BEIJING

北京

,

，

March 9, 2026

2026年3月9日

/PRNewswire/ -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a treasure carrying the Chinese nation's health wisdom for thousands of years, is now reaching 196 countries and nations at an astonishing pace. It has become an important pillar of the Healthy China Initiative and a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations..

/PRNewswire/ -- 中医药是承载中华民族健康智慧数千年的瑰宝，如今正以惊人速度走向全球196个国家和地区，成为中国“健康中国”战略的重要支柱，以及中外文明交流的桥梁。

During the 2026 'two session,' Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed unswervingly following the path of health development with Chinese characteristics to ensure decisive progress in advancing the Healthy China Initiative during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), Xinhua reported. Previously, the Chinese president has emphasized the importance of inheriting, developing, and utilizing this valuable legacy to promote TCM to the rest of the world.

据新华社报道，2026年“两会”期间，中国国家主席习近平强调，要坚定不移地走中国特色健康发展的道路，确保在“十五五”时期（2026-30年）推进健康中国行动取得决定性进展。此前，中国国家主席曾强调继承、发展和利用这一宝贵遗产的重要性，以推动中医药走向世界。

The Healthy China 2030 blueprint outline explicitly calls for fully leveraging the unique strengths of TCM..

《健康中国2030》蓝图明确要求充分发挥中医药的独特优势。

Under such guidance, TCM has not only built a full-chain service system in China covering prevention treatment and rehabilitation, but is also breaking down prejudice through scientific evidence, rejuvenating itself with technological empowerment, and winning over young people with cultural appeal. A question is often raised around the world – how has this 'ancient practice' become a 'new favorite' in global health? To explore this, the Global Times is launching a series titled 'Ancient ways, Modern cures,' which examines from four dimensions why TCM is gaining increasing appeal worldwide.

在这样的理念指导下，中医药不仅在中国建立了覆盖预防、治疗和康复的全链服务体系，更通过科学证据打破偏见，以科技赋能自我革新，以文化魅力赢得年轻人。一个常被世界各地提起的问题是：这项“古老之术”如何成为全球健康领域的“新宠”？为此，《环球时报》推出“古法今方”系列报道，从四个维度探讨中医药为何在全球范围内吸引力不断提升。

This article explores the first dimension..

本文探讨了第一个维度。

In a TCM clinic in Shanghai, a 'machine' is taking a patient's pulse.

在上海的一家中医诊所，一台“机器”正在为病人把脉。

The patient sits down, resting his chin on a support while placing his wrist on a sensor. Two minutes later, a screen fills with dense numbers, charts and analytical results, covering a wide range of indicators.

患者坐下，将下巴靠在支撑上，同时将手腕放在传感器上。两分钟后，屏幕上充满了密集的数字、图表和分析结果，涵盖了广泛的指标。

Centuries of TCM knowledge are being translated into data.

中医药数百年的知识正在被转化为数据。

'It's amazing,' the patient exclaimed. 'I used to think TCM was somewhat abstract and mysterious. Now it has become something clear and visible.'

“真是太神奇了，”患者感叹道，“以前总觉得中医有些抽象和神秘，现在变得清晰可见了。”

What the patient experienced is the Intelligent TCM Diagnostic Instrument – an AI‑assisted modern diagnostic device for TCM developed under the leadership of a team from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM).

患者体验到的是智能中医诊断仪器——一款由上海中医药大学团队领导开发的、人工智能辅助的现代中医诊断设备。

As AI tech advances at breakneck speed in China, and against the backdrop of the Healthy China Initiative and policies to promote the preservation and innovative development of TCM, this time-honored Chinese wisdom is exploring new possibilities through technological empowerment.

在中国人工智能技术飞速发展，以及“健康中国”行动和推动中医药传承创新发展的政策背景下，这一古老的中国智慧正在通过技术赋能探索新的可能。

During the ongoing 'two sessions,' alongside the continued advancement of the Healthy China Initiative, the integration of TCM and modern technology has also become a topic drawing increasing attention.

在正在进行的“两会”期间，随着健康中国行动的持续推进，中医药与现代科技的融合也成为备受关注的话题。

For example, Wang Zunlai, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of Tianjin Beichen Beimen Hospital, noted that 'AI is not a disruptor of TCM, but an accelerator for its inheritance and innovation.'

