On the afternoon of March 6, General Secretary Xi Jinping, while visiting members from the medical and health as well as education sectors attending the Fourth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and participating in a joint panel meeting, emphasized the need to uphold the fundamental principles while fostering innovation in traditional Chinese medicine, and to ensure its inheritance and development. He called for the establishment of service systems, service models, management models, and talent-development models that are tailored to the unique characteristics of TCM, so as to further promote and elevate this time-honored tradition.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasured gem of Chinese civilization and the crystallization of more than 5,000 years of cultural heritage; safeguarding and advancing TCM is a matter of paramount importance. The draft Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Long-Range Objectives for 2035 calls for promoting the inheritance and innovation of TCM, upholding the equal emphasis on and complementary strengths of TCM and Western medicine, and vigorously developing the TCM sector. To this end, the plan proposes establishing approximately 20 national centers for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, about 20 flagship hospitals for TCM–Western medicine collaboration, roughly 20 bases for the prevention and treatment of epidemic diseases using TCM, and around 100 key hospitals with distinctive TCM characteristics, thereby fostering a number of specialized TCM disciplines where TCM excels. With the guidance and robust support of the state, the time is now ripe for the vigorous development of TCM.

In disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrates unique advantages. Its holistic perspective and principle of syndrome differentiation and individualized treatment provide comprehensive, life-cycle health care, making it a vital force in advancing the Healthy China initiative and safeguarding the health of the people. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed severe challenges to public health systems worldwide; in the absence of specific effective drugs globally, TCM has enabled patients to receive effective treatment within a short period, playing a crucial role in the fight against the epidemic and delivering outstanding results. As a major highlight, TCM has drawn widespread international attention.

The integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, along with the concurrent use of both Chinese and Western pharmaceuticals, has been a defining feature of China’s response to the current epidemic. This approach represents a vibrant manifestation of the inheritance and innovation of TCM, breathing new life into this ancient cultural tradition. TCM and Western medicine complement each other’s strengths, work in synergy, and enhance one another’s efficacy.

To promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine, we must adhere to the inherent principles governing its evolution, ground our efforts in its foundational strengths, excavate its essential essence, and establish service and management models that are tailored to its unique characteristics. It is imperative to recognize clearly that, whether in terms of disciplinary development or talent cultivation, TCM still has certain weaknesses and shortcomings, and continued, diligent internal strengthening is essential. At the same time, we must intensify research and empirical validation, systematically summarize and explore the mechanisms by which TCM prevents and treats disease, and ensure that this precious legacy handed down by our ancestors is properly inherited, further developed, and effectively utilized—so that TCM culture takes deep root and flourishes across the Chinese land, thriving endlessly.