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.

艾灸疗法是以艾绒为主要成分制成灸材，点燃后悬置或放置于腧穴或病变部位，借助灸火的温和热力和药物的双重作用，激发精气，调节阴阳，达到防病治病目的。

古老的灸法用于临床治病和养生保健，有着数千年历史，是华夏医药学一颗璀璨的明珠，是中华传统文化的活态记忆。

蕲春艾灸疗法源于中医传统灸法，形成于唐宋，鼎盛于明清，以地道蕲艾作为主要灸材，以韩泰及李时珍父子为代表，以《蕲艾传》和《本草纲目》为标志，理论体系完备，灸法种类齐全，地域特征明显，技艺精湛，疗效卓著。尤以雷火神针、大灸、火灸等代表性灸法闻名于世。

2013年，它被认定为湖北省非物质文化遗产保护项目，多次作为传统医药文化的代表，走出国门，深受“一带一路”沿线国家国际友人的喜爱和赞誉，是湖北中医药文化对外交流的一张亮丽名片，是传播李时珍医药学思想的重要载体。

走进俄罗斯古老的丝绸之路，把欧亚大陆上中俄两个伟大的国家紧密相连。圣彼得堡国立大学东方手稿所，至今仍保存着中医古籍善本三百余套，其中刻印于明末清初的《本草纲目》（史称钱本）有五套，这在国内亦属罕见。

2014年5月，我们来到莫斯科，为市民们展示源于《本草纲目》的蕲春艾灸疗法，让他们亲身体验到来自于医圣故里的中医药文化的神奇魅力。

走进韩国2016年1月，我们赴韩国首尔参加“欢乐春节”系列活动，喜爱并擅长艾灸治病养生的韩国传统医学界，对蕲艾灸法大加赞赏。

Foreign guests experiencing mugwort moxibustion 外宾体验艾灸养生

Han Shanming, Hubei provincial-level heir of Qichun moxibustion therapy, introducing moxibustion and TCM health preservation to German visitors湖北非遗蕲春艾灸疗法省级代表性传承人韩善明为外宾推介艾灸疗法

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 外宾出席首届世界艾草产业大会暨第三届李时珍蕲艾健康旅游文化节开幕式

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.

走进哈萨克斯坦2016年8月，我们参加哈萨克斯坦外交部主办的“感知中国”活动。近百位哈国政府官员和阿拉木图市民亲身体验蕲春艾灸疗法，接待参观咨询的哈国民众达千余人。哈萨克斯坦国立大学校长，给予艾灸疗法很高评价。火爆的场面至今令人难忘。

走进德国2017年7月，我们来到德国柏林。时值中德建交45周年，蕲春艾灸疗法作为传统医药项目代表，在柏林腓特烈大街海军上将宫和天文馆旁小学的展览现场，人头攒动。柏林市民和中小学生，在蕲春艾灸疗法展位前排起长队，体验来自医圣故里精湛的濒湖脉学诊脉辨疾技艺，感到十分神奇。

医圣故里深厚的中医药文化底蕴，也吸引着德国的中医药学者。2017年10月，德国针灸和神经治疗学会主席施瓦尼茨教授一行十二人，踏上中医药的寻根之旅。他们参观李时珍陵园，与我们展开交流。

中国传统医药文化，已成为中国软实力的一张亮丽名片，尤其在“一带一路”沿线国家迅猛传播。作为中国非物质文化遗产传统医药项目的传承人，我们生逢盛世，将为传承和传播李时珍医药文化，为实现中华民族伟大复兴而努力工作。

A conversation about the development of Qi mugwort industry along the Belt and Road with guests from Ukraine 与乌克兰客人洽谈蕲艾产业走向一带一路