On December 6, the First Conference of Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine (GACICM), hosted by the the Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine, and organized by Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at University of Galway, Ireland, and Beijing City University, was held at BCU. Zhao Lingshan, Vice President and Secretary General of Chinese International Education Foundation, attended the Opening Ceremony for GACICM. Liu Lin, President of BCU, Hu Lihong, Vice President of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Somtawin Jaritkhuan, Vice President of Burapha University in Thailand, and other Chinese and foreign directors of 12 Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine and Confucius Classrooms for Chinese Medicine from around the world, as well as representatives of the Chinese and foreign partner institutions and agencies, attended the conference. The conference was hosted by Li Ren, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at University of Galway, Ireland.
President Liu Lin delivered a welcome speech on behalf of BCU. He firstly congratulated the successful convening of the conference on behalf of Beijing City University, and then recalled the background and initial intention of the joint cooperation between BCU and the University of San Marino to establish the San Marino Confucius Institute in 2015. As one of the members of GACICM, San Marino Confucius Institute is the third Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine in the world and the first one in Europe. Over the years, San Marino Confucius Institute has always been committed to the construction of "Chinese language + Chinese Medicine" pattern, which has enhanced the public’s enthusiasm of learning Chinese language and culture and Chinese medicine culture in San Marino and the neighboring Italian cities. BCU is the first and the only Chinese non-governmental university to hold a Confucius Institute with Chinese medicine characteristics, and BCU will, as always, support and actively participate in the work of the Alliance to further promote the development of Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine. Meanwhile, he hoped that through the organization of this conference, the communication and cooperation among the members can be strengthened, and all members can contribute to the all-round development of the Alliance.
Timothy O' Brien, Chairman of the Alliance and Irish Director of the Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at University of Galway, Ireland, introduced the specific work of the Alliance, reviewed the series of activities carried out in the course of the Alliance from its establishment to its operation, and explained that the Alliance has set up a good platform for the enhancement of all-around cooperation among Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine in the areas of TCM teaching, clinics and scientific research, which will surely further expand the scope of cooperation and produce cooperative results.
Zhao Lingshan said in his speech that the conference is to discuss clinical practice, educational cooperation, scientific research innovation and community service in the field of TCM on the platform of GACCM, actively promote the development of Confucius Institutes featuring Chinese language + Chinese medicine, discuss about the future development path of the Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine, and formulate the future development plan of the Alliance. With the help of the Alliance, all the Confucius Institutes for Traditional Chinese Medicine will further strengthen the exchange of teaching experience and resource sharing, utilize their own advantages, enhance the self-motivation, complement each other's strengths, promote each other's progress, and strive for the healthy and sustainable development of the Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine.
Hu Lihong, on behalf of the Chinese partner institutions, said that the worldwide Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine and Confucius Classroom for Chinese Medicine have formed an alliance to integrate resources, seek common development, and built a platform for the world's people to recognize and understand the traditional Chinese culture and the culture of Chinese medicine, so that more people in the world can understand and apply Chinese medicine, and to use Chinese medicine as a bridge to comprehensively boost the development of the Chinese language international education.
Zhao Lingshan unveiled the plaque for the GACICM. After the opening ceremony, the Directors of the participating Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine and Confucius Classrooms introduced the development of their Confucius Institutes, while the ceremony reviewed the research on the current status of the global acupuncture education, made suggestions for the future work planning and development of the Alliance, and carried out extensive exchanges on the teaching of Chinese medicine, clinics, scientific research, and cooperative projects.
With the support of Chinese International Education Foundation, the Global Alliance of Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine (GACICM) was established on September 18, 2020, and has held its first online meeting. In the past three years of operation, the Alliance has made fruitful reforms and initiatives in operation mechanism, website construction, academic exchanges as well as cooperation and research, which has effectively played the role of the Alliance in promoting the development of global Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine. At present, the members of the Alliance include 16 Confucius Institutes for Chinese Medicine and 2 Confucius Classrooms for Chinese Medicine from 15 countries around the world.
