Studying Chinese Medicine in the PRC and Taiwan

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

 

I am currently studying undergraduate Chinese medicine in Sydney, Australia, and

was

seeking information on studying Chinese medicine in the PRC or Taiwan. I would

most

prefer to gather insight from personal experiences, though second-hand anecdotes

would

be fine. Information on language learning, the ins and outs of studying CM

abroad, or

maybe even the idiosyncrasies of the PRC and Taiwanese education systems would

be

much appreciated.

 

I am particularly interested in studying at either China Medical University in

Taichung, or

Chengdu University of TCM in Sichuan province, so anything specific to those

schools

would be great.

 

Thanking you,

David

[Guest guest]

Hi David

I think that both country's have a lot to offer, it

depends on what you want to learn. there is a lot of

diversity in the practice of Chinese medicine here in

Asia, but there is also a standard followed by most

universities. Here in Taiwan specially at China

medical University there is a lot of focus on

biomedical research of Acupuncture and herbal

substances. But there are also many excellent

Teachers and practitioners that have many years of

clinical experience. if you come to Taiwan you will

have to learn traditional characters versus

simplified. but I have to warn you in Taiwan there are

other languages spoken by the general population,

China does also. so get ready to learn more than just

standard putong hua.

but i highly recommend that you get some Chinese

before you come to Taiwan or China, it will make for

an easier transition,unless you plan to study Chinese

for the first year at a language institute. In which

case i can recommend Tai Da or Shi Da in Taipei or

Dong Hai or Providence University in Taichung.

You can also ask Eric Brand he has been living here

and In China for many years know and knows the ropes

better than I.

Good Luck

Gabe Fuentes

 

--- " dadu.transmutate " <dadu.transmutate

wrote:

 

> Hello all,

>

> I am currently studying undergraduate Chinese

> medicine in Sydney, Australia, and was

> seeking information on studying Chinese medicine in

> the PRC or Taiwan. I would most

> prefer to gather insight from personal experiences,

> though second-hand anecdotes would

> be fine. Information on language learning, the ins

> and outs of studying CM abroad, or

> maybe even the idiosyncrasies of the PRC and

> Taiwanese education systems would be

> much appreciated.

>

> I am particularly interested in studying at either

> China Medical University in Taichung, or

> Chengdu University of TCM in Sichuan province, so

> anything specific to those schools

> would be great.

>

> Thanking you,

> David

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> --- " dadu.transmutate " <dadu.transmutate

> wrote:

> > I am particularly interested in studying at either

> > China Medical University in Taichung, or

> > Chengdu University of TCM in Sichuan province, so

> > anything specific to those schools

> > would be great.

 

The experience of these two schools and their hospitals is night and

day. Each has advantages and disadvantages. For starters, the

culture is totally different in Sichuan vs. Taiwan. The economic

reality of the two places could not be more different, the level of

hygiene in the hospitals is totally different, and the style of CM

is significantly different as well. The weather is different, the

food is different, the cities have a different size and style from

each other, and the living conditions and expense are different.

There are many factors that will affect your experience in either

place, and I couldn't harbor a guess at which one is more your style

because I don't know your preferences. You might consider visiting

both places to get a feel for what they are like.

 

One nice thing that Taichung and Chengdu have in common is that nice

teahouses are particularly in vogue in both cities, offering

attractive diversions. Sichuan province is one of the poorest

provinces in China, so food and services are extremely cheap but the

hospitals and other facilities are not exactly flush with funding.

I was there in 2001, so many things have probably improved (my

Sichuanese friend reports that they now have disposable needles on

request, for example). But when I was there, the sanitation was

alarmingly bad. However, it is a very interesting environment, a

big campus of 10,000 students studying TCM, one of the most well-

respected TCM schools in China. Chang Gung University in Taiwan

actually imports many of their best teachers from Sichuan.

 

The level of TCM is generally high there, the prescriptions tend to

be dosed heavily, dampness tends to be emphasized because of the

climate. The approach to prescribing is basically the typical model

that we are trained in, customized raw decoctions, now often cooked

up in Korean-style decoction machines for convenience.

