Guanren residential community hosts acupressure lecture series

去年以来，官任社区开办中医养生国际学堂，以公益性养生按导课的形式，为居民中的中医爱好者提供学习与交流的平台。

为了增进外国居民对中医课堂的理解，厦大学生们作为口译员提供了志愿服务，在过程中和中外听众一起体验学习中医的无穷乐趣。

Article and photos by Xu Fangyi

The Guanren residential community held a series of lectures on acupressure and traditional Chinese medicine over the past year, attracting a number of foreign residents. Community officials described the lecture series as part of an effort to raise awareness of traditional Chinese medicine and to provide practical guidance.

The acupressure lectures introduced the discipline's approach, which involves the application of pressure to a range of points on the body in an effort to relieve pain in areas such as the shoulder, head and elbow.

Lin Shijun, a practitioner of acupressure and traditional Chinese medicine, hosted the class and lecture series. The classes consisted of both theoretical explanations and practical examples.

Mr. Lin would begin a lecture by presenting a set of symptoms and then describe where on the body he would rub or apply pressure in order to alleviate the symptoms. Mr. Lin and a team of volunteers would then help participants learn how to use acupressure according to the tenets of traditional Chinese medicine.

The specialist presented a contrast between Western and traditional Chinese medicine. He suggested that the former focuses on the treatment of diseases and the elimination of existing problems. He said in contrast that traditional Chinese medicine prioritizes the prevention of disease.

He reiterated in his lectures the importance of making acupressure a daily routine. “Your hands are wonderful tools for acupressure and they are always available,” said Mr. Lin.

Mr. Lin emphasized that traditional Chinese medicine treats the human body as an interconnected whole rather than as a series of disparate parts. He said, for example, that pressure applied to a meridian point on the feet can actually relieve a migraine.

Beyond acupressure, Mr. Lin also said that a positive mindset can alleviate physical conditions. If a person experiences a headache induced by anger, worry or desire, he advised finding a calm state in order to alleviate the headache.

During the lecture series, a group of 10 English majors from Xiamen University volunteered to provide Chinese-to-English interpreting services. The task was made challenging, according to the volunteers, by the wealth of medical terms and the lack of cultural touchstones surrounding traditional Chinese medicine in the English language. Even so, the volunteers expressed pleasure in the task.

“At first, I was quite nervous,” said volunteer Lai Yanyuan. “but I became immersed in the course, just like the attendees,” she added. I learned about the origins of acupressure points and the names of common ailments while having a great time with our teacher and the audience.”

Volunteer Zhang Haichang was impressed by Mr. Lin's philosophical views. “When he mentioned arsenic in the class, Mr. Lin noted that people's words can be as deadly as arsenic,” said Mr. Zhang. “He reminded us to be cognizant of the power of words.”