Recently, during free clinic activities organized for local communities by the acupuncture program faculty and students at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, the Li Zhongyu Pestle Needle Therapy—a national intangible cultural heritage technique they learned at our hospital—was widely applied and received high recognition and warm welcome from the local population. This achievement is attributed to our hospital’s ongoing efforts in international TCM education and cultural promotion.

As a key institution for the inheritance and promotion of the national intangible cultural heritage “Li Zhongyu Pestle Needle Therapy,” our hospital has actively advanced the global dissemination of Sichuan-style TCM techniques in recent years. From July to August 2025, with the support of the Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, our hospital successfully hosted the “I’m Learning TCM in Sichuan—Traditional Chinese Medicine (Pestle Needle) Cultural Exchange Program.” The program attracted 50 participants from countries such as South Africa, Indonesia, France, and Vietnam. Leveraging the distinctive strengths of our hospital’s National TCM International Cooperation Base, National Base for International Promotion and Cooperation of Characteristic TCM External Therapies, and National High-Level Talent Training Base, the study camp provided international trainees with an immersive platform to learn TCM (Pestle Needle) Therapy through a combination of systematic theoretical instruction, clinical hands-on practice, and traditional cultural experiences.

On September 14 (local time), Arinao Mudau, an international training participant from our institution, provided voluntary medical services to the South African public using the Chuzhen (pestle needle) therapy. (Photo by Sun Xiang, China News Service)

Among the participants, five trainees from South Africa, led by Tasneem Iqbal Patel, Vice President of the African Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association, completed the entire curriculum and received certification. After the program, they returned to their home country to initiate clinical services and practice of Pestle Needle Therapy, further expanding the technique’s influence in Africa. Faculty and students from the Department of Complementary Medicine at the University of Johannesburg have repeatedly applied Pestle Needle Therapy in free clinics to serve local communities. Its characteristics of being “non-invasive, painless, and easily accepted” have been particularly well-received. Hu Zijing, an acupuncture instructor at the university and President of the African Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association, remarked, “Pestle Needle Therapy shows promising application prospects in South Africa’s primary healthcare, especially for chronic disease management and pain relief among low-income populations.”

Tasneem Iqbal Patel, Vice President of the African Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, also applied the Chuzhen (pestle needle) therapy during the voluntary medical service

Looking ahead, our hospital will continue to deepen cooperation with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative in areas such as TCM education, technical training, medical and scientific research collaboration, and cultural exchange. We aim to further contribute to the internationalization of TCM, enabling more high-quality TCM techniques and culture to benefit people worldwide.