例如，全国政协委员、天津北辰北门医院院长王遵来就表示：“人工智能不是中医的颠覆者，而是中医传承创新的加速器。”

'The key is to use intelligent equipment as a breakthrough point to transform experts' hands-on techniques into replicable and standardized technical parameters,' Wang said, according to a report by The Paper.

“关键是把智能设备作为突破点，将专家们的手艺转化为可复制、可标准化的技术参数，”据澎湃新闻报道，王说道。

The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) represents a critical stage for advancing the Healthy China Initiative. How to move TCM's non-pharmaceutical therapies, which carry thousands of years of accumulated wisdom, from concept to practice, allowing them to take root in grassroots communities and benefit households across the country, has become an important question worth exploring..

“十五五”时期（2026-30年）是推进健康中国建设的关键阶段，如何将承载数千年智慧积淀的中医药非药物疗法从理念走向实践，扎根基层社区，惠及千家万户，成为值得探索的重要课题。

Ancient wisdom meets modern tech

古老智慧与现代科技相遇

For centuries, the four traditional diagnostic methods of TCM – inspecting, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpating – have benefited countless patients. Rooted in doctors' experience and judgment, this approach carries the accumulated wisdom of TCM, although some critics point to its subjectivity and difficulty in standardization..

几个世纪以来，中医的四种传统诊断方法——望、闻、问、切——让无数患者受益。这种方法根植于医生的经验和判断，承载了中医积累的智慧，尽管一些批评者指出其存在主观性且难以标准化。

The Intelligent TCM Diagnostic Instrument is the product of marrying those traditional techniques with modern technology. Using high-precision sensors and advanced image processing, the machine - the larger ones are as big as a printer, while the smaller ones are like a handheld hair dryer - scans a patient's face, tongue coating and pulse, converting information that once relied on a doctor's subjective appraisal into objective, precise data, explained Xu Jiatuo, a professor at SHUTCM and director of the Research Center for TCM Information Science and Technology who leads the device's development program..

中医智能诊断仪是将传统技术与现代科技相结合的产物。上海中医药大学教授、中医药信息科学与技术研究中心主任、该设备开发项目负责人徐佳驼解释道，这台机器使用高精度传感器和先进的图像处理技术，较大的机型如同一台打印机，而较小的则像手持式吹风机，可以扫描患者的面部、舌苔和脉搏，将曾经依赖医生主观判断的信息转化为客观、精确的数据。

'Our database is huge and highly detailed,' Xu told the Global Times on Sunday. 'For example, for each pulse data we can extract more than 30 features – things like strength and width – and together these data build a complete 'digital portrait' of the pulse pattern.'

“我们的数据库非常庞大且高度详细，”徐星期日向《环球时报》表示。“例如，对于每次脉搏数据，我们可以提取30多种特征——比如强度和宽度——这些数据共同构建了一个完整的脉象‘数字画像’。”

Buoyed by support from both government and industry, Xu's team has brought the device into clinical studies at dozens of hospitals across China, and deployed it in health screening centers to serve a broader population.

受到政府和业界支持的鼓舞，徐教授的团队已将该设备引入中国几十家医院的临床研究中，并将其部署在健康筛查中心，以服务更广泛的人群。

TCM has strengths in early-stage diagnosis for some conditions, able to warn of increased disease risk before structural lesions appear, said Xu. 'Adding modern technology allows that warning to be presented objectively as data, which essentially bridges TCM experience into the realm of modern medicine.'.

徐说：“中医药在某些病症的早期诊断方面具有优势，能够在结构病变出现之前预警疾病风险的增加。结合现代技术，可以将这种预警以数据的形式客观呈现，这本质上是将中医药经验引入现代医学领域。”

As AI is applied to diagnostic methods of TCM, the same technological wave is rolling into another crown jewel of TCM: acupuncture.

随着人工智能应用于中医诊断方法，同样的技术浪潮也正涌入中医的另一颗瑰宝：针灸。

In January, the app AcuAssistant, jointly developed by the School of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina at SHUTCM, officially launched on the App Store. Using an iPhone's rear camera together with LiDAR tech, the app can capture and analyze in real time the amplitude and frequency of a practitioner's lifting-thrusting and twirling-rotating needling manipulations, without interfering with treatment..

