After nearly two years' preparation and demonstration by various parties, experts finally decided to apply to UNESCO for world cultural heritage for a package of eight traditional Chinese medicine items, namely, theory of traditional Chinese medical science, health preservation, diagnosis, prescription, medicine, acupuncture and medicines of various ethnic minorities, including Tibetan and Mongol medicine at a regular conference for world cultural heritage application late January this year.

Such a move signalized the official launch of application process of traditional Chinese medicine to the world cultural heritage.

The application of traditional Chinese medicine to the world cultural heritage has been taking the lead in China's cultural heritage application project. Shen Zhixiang, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SATCM) said that according to the timetable of the application process, SATCM has conducted the final round of study and material collation on Chinese traditional medicine, and started to compile the namelist of those items to be protected. So far the draft of "plan regarding application of traditional Chinese medicine to world cultural heritage" has been finished and will hopefully be submitted to UNESCO within the year.

Shen further noted that there are two steps required for the application of traditional Chinese medicine to world cultural heritage: one is application for intangible cultural heritage at national level, the other being application for world intangible cultural heritage.

Specifically speaking, the eight items of traditional Chinese medicine include Yinyang Wuxing, odd channels and eight collaterals and traditional Chinese medical diagnosis methods and theories such as watch, hear, ask and touch, and meanwhile the philosophy on health preservation including health preservation through eating and drinking and five-animal frolics. There are also therapies and theories such as massage and cupping, acupuncture and decoction. It is worth mentioning that Tibetan and Mongol traditional medicines have also been included into traditional Chinese medicine.

"We apply to UNESCO for world cultural heritage for a package of eight traditional Chinese medicine items because TCM is too profound," Shen said. The fear that other countries will apply is another reason.

A popular saying that origin found in China, research done by S. Korea, achievement made by Japan and profits gained by Europe and the US best represents the current situation of traditional Chinese medicine. Japan's Chinese Medical Science, S. Korea's Oriental Medical Theory all originated from traditional Chinese medicine. Although different in names, they are of the same origin and close to each other. If China does not apply to UNESCO for world cultural heritage for it, Japan and S. Korea will most likely to do that.

Many experts in favor of heritage application are worried about the development of traditional Chinese medicine in the future. According to statistic they provided, there were a total of 800,000 people in the profession of traditional Chinese medicine in the early 20th century, and that number has declined to 500,000 in 1949 and 270,000 now. Currently, only 10 percent of doctors of traditional Chinese medicine give patients prescription of decoction healing, which means less than 30,000 doctors in China practise traditional Chinese medicine.

By People's Daily Online