Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasured gem of Chinese civilization and the crystallization of more than 5,000 years of cultural heritage, playing a vital role in safeguarding public health. In the current arduous battle against COVID-19, traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese–Western medicine approaches have both contributed positively.

“I myself am also a fan of traditional Chinese medicine.” President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development and application of TCM, stressing the need to “give equal emphasis to both TCM and Western medicine and carry forward and develop the cause of TCM,” while skillfully employing TCM terminology to “diagnose” the challenges facing reform and development.

During this special period of fighting the epidemic, let us learn and gain insight together.

Traditional Chinese medicine is the treasure of the Chinese nation.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a gem of ancient Chinese science and a key that unlocks the treasure trove of Chinese civilization.

—Congratulatory Letter on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, December 22, 2015

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasured heritage of the Chinese nation; we must safeguard it, explore its potential, promote its development, and ensure its continued transmission.

—Speech delivered on February 3, 2016, during an inspection of the Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical Valley manufacturing base in Jiangxi Province

Traditional medicine is an important carrier of excellent traditional culture.

Traditional medicine serves as a vital carrier of outstanding traditional culture and plays a significant role in fostering mutual learning among civilizations and safeguarding public health. Among them, traditional Chinese medicine stands out as a prime example, widely recognized by people in many countries for its unique strengths in disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

—Congratulatory Letter to the BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting and High-Level Conference on Traditional Medicine, July 6, 2017

More than 2,000 years ago, following the opening of the Silk Road, Chinese innovations such as papermaking, iron smelting, and traditional Chinese medicine spread to the rest of the world via Central Asia, while astronomical, geographical, and mathematical knowledge from Central and West Asia was in turn introduced into China, thereby fostering the social development of both regions.

—Speech at the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, June 22, 2016

Traditional Chinese medicine has made significant contributions to human health.

The “Book of Songs,” a comprehensive anthology of poetry compiled in China more than 2,500 years ago, records over 130 plant species. Traditional Chinese medicine has made significant contributions to human health, and the Silk Road, which originated from the cultivation of mulberry trees for sericulture, has served as a vital link promoting trade and cultural exchange between the East and the West.

—Congratulatory Letter to the 19th International Botanical Congress, July 24, 2017

Few side effects, good efficacy.

The establishment of a Traditional Chinese Medicine department and a Chinese herbal pharmacy provides comprehensive services. With the ongoing development of TCM, many patients prefer TCM because it has fewer side effects, delivers good therapeutic results, and uses relatively affordable herbal medicines. Personally, I also favor TCM.

—Speech Delivered on February 15, 2015, During an Inspection of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in the Erlingwu Community of Dianzicheng Subdistrict, Yanta District, Xi’an

The revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine is now poised for a golden opportunity, benefiting from favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular support.

At present, the revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are benefiting from a rare confluence of favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular support. It is hoped that the broad community of TCM practitioners will strengthen their national confidence, courageously scale the heights of medical science, delve deeply into the essence of the TCM treasure trove, fully leverage the unique strengths of TCM, advance the modernization of TCM, and promote its global outreach. In doing so, they will ensure that this precious legacy handed down to us by our ancestors is properly inherited, further developed, and effectively utilized, thus writing a new chapter in the great journey of building a Healthy China and realizing the Chinese Dream.

—Congratulatory Letter on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, December 22, 2015

Inherit the essence, uphold orthodoxy while innovating.

We must safeguard, inherit, and develop the treasured legacy of traditional Chinese medicine bequeathed to us by our ancestors; uphold the principle of drawing on the past to serve the present; strive for the creative transformation and innovative development of TCM’s health and wellness culture; ensure its seamless integration with modern health concepts; and harness it to promote the health of the people.

—Speech at the National Conference on Hygiene and Health, August 19, 2016

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasured gem of Chinese civilization. We must delve deeply into the essence of this rich heritage, promote the integration of industry, academia, and research, advance the industrialization and modernization of TCM, and enable TCM to reach the world stage.

