The universe is full of emotions, and plants form patterns. The second season of the 5-part, 15-minute documentary series "Centennial Impressions - Traditional Chinese Medicine in Foshan", produced by Foshan Media and Culture Center and organized by the Foshan Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, presents the third episode "Plants Form Patterns" across the entire internet. The core charm of traditional Chinese medicine lies in transforming every plant and tree bestowed by nature into energy that safeguards life, and responding to humanity's eternal pursuit of health through a philosophical logic that connects the east and the west. Today, a batch of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions originating from the Lingnan region is becoming a vivid illustration of this ancient wisdom spreading to the world. Foshan Fuxing Chancheng Hospital has demonstrated through practice that the international dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine is not the mere export of isolated prescriptions, but rather the sharing of a complete health value system that integrates precise diagnosis and treatment, authentic medicinal materials, and standard processes.

Ancient Prescriptions Adapted for Modern Use

Gao Fang, a traditional Chinese medicine dosage form originated from the "Huangdi Neijing", is well-known for its tradition of "tonifying in winter". However, in Lingnan, where there is a long summer and no winter and the climate is hot and humid, this traditional logic has encountered challenges from reality.

The traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which contain ingredients such as donkey-hide gelatin and sesame seeds for nourishment, are not suitable for the damp and hot constitution of people in Lingnan region. They can easily cause digestive problems. Guo Suxin, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Guangdong Province and the vice president of Foshan Fuxing Chenzheng Hospital, has been facing the challenge of these prescriptions not adapting well to the local environment in Lingnan from the very beginning. Besides, traditional large-dose prescriptions are prone to mold and difficult to preserve, and the short winter in Lingnan cannot support their season-specific usage.

In the face of this predicament, the traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Foshan need to blaze a new trail for the Lingnan medicinal pills. Just as Foshan Fuxing Chenzheng Hospital is collaborating with Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine to establish the Foshan Clinical Medical College, with the meticulous support of the hospital's leadership, Chen Xiuqing, Pan Guoliang and other traditional Chinese medicine experts, the Wu Suizhen team conducted a series of studies, including the development of preservation techniques and the research on the formula, and obtained more than ten patents. They carried out systematic local adaptation from theory to process, and the core achievement was transforming "a thousand people's one formula" into "one person's one formula", and launching "four seasons medicinal pills". This is not only a technological breakthrough, but also an upgrade of the treatment concept - medicinal pills have shifted from being a choice for health preservation to a precise treatment form.

This ingenious blend of tradition and innovation has given new life to Lingnan herbal medicine. It has also brought a sense of relief and warmth to the hearts of the doctors in Foshan. "Foshan is truly a very wonderful place for traditional Chinese medicine. It feels like I have naturally taken this path of traditional Chinese medicine rather than making a choice." Wu Suzhen is a native of Foshan. Her ancestral home is next to the century-old renowned brand "Huang Xianghua Ruyi Oil". She grew up watching this golden sign. Like many mothers in Foshan, her mother was also skilled at cooking soups using plants and trees - this was not only simple daily wisdom but also a profound insight into the nature of plants and the warmth of life. This folk wisdom that has been integrated into her blood has quietly transformed into Wu Suzhen's medical philosophy of "following nature's laws", and in her calm diagnosis and treatment, it has turned into the trust and praise that patients pass on from mouth to mouth.

Craftsmanship into Ointment: The Rebirth of Ancient Methods under the Protection of Standardization

At the Guojun Pharmacy of Foshan Fosun Chenzheng Hospital, Wu Shengzhen, a highly respected traditional Chinese medicine pharmacist in the Lingnan region, together with the Indian doctor Huang Xiaolong, uses ancient methods to boil the herbs and modern patented formulas to transform the precious medicinal essence collected from the mountains into high-quality medicinal pills that can be taken orally.

This process follows a set of nearly strict "Zen doctor standards". The soaking of medicinal materials needs to be precise to 6-8 hours, and the water level is controlled by a measuring scale. During the processes of decoction, concentration, and making the paste, every step cannot be separated from the senior pharmacist's long-term experience of "eye observation， ear listening， and hand touching". At the golden moment of making the paste， the criteria for judging the quality of the medicinal paste are "hanging the flag" and "dropping water to form pearls" - the medicinal juice is concentrated to the point where it can be hung on a wooden spatula like a flag， and when dropped into cold water， it can condense without dispersing.

“A slight deviation in timing could lead to all efforts being wasted,” Wu Shengzhen said. It is precisely this meticulousness in transforming traditional experience into a controllable process that has built a bridge connecting the natural gifts with modern therapeutic effects, and has also become the key for traditional Chinese medicine to achieve standardization and reliable output. Huang Xiaolong, who has personally experienced the entire process from collecting herbs to making the ointment, couldn't help but exclaim at this moment: “Traditional Chinese medicine is truly profound. The concentration and patience they show when preparing medicine for patients - constantly adjusting, constantly monitoring temperature and quality - is truly touching.”

