Chapter Seven Qichun Moxibustion Therapy along the Belt and Road

Moxibustion is a TCM therapy that reputedly arouses vital essence and helps to rebalance Yin and Yang. A moxibustion therapist will make a moxabased combustible material,and then ignite it. The flaming material is then put at or near the“Yu acupuncture point” or other places where the patient feels pain. This therapy could serve to prevent and cure diseases.

Moxibustion therapy has been applied to clinical treatment and health care for several thousand years, and has been seen as a brilliant pearl on the crown of TCM. It is also deemed by many as a living memory of traditional Chinese culture.

Qichun moxibustion therapy originated from traditional moxibustion of TCM. It first formed in Tang and Song dynasties, and became popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties.With Han Tai, Li Shizhen, and Li’s father as the representative scholars, and A History of Qi Mugwort and the Compendium of Materia Medica as the representative monographs,Qichun moxibustion therapy,using local Qi mugwort as the main material, has developed a complete theoretical system.The therapy has benefited from its historical inheritance, having a full range of methods with regional characteristics, and some well-known techniques of extraordinary curative effect including “the thunderfire acupuncture,” “the greater moxibustion,” and “the fire moxibustion.”

In 2013, Qichun moxibustion therapy was listed as one of the intangible cultural heritage protection projects of Hubei Province. As a representative of traditional medicine and culture,it has gone abroad many times and is highly praised by the friends of various countries along the Belt and Road. It is a shining jewel of Hubei’s TCM culture in foreign exchanges and serves as an important carrier to spread Li Shizhen’s thoughts on medicine.

艾灸療法是以艾絨為主要成分制成灸材，點燃后懸置或放置于腧穴或病變部位，借助灸火的溫和熱力和藥物的雙重作用，激發精氣，調節陰陽，達到防病治病目的。

古老的灸法用于臨床治病和養生保健，有著數千年歷史，是華夏醫藥學一顆璀璨的明珠，是中華傳統文化的活態記憶。

蘄春艾灸療法源于中醫傳統灸法，形成于唐宋，鼎盛于明清，以地道蘄艾作為主要灸材，以韓泰及李時珍父子為代表，以《蘄艾傳》和《本草綱目》為標志，理論體系完備，灸法種類齊全，地域特征明顯，技藝精湛，療效卓著。尤以雷火神針、大灸、火灸等代表性灸法聞名于世。

2013年，它被認定為湖北省非物質文化遺產保護項目，多次作為傳統醫藥文化的代表，走出國門，深受“一帶一路”沿線國家國際友人的喜愛和贊譽，是湖北中醫藥文化對外交流的一張亮麗名片，是傳播李時珍醫藥學思想的重要載體。

走進俄羅斯古老的絲綢之路，把歐亞大陸上中俄兩個偉大的國家緊密相連。圣彼得堡國立大學東方手稿所，至今仍保存著中醫古籍善本三百余套，其中刻印于明末清初的《本草綱目》（史稱錢本）有五套，這在國內亦屬罕見。

2014年5月，我們來到莫斯科，為市民們展示源于《本草綱目》的蘄春艾灸療法，讓他們親身體驗到來自于醫圣故里的中醫藥文化的神奇魅力。

走進韓國2016年1月，我們赴韓國首爾參加“歡樂春節”系列活動，喜愛并擅長艾灸治病養生的韓國傳統醫學界，對蘄艾灸法大加贊賞。

Foreign guests experiencing mugwort moxibustion 外賓體驗艾灸養生

Han Shanming, Hubei provincial-level heir of Qichun moxibustion therapy, introducing moxibustion and TCM health preservation to German visitors湖北非遺蘄春艾灸療法省級代表性傳承人韓善明為外賓推介艾灸療法

A foreign guest delivering a speech at the opening ceremony the 1st World Mugwort Industry Conference and the 3rd Li Shizhen Qi Mugwort and Health Culture Festival 外賓出席首屆世界艾草產業大會暨第三屆李時珍蘄艾健康旅游文化節開幕式

In Russia

The ancient Silk Road connected China and Russia, the two great nations of the Euro-Asian continent. The Oriental Manuscripts Institute of St.Petersburg State University still retains more than 300 sets of rare books of ancient Chinese medicine, including five copies of the Compendium of Materia Medica, which were printed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. (These copies are known as “Qian’s version,” which is also rare in China.)

We came to Moscow in May of 2014, and presented to the citizens the Qichun moxibustion therapy which had been introduced by the Compendium of Materia Medica. We did attract them to the charming TCM culture from the hometown of the medical sage.

In Korea

In January of 2016, we went to Korea to participate in a series of activities for the “Happy Spring Festival” event, and received great compliments from Korea’s TCM circle, which is typically fond of moxibustion and quite good at applying it in medical treatment.

In Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan held an activity named“Reading China” in August of 2016. Nearly one hundred Kazakhs(including government officials and citizens of Almaty) experienced moxibustion therapy in our booth. More than one thousand Kazakhs came to know more about moxibustion. The principal of the National University of Kazakhstan highly praised the effectiveness of the therapy. The memories of those days remain unforgettable

In Germany

We came to Berlin, Germany in July of 2017, which marked the 45th anniversary of China’s diplomatic relationship with Germany. Qichun moxibustion therapy was on display as a representative of TCM. Both exhibition sites, one at the Admiral Palace on Friedrich Street, and the other at the primary school next to planetarium, were crowded.Berlin’s citizens and students waited in lines before our booths to experience a traditional pulse diagnosis. Most of them thought it“really magical.”

The profound cultural deposits of Chinese medicine in the former residence of the medical sage attracted the German TCM scholars. In October of 2017,a team of twelve, headed by Professor Regina Schwanitz,former president of the German Society for Acupuncture and Neural Therapy (abbr. DGfAN in German),embarked on a root-seeking journey of Chinese medicine. They visited Li Shizhen’s cemetery and exchanged views with us.

TCM culture has become a symbol of China’s soft power,especially in the countries along the Belt and Road. As the heir of TCM culture, the intangible cultural heritage, we who live in the prosperous times should carry forward and inherit the Li Shizhen medical culture and work hard towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

走進哈薩克斯坦2016年8月，我們參加哈薩克斯坦外交部主辦的“感知中國”活動。近百位哈國政府官員和阿拉木圖市民親身體驗蘄春艾灸療法，接待參觀咨詢的哈國民眾達千余人。哈薩克斯坦國立大學校長，給予艾灸療法很高評價。火爆的場面至今令人難忘。

走進德國2017年7月，我們來到德國柏林。時值中德建交45周年，蘄春艾灸療法作為傳統醫藥項目代表，在柏林腓特烈大街海軍上將宮和天文館旁小學的展覽現場，人頭攢動。柏林市民和中小學生，在蘄春艾灸療法展位前排起長隊，體驗來自醫圣故里精湛的瀕湖脈學診脈辨疾技藝，感到十分神奇。

醫圣故里深厚的中醫藥文化底蘊，也吸引著德國的中醫藥學者。2017年10月，德國針灸和神經治療學會主席施瓦尼茨教授一行十二人，踏上中醫藥的尋根之旅。他們參觀李時珍陵園，與我們展開交流。

中國傳統醫藥文化，已成為中國軟實力的一張亮麗名片，尤其在“一帶一路”沿線國家迅猛傳播。作為中國非物質文化遺產傳統醫藥項目的傳承人，我們生逢盛世，將為傳承和傳播李時珍醫藥文化，為實現中華民族偉大復興而努力工作。

A conversation about the development of Qi mugwort industry along the Belt and Road with guests from Ukraine 與烏克蘭客人洽談蘄艾產業走向一帶一路