—Speech Delivered During an Inspection of the Guangdong–Macao Cooperative Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park in the Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai on October 22, 2018

We must follow the inherent laws of TCM development, inherit its essence, uphold fundamental principles while fostering innovation, and accelerate the modernization and industrialization of TCM. We should give equal importance to TCM and Western medicine, promote their complementary and coordinated development, drive high-quality growth of both the TCM sector and the TCM industry, and advance the global outreach of TCM. In doing so, we will fully leverage the unique strengths and roles of TCM in disease prevention and treatment, thereby contributing to the building of a Healthy China and the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

—In October 2019, an important instruction on TCM work was issued, emphasizing

It is essential to harness the vital role of traditional Chinese medicine in disease prevention, the treatment of major illnesses, and disease rehabilitation.

It is essential to harness the vital role of traditional Chinese medicine in disease prevention, the treatment of major illnesses, and post-illness rehabilitation; to establish and improve the legal and regulatory framework for TCM; to formulate and refine policies and measures to promote the development of TCM; to strengthen the TCM management system; to develop an evaluation and standardization system tailored to the needs of TCM development; to enhance the protection, rescue, and collation of ancient TCM texts, traditional knowledge, and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques; to advance scientific and technological innovation in TCM; and to intensify international exchanges and cooperation in TCM, with the aim of achieving breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of major diseases.

—Speech at the National Conference on Hygiene and Health, August 19, 2016

Uphold the equal emphasis on traditional Chinese and Western medicine and strengthen their integration.

Under the new circumstances, China’s guiding principles for health and wellness work are: prioritizing primary-level healthcare; leveraging reform and innovation as the driving force; placing emphasis on prevention; giving equal importance to traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine; integrating health into all policies; and promoting health through joint efforts by the people and shared benefits for all.

—Speech at the National Conference on Hygiene and Health, August 19, 2016

We must intensify efforts to treat critically ill patients, accelerate the widespread adoption of proven diagnostic and treatment protocols, strengthen the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and prioritize the use of drugs with demonstrably effective therapeutic outcomes as well as advanced, clinically useful instruments and equipment in the care of critically ill patients.

—Speech at the Meeting on Coordinating COVID-19 Prevention and Control with Economic and Social Development, February 23, 2020

Promote mutual learning and exchange of traditional medicine among all parties, and work together to address public health challenges.

Ensuring health for all is our shared vision. I hope that all parties will make full use of the BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting and the High-Level Conference on Traditional Medicine to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the health sector, promote mutual learning and mutual appreciation of traditional medicines among countries, work together to address public health challenges, and contribute to safeguarding the health of our peoples.

—Congratulatory Letter to the BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting and High-Level Conference on Traditional Medicine, July 6, 2017

It is necessary both to nourish the blood and moisten dryness, resolve stasis and promote blood circulation, and to consolidate the root and nurture the vital essence, strengthening the sinews and renewing the bones.

Reform, too, must be approached with a dialectical and tailored strategy: it should both nourish the blood and moisten dryness while resolving stasis and promoting circulation, and also strengthen the root and cultivate the vital essence, reinforcing the sinews and renewing the bones—only in this way can each reform measure achieve its fullest potential.

—Speech Delivered During an Inspection Tour of Guangzhou from December 7 to 11, 2012

In the language of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is described as “internal wind due to liver yang excess” and “wind arising from blood deficiency.”

The Central Committee has prioritized improving work style as a key means of advancing Party building because problems such as formalism, bureaucratism, and hedonism are, in essence, salient manifestations of the most acute contradictions and issues within the Party. To put it in terms of traditional Chinese medicine, this amounts to “internal wind arising from liver dysfunction” and “wind generated by blood deficiency.”

—Speech at the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, February 28, 2013

Take traditional Chinese medicine when indicated, take Western medicine when indicated, or adopt an integrated approach combining both.

When the body falls ill, one must see a doctor, receive injections and take medication, and in severe cases even undergo surgery. Similarly, when one’s thinking and conduct develop flaws, they must be promptly addressed and corrected. If one refuses to acknowledge one’s ailments and shuns medical treatment, minor problems may be allowed to escalate into serious ones, progressing from superficial symptoms to conditions that are beyond cure—ultimately leaving no remedy at all. As the saying goes: “It is easy to nip trouble in the bud; it is difficult to save the patient when the disease has reached its final stage.”

Party organizations at all levels must adopt robust measures to help Party members and cadres with problems accurately identify their “illnesses” and prescribe the appropriate “remedy”—whether that means prescribing traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, a combination of both, or surgical intervention—thereby truly upholding the principle of strict Party governance.