Global Trust: Traditional Chinese Medicine is a language that transcends cultures

Foshan herbal pastes, based on the precise and standardized boiling process of "one person, one prescription", are building trust across cultures with their definite therapeutic effects.

Chen Meiyi, a patient from Hong Kong, was wrongly diagnosed with tongue cancer overseas. However, with the traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions issued by Foshan, she regained her health and has since come to Foshan for follow-up visits every year across the border. Huang Xiaolong, an Indian doctor, served over 30,000 international patients in Foshan and later became an apprentice and promoter of traditional Chinese medicine. The French health group has flown to Foshan for years to experience the traditional Chinese medicine projects such as the ointment prescriptions, and has passed on this Eastern wisdom sincerely and enthusiastically. Truly excellent ointments are not only masterpieces that can withstand tests but also effective prescriptions that can cross borders and gain worldwide recognition.

When Sibani from the Middle East praised it as "a Chinese gift that embodies the essence of heaven and earth", Foshan Gao Fang successfully completed a cultural translation: it transformed from a regional wisdom of health preservation into a solution about health that can be widely understood and accepted.

Hu Hang, the chairman and CEO of Fosun Health and the chief executive of the Greater Bay Area 

General Hospital, said: "When we were going to the countries along the 'Belt and Road' and promoting cross-border medical cooperation, we received a strong response. They have great trust in traditional Chinese medicine. Every year, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 patients come to our country. Through our traditional Chinese medicine's syndrome differentiation and treatment, they choose to take medicinal pastes for healing. Our medicinal pastes have also continuously spread to more countries. We are very happy and have strengthened our cultural confidence!"

With nature as the foundation, it originates from life and returns to life. The excellence of Lingnan herbal prescriptions lies in the meticulous diagnosis and treatment of each individual case, in the pure and genuine gifts from the mountains and forests, and in the humble and sincere care for the herbs used in the prescriptions. This is a thousand-year vow between nature and time, a cultural inheritance that transcends mountains and seas and integrates heaven and humanity. Today, on the world stage of mutual learning among civilizations, Foshan traditional Chinese medicine is bringing its wisdom of "upholding the orthodox while innovating" and its attitude of "openness and inclusiveness", contributing unique Eastern strength to the health and well-being of humanity, allowing the fragrance of thousands of years of medicine to spread to a more distant future.

Director's Note: What is the Confidence of "Foshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Going Global"?

In shooting this episode, I deeply realized that behind the universal remedy that aims to reach out to the world, there must be three solid pillars:

Good doctors, good herbs, and good pharmacists. 

Good doctors, like Vice President Wu Suzhen, are those who can deeply study the classics while also facing real-life challenges and daring to innovate.Every prescription "tailored for one person" they prescribe is a profound gaze at the uniqueness of life; their tireless pursuit of the quality of each batch of ointment is what they quietly accomplish for every patient, a watchful care for health with a compassionate heart and time as the guide.

Good herbs are the Chinese yam growing on a 30-degree slope in the shot, with the commitment of the farmer over eight years behind it. The "willing to spend time" mentioned by Committee Member Zheng Fengmei is the most scarce and precious quality in the industrialized era. Our pursuit of genuine herbs is to record and present this quality contract that stems from the land and time and cannot be achieved quickly.

Good pharmacists, represented by pharmacist Wu Shengzhen, are artisans. In the national medicine store filled with the fragrance of medicine, they use the experience passed down from generation to generation and meticulous standards to finally condense the wisdom and efforts of the previous two into a thick and smooth ointment as precious as jade.

These "three good" together form the golden brand of "Foshan Production" of traditional Chinese medicine. It is no longer a vague regional concept but a traceable, trustworthy, and deliverable quality guarantee.

Today, when thisunique "Foshan Production" of traditional Chinese medicine goes global, it carries two identities and power: it is both a rigorous, innovative, and verifiable modern health product and an excellent carrier of traditional culture that embodies the philosophical thoughts of "harmony between heaven and man" and "following nature's laws". It is precisely this dual nature that makes its overseas expansion go beyond simple commodity trade and become a profound cultural exchange and sharing of health concepts. The deep power and lasting vitality of the export of traditional Chinese medicine culture lie in this: it does not output mysterious symbols, but a complete value system about healthy living that integrates ancient life wisdom, natural philosophy gifts, and modern industry standards. The export of traditional Chinese medicine culture is not about exporting mysterious symbols, but about exporting a complete value system about healthy living that integrates ancient life wisdom, natural philosophy, and modern industrial standards. The journey of Foshan ointment is a solid and touching footprint on this path.