Popularization of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine is the quintessence of fine traditional Chinese culture and scientific and technological progress in ancient China. Refined over thousands of years of medical practice, it is the perfect representative of Chinese wisdom. During the Tang and Song dynasties, knowledge of Chinese medicine spread to Europe via the Arab world and heavily influenced European medicine. The spread of the Chinese medicine was particularly active in the Tang Dynasty when the hugely vibrant and influential culture attracted many envoys, merchants, and scholars from other countries. When they returned home, they brought not only systems, culture, language, and written characters, but also various creations and inventions of the Chinese people including medical theories and practices. Japanese Kampo and the Korean Sasang Constitutional Medicine are typical examples of foreign medicines with roots in traditional Chinese medicine.
From the late Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty, European missionaries came to China to preach and brought Chinese medicine and knowledge about it back to Europe. Michel Boym, a Polish Jesuit missionary, was a pioneer in introducing Chinese medicine to the West. He wrote about Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon of Medicine (Huangdi Neijing) and Canon of Pulse (Maijing) and authored a treatise on the Chinese medicine. He also launched the study of the Chinese medicine in the West and propelled the Westward spread of Chinese herbal medicines, extending their benefits to people in more countries.
中医药传播
中医药是中华优秀传统文化和中国古代科技的杰出代表，其在几千年的医学实践中不断发展、壮大，是中国人民的智慧结晶。唐宋时期，有关中医的信息通过阿拉伯世界传入欧洲，为欧洲医药的发展注入东方元素。特别是在唐代，由于中国文化的高度繁荣和巨大影响，吸引各国使节、商人、学者来华学习。他们不但将中国制度、文化、语言和文字引入本国，而且将中华民族的各种发明创造，包括医药学说都带回了本国。今天日本的“汉方”和韩国的“四象医学”，就是在中医基础上发展而来的典型代表。
明末清初之际，欧洲传教士来华传教，同时也将中医和中药知识带回欧洲。波兰传教士卜弥格是中医西传的开拓者，他率先向西方介绍《黄帝内经》《脉经》，撰写中医学术著作，开启了西方对中医的研究，推动了中草药的西传，有利于中医药传播并造福各国人民。
