How an Iranian student embraces TCM as a way of healthy living
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Mohammad Abdi (R) learns about TCM herbal drinks from a doctor at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. Mohammad Abdi, a 26-year-old Iranian student, came to China in 2023 to study clinical medicine at Ningxia Medical University.
He was introduced to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at an early age. After seeing his uncle receive cupping therapy in Iran, he became curious about this traditional medical practice. Later, as a medical student in China, he had the opportunity to take professional TCM courses. On weekends, Abdi visits Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center to experience various TCM therapies.
“I was a gym rat, so I initially thought TCM practices were too simple to be effective,” he said. However, as he learned more about TCM, he was impressed by its depth and effectiveness. He recommended Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese breathing and stretching exercise, to his fellow international students, while he especially enjoys tuina massage combined with cupping therapy, which helps relieve the stress of his studies and clinical internship.
For Abdi, TCM is more than a way to treat diseases; it is also a health philosophy that can be integrated into daily life. He believes ordinary people can benefit from TCM-based wellness practices, while professional doctors can use TCM techniques to treat patients.
TCM is now expanding its global presence and joining the worldwide conversation on health and lifestyle. Inspired by growing interest in Chinese lifestyles overseas, Abdi hopes to continue exploring TCM and become a skilled doctor, helping more people in his hometown benefit from traditional Chinese medicine. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi experiences a traditional Chinese medical treatment therapy on head at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi learns about a traditional Chinese medical treatment therapy at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi experiences a traditional Chinese medical treatment on ears at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi learns knowledge of acupoints on human ears from a doctor at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi (L) learns knowledge of acupoints from a doctor at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi experiences a traditional Chinese medical treatment therapy on head at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
A doctor (R) feels the pulse of Mohammad Abdi at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi identifies herbal medicine at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
A doctor feels the pulse of Mohammad Abdi at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi (R) learns Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese breathing and stretching exercise, at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi (R) watches a doctor conducting acupuncture therapy to a patient at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi experiences cupping therapy with bamboo tubes at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi observes a variety of traditional Chinese medicine at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)
Mohammad Abdi (R) learns to make a sachet filled with traditional Chinese medicine materials at Ningxia Chinese Medicine Research Center in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Aug. 15, 2026.
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260820/2690e10636e3455eabb047b35aeb97b1/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
