will deepen practical cooperation with Bulgaria and Central-Eastern European countries in TCM medical services, education, scientific research, culture and tourism, helping Anhui TCM go global.
Huang Lu introduced the operational status of Sofia Tian’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Center in Bulgaria and outlined prospects for future cooperation with Anhui in TCM-based health and wellness tourism. She mentioned that public awareness and recognition of traditional Chinese medicine keep rising among Bulgarian people. Starting from this visit, she expects to push forward substantive bilateral cooperation covering TCM diagnosis and treatment services, talent training and resource docking for health-wellness tourism.
During the discussion session, participants had thorough exchanges on international cooperation for TCM-based health and wellness tourism. Broad consensus was reached on enhancing information sharing, advancing project docking, and jointly tapping into the Central and Eastern European market for international TCM health-wellness tourism.
(Text/ Translation by Li Hui; Photos by Yang Zhengguang; Reviewed by Ye Lanlan)
