Zhang Guangli was shaken to his core.

Wasn’t this talking about his deceased father?

Apart from not being a great physician in terms of medical skills, everything else was spot on.

At this moment, Zhang Guangli had a new understanding of what it means to be a renowned and great doctor.

But does such a traditional Chinese medicine doctor still exist today?

He didn’t know.

Perhaps there are, perhaps there aren’t.

But he hoped there were.

Zhang Guangli took a deep breath and slowly said, "Dr. Lu, I’ve been involved with traditional Chinese medicine for some years now. My father was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and from a young age, I was influenced by him, which sparked my strong interest in Chinese medicine. Growing up, I studied it, and because of my foundation, I understood more than my peers and had ample clinical experience. After returning to Anjiang, everything went smoothly until I became the dean of the County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine a few years ago.

In these years, I’ve traveled far and wide and met many people. Some say Chinese medicine is unscientific, others say it falls between science and mysticism, and still others say Chinese medicine is not just a skill to cure and save lives but a cultural heritage of China.

I have always kept the word ’culture’ in mind, but I couldn’t figure out what this sentence really means after thinking about it for a long time. Although you’re young, your medical skills are superb, and even Mr. Huang Beishan said that in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, he’s not as good as you. I’d like to hear your insights."

"I can’t speak of insights, but if Dean Zhang wants to listen, I can share some of my understandings. If there’s anything wrong, feel free to point it out, and we can explore the mystery together."

Zhang Guangli nodded silently.

Lu Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Traditional Chinese medicine is a representative of China’s excellent traditional culture."

It was just a phrase of a dozen words, but it resonated deeply with Zhang Guangli.

If traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t count as a representative of Chinese traditional culture, then nothing else could qualify.

Why?

In Zhang Guangli’s view, traditional Chinese medicine is actually the most suitable to be spread and exported abroad. Compared to martial arts, calligraphy, Peking opera, and other traditional cultures, traditional Chinese medicine originated earlier and most represents Chinese cultural essence.

Traditional Chinese medicine was born in primitive society, and by the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, its theories were basically formed, with each dynasty summarizing and developing them thereafter.

Additionally, it has had a profound influence on countries in the Sinosphere, such as Japanese medicine, Korean Han medicine, Korean Goryeo medicine, Vietnamese Eastern medicine, all of which developed on the basis of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine embodies the experiences and theoretical knowledge of ancient Chinese people fighting against diseases and is a medical theoretical system gradually formed and developed through long-term medical practice, under the guidance of ancient materialistic and spontaneous dialectical thinking.

Traditional Chinese medicine theories originate from the summary of medical experiences and ancient Chinese concepts of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, including the theories of Essence and Qi, Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements, among others.

The theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements runs through the five thousand years of Chinese history.

To say that traditional Chinese medicine is a cultural treasure most representing Chinese culture is not without reason.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guangli looked back at Lu Xuan, listening as he said, "The cultural characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine are important in two ways."

Lu Xuan gestured, "The first point is that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes a holistic view, considering the person as an organic whole, with the organs, meridians, limbs, and skeletons all interconnected and influencing each other.

Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to the integrity of the human body and the environment. This is the same reason I mentioned earlier that Chinese medicine treats the person who is sick.

The second point is that the strength of traditional Chinese medicine lies in syndrome differentiation, tailoring treatment based on the individual, time, place, and symptoms, adept at finding the main contradiction. Unlike Western medicine, which is finely divided, it doesn’t easily lose the overall understanding and grasp."

A good traditional Chinese medicine doctor is inevitably a generalist." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

This sentence had a great impact on Zhang Guangli.

He pondered deeply, then looked up, a wry smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

It’s easy to say, but extremely difficult to achieve.

As for the current state of traditional Chinese medicine, there are few practitioners who can master all areas, most excel in one or two, at most three or four.

And specializations like acupuncture or bone-setting are basically specialized studies.

Even those well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine’s internal medicine can’t claim to be generalists.

For instance, Zhang Guangli himself has a deeper study in kidneys, while other areas, although he has some knowledge, he’s not particularly proficient. He can handle minor issues, but if the situation is severe, he’s not very confident.

This was also influenced by his deceased father, having been exposed to this knowledge from a young age, he naturally knew more about it.

Thus, he later conducted in-depth research on kidneys.

Now hearing Lu Xuan’s words, Zhang Guangli felt he might have taken the wrong path.

Traditional Chinese medicine has always been a generalist discipline, considering not a specific disease itself, but the person with the disease. Treating the illness, unlike Western medicine, doesn’t just treat where it hurts but requires a comprehensive consideration.

A headache might be due to other reasons.

Kidney discomfort might be related to spleen deficiency.

Poor digestion could be due to liver problems.

...

At this moment, many thoughts crossed Zhang Guangli’s mind.

"Here, in comparison with Western medicine, the focus of Western medicine is on the disease itself, their concern is merely physiological functions. But the patient is a person, and this point is often overlooked, which is crucial for the patient’s recovery."