—Speech at the Work Conference on the Party’s Mass Line Education and Practice Campaign, June 18, 2013

With “false obesity,” the body appears large in size, but in reality it is weak on the outside and deficient on the inside—lacking true yang and with a weak spleen.

It’s important to address indigestion and clear out the accumulated food in the stomach. Avoid eating large mouthfuls, as this can lead to fullness and distension in the epigastrium and abdomen, as well as difficulty in digesting leftover food!

Today, if you go to many places, you’ll find nothing but wide boulevards, grand plazas, expansive green spaces, and sprawling industrial parks—yet land-use efficiency remains alarmingly low. This is not robustness; it’s “empty fat”—a condition of superficial bulk and hollow substance, characterized by deficient true yang and a weak, irritable constitution.

—Speech at the Central Conference on Urbanization, December 14, 2013

The political and legal system is a vital force in nourishing the blood and safeguarding the defensive qi, expelling pathogenic factors while reinforcing vital energy, thereby ensuring the health of the social body.

The political and legal system serves as the nation’s immune system, functioning to nourish the blood and vital energy, expel pathogenic factors while reinforcing righteous qi, and thereby safeguard the health of the social body. Taken together, the primary tasks of political and legal work are to uphold overall social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment.

—Speech at the Central Political and Legal Work Conference, January 7, 2014

With the determination to use strong medicine to cure deep-seated ills and tackle chaos head-on, and with the courage to scrape the bone to remove the poison and make tough, decisive cuts.

The high-pressure anti-corruption campaign must be sustained, with zero tolerance for corruption. Every case of corruption must be investigated and dealt with decisively as soon as it is uncovered. We must address problems at the earliest stage and when they are still small—treat illnesses as soon as they arise and handle issues promptly upon detection; we must not allow minor ailments to fester into serious ones. Every cadre must bear in mind the principle: “Do not reach out your hand; once you do, you will surely be caught.” As the saying goes, “When you see good, strive to attain it without delay; when you see evil, shun it as you would scalding water.” Leading cadres must cultivate a profound sense of reverence and never harbor any侥幸 (a false sense of luck or impunity).

All Party members must deeply recognize the long-term, complex, and arduous nature of the fight against corruption, and with the determination to wield strong measures to cure serious ailments and focus on rectifying chaos, as well as the courage to scrape the bone to remove the poison and make tough, decisive cuts, resolutely carry forward the building of a clean and honest Party conduct and the fight against corruption to the very end.

—Speech at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, January 14, 2014

“When there is no obstruction, there is no pain; when there is pain, there is obstruction.”

As Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches, “When there is flow, there is no pain; when there is pain, there is blockage.” Interconnectivity ensures that the economic lifelines of the Asia-Pacific region flow more smoothly.

— Remarks at the First Session of the 24th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 20, 2016

Dispels wind and expels cold, relaxes muscles and activates blood circulation, and unblocks the meridians—treating both existing conditions and preventing future ones.

To cure the “illness” of the Yangtze River, we must still follow the time-honored methods of traditional Chinese medicine: trace the root causes and adopt tailored, category-specific strategies. We should launch a comprehensive ecological census to systematically identify hidden dangers and risks, effectively giving our “Mother River” a thorough health check-up. By dispelling wind and cold, relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, and unblocking the meridians and collaterals, we can treat both existing ailments and prevent future ones, ensuring that our Mother River remains vibrant and full of life forever.

—Speech Delivered During a Field Inspection along the Yangtze River from April 24 to 26, 2018

By dispelling wind and expelling cold, relaxing the muscles and activating blood circulation, and by regulating the zang-fu organs and unblocking the meridians, we strive to achieve complete recovery through medication.

In response to the various ecological hazards and environmental risks identified, we must, in accordance with the concept that mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands constitute a community of life, conduct systematic research to develop comprehensive plans and action strategies for ecological restoration and protection at the source. Subsequently, we should adopt tailored measures based on specific categories and achieve breakthroughs in key areas, employing approaches such as dispelling wind and cold, relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, regulating the zang-fu organs, and unblocking the meridians and collaterals, so as to ensure that treatment effectively addresses the root cause of the problem.

—Speech at the Symposium on Deepening the Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, April 26, 2018