Scholars from home and abroad gathered at the Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine on Monday in Qufu, Shandong province to promote cultural exchanges and improve their understanding of TCM culture.

The forum is part of the two-day 7th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations which opened on Monday in Qufu, the hometown of Confucius.

Medical experts and scholars shared their insights about the cultural characteristics and philosophical wisdom of TCM, summarized the prominent role played by traditional medicine in the global response to COVID-19, and advocated the building of a community of common health for mankind. Some experts including those from Australia, South Korea and Hungary shared their insights via videos.

"TCM goes hand-in-hand with Chinese civilization. The first step in inheriting TCM is to understand the history of TCM development," Huang Luqi, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and vice minister of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said during his keynote speech.

"We should fully attach importance to the cultural status of TCM and use TCM wisdom to benefit the world and improve human health and well-being," he said.

TCM is now being practiced in 196 countries and regions, and China has set up 30 TCM overseas centers in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the forum.

In the future, TCM health preservation, diagnosis and treatment, scientific research and education will form a TCM health industry chain which will offer business opportunities in the construction of the Belt and Road and contribute to the building of a community of common health for mankind, said Wang Qi, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and master of TCM.

"Many places in Shandong are enhancing the quality of TCM by upgrading technologies in both TCM application and production," said Xi Yan, Party secretary of the Health Commission of Shandong Province and director of the provincial administration of TCM.