As China's national strength further rises on international stage, more and more young foreign students want to learn Chinese culture, especially traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Information shows that last year, about 7,130 foreign students came to China to learn traditional Chinese medicine, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Journal reported.

Some of these foreign students were born into affluent families and had a promising career prospect in their countries before they came to China; some enjoyed a comfortable life at home since they were the only child in the family; some are determined to learn TCM even if they know that they might have a long way to go before they can obtain a certificate in TCM practice.

Huang Xijing is one of the many foreign students who are infatuated with TCM.

"I'm a sophomore at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I am married and I have a daughter now. My husband loves me very much. Since I have many roles in life, I need to do much more work than other students. My husband also works in Tianjin now. Once, his company was on fire and he rushed out to put out the fire. However, when he was spraying water from the top of the building, the ceilings collapsed and he broke his leg bones. It was really painful. Hearing this, my TCM teacher showed me some acupuncture points that could alleviate his pain. I tested my feet first and later I applied the treatment on my husband's legs. I even used some traditional Chinese herbs in the acupuncture treatment. It really worked. He felt much better after that," Huang said.

She said she had a sense of fulfillment after the treatment. She felt that her study in TCM had paid off, saying that the experience could be described with a Chinese idiom Ku Jin Gan Lai (after the bitter days have gone by come the sweet ones).

(China News Service September 18, 2007)