 

Surrounding factors: The food in Sichuan is very good, extremely

spicy. The environment is not too great in terms of nature, but the

giant Buddha at Leshan is not far away, and you can easily take

hiking trips to Emei Shan or adventures into Yunnan, Gansu, or

Tibet. Culturally, Sichuan has been much more insulated from the

outside world than Taiwan; this gives it a more " hard-core adventure

feel " as a cultural tourist, but it also means that connecting with

local friends will be a bit different than it would be in Taichung,

where economics have given more of the people experience of overseas

travel and financial freedom similar to what you may enjoy.

 

By contrast, Taichung has much better weather and less pollution.

The CM at China Medical University is often reported to have a

somewhat integrative focus, which could be an advantage or

disadvantage depending on your style. The formulas are combined in

the Taiwanese granule style, again an advantage or disadvantage,

depending on whether you want to learn something new or want to

better refine the style that you are already trained in. There is

more money and better hygiene and work opportunities. I prefer the

cultural vibe of Taiwan but I think the food in Chengdu is better

than the food in Taichung. Chengdu is a much cheaper place to live,

though you'd get paid less if you work there.

 

You can learn Chinese medicine and Mandarin well in either place if

you are diligent. The people are very nice in both places. As Gabe

mentioned, both places have some regional languages in use besides

Mandarin (Sichuanese and the sub-dialect Chengdunese sound similar

to Mandarin but is a bit tricky to understand, Taiwanese sounds

totally different). But everyone speaks Mandarin in both places and

the additional presence of the local languages is not a problem.

Attempting to study Chinese medicine in either place without fluency

in spoken Mandarin is a bit of a problem, however. Finding good

translators in either place is not necessarily an easy task.

 

Good luck!

 

Eric

[Guest guest]

I've only visited Taiwan and Chengdu but I have spent three years at

Nanjing TCM uni.

One thing to add might be that Chengdu Zhongyiyao Daxue is perhaps the

most classically inclined TCM university of the PRC. Arnaud Versluys,

(who's now assistant professor in Heiner Fruehauf's classical Chinese

medicine dept in Portland) took his PhD studies in Chengdu. He became

a SHL/ Nei Jing connoisseur during his studies in Chengdu.

I liked Chengdu a lot when I was there. It's a city with a great feel,

partly because of the teahouses. Eric didn't mention the Jiuzaigou

area so I thought I would: a protected nature reserve north of

Chengdu, which is the most beautiful place I have ever visited, China

or elsewhere. West-Sichuan has some amazing Tibetan-style vistas.

 

David also asked about studying Chinese medicine in China. If you want

to take classes of Chinese medicine taught in Mandarin, your level

must be quite good before you understand what they are saying. I still

don't understand everything, and I took one year of intensive private

tutoring before I enrolled. Writing is especially difficult (for

taking notes during classes). My writing still sucks. I am enrolling

in Ghent University (Belgium) to get a sinology degree specializing in

classical Chinese, before I plan to go back to China (probably

Chengdu). What I'm trying to say is: don't underestimate the language

part: it's not easy.

Interning is easier: chatting with patients and doctors is much

easier; your vocabulary is more limited as opposed to the vocabulary

needed to read textbooks.

 

I would recommend you find a doctor outside of the uni to intern with.

You will have to earn his respect, but if you do, you will learn more

than what the standard textbooks have to offer. Which is probably what

you're after anyway. Heiner Fruehauf only visits with countryside

doctors.

 

Btw, at the last Rothenburg congress, Heiner Fruehauf showed us a

documentary films that one of students shot. It is about studying

clasical Chinese medicine in China, with a large part devoted to qi

gong. It features Heiner's masters, including one " doctor " that

patients visit. They just sit on the floor in his house, until they

start giggling, laughing and finally vomiting. That doctor feels that

negative emotions are the main cause of disease, and people feel

better after visiting him.

No university was mentioned in the documentary. Heiner was a bit

worried that the documentary would not serve Chinese medicine as a

profession, since it has worked so hard to earn a more professional,

scientific image.

 

Tom.