今年1月，由上海中医药大学中医人工智能学院与针灸推拿学院联合研发的AcuAssistant app正式在App Store上线。该应用借助iPhone的后置摄像头和LiDAR技术，可以在不干扰治疗的情况下，实时捕捉并分析施术者的提插、捻转等针刺手法的幅度和频率。

'What used to be an experiential, hard-to-articulate 'feel' in acupuncture manipulation, has now been translated into unambiguous on-screen data,' Tang Wenchao, a professor of the SHUTCM School of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Chinese Medicine, told the Global Times.

“过去在针灸操作中难以言喻的‘手感’，现在已经被转化为明确的屏幕数据，”上海中医药大学中医人工智能学院教授唐文超告诉《环球时报》。

Advantageous environment

有利环境

What is happening in that Shanghai clinic reflects a broader trend in China, where policy support, industrial upgrading and academic research are accelerating the integration of emerging technologies such as AI with TCM.

上海的这家诊所发生的事情反映了中国的一个更广泛的趋势，政策支持、产业升级和学术研究正在加速人工智能等新兴技术与中医的融合。

In recent years, China has rolled out a series of policies and government support measures aimed at advancing TCM's development.

近年来，中国出台了一系列政策和政府支持措施，旨在推动中医药的发展。

For example, in November 2025, China's National Health Commission issued implementation guidelines to promote and regulate AI applications in healthcare, highlighting efforts to integrate AI with TCM, including AI-assisted diagnostic tools, intelligent knowledge databases and digital traceability systems for medicinal herbs..

例如，2025年11月，中国国家卫生健康委员会发布了促进和规范人工智能在医疗领域应用的实施指南，重点介绍了将人工智能与中医药相结合的努力，包括人工智能辅助诊断工具、智能知识数据库和中药材数字溯源系统。

Industry is also moving in the same direction. According to a report by Economic Information Daily under Xinhua News Agency, technologies such as intelligent monitoring systems, blockchain-based traceability and advanced extraction methods are improving the quality control and standardization of Chinese herbal medicine, while AI-assisted diagnosis is helping enhance the efficiency of syndrome differentiation..

行业也在向相同方向发展。据新华社旗下《经济参考报》报道，智能监控系统、基于区块链的溯源技术以及先进的提取方法等技术正在提升中药材的质量控制和标准化水平，而人工智能辅助诊断则有助于提高辨证施治的效率。

Meanwhile, academic research is exploring new possibilities. At the inaugural 'TCM Innovation and Health' academic conference in Chengdu, Jiang Lei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that AI technologies could help clarify the pharmacological mechanisms of herbal medicine and identify effective compounds more precisely, promoting the scientific development of TCM..

与此同时，学界研究正在探索新的可能。在成都举行的首届“中医药创新与健康”学术会议上，中国科学院院士江雷谈到，人工智能技术或能帮助厘清中药的药理机制、精准找到有效化合物，推动中医药科学发展。

For Xu, the convergence of technology and TCM in China is not accidental, but the result of several structural advantages.

对徐而言，技术与中医药在中国的融合并非偶然，而是几种结构性优势的结果。

'Today, the general public shows growing acceptance of medical models rooted in traditional culture, such as TCM. This renewed cultural confidence provides an important starting point and creates a favorable environment for the integration of technology and tradition,' he said.

他说：“今天，公众对源于传统文化的医学模式，如中医，表现出越来越高的接受度。这种文化自信的提升为技术和传统的结合提供了重要的起点，创造了有利的环境。”

As these technologies evolve, tech-enabled TCM is also attracting increasing attention overseas.

随着这些技术的不断发展，科技赋能的中医药在海外也受到越来越多的关注。

According to the China-Africa Innovation Cooperation Center, at the African Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Johannesburg, South Africa, a 71-year-old patient, experienced an AI-assisted consultation in which facial and tongue scans generated a health report within minutes in January 2025.

据中非创新合作中心透露，2025年1月，在南非约翰内斯堡的非洲中医药针灸中心，一名71岁的患者体验了人工智能辅助诊断系统，通过面部和舌部扫描在几分钟内生成健康报告。

Chinese specialists in Sichuan later joined remotely to discuss treatment while local practitioners carried it out on site..

后来，四川的中国专家远程加入讨论治疗方案，而当地的医生则在现场进行治疗。

A Tianjin-based tech firm and a Saudi medical institution are co-developing AI algorithms and big data platforms to standardize oncology treatment protocols. This project applies predictive analytics to clinical data, enabling the integration of TCM into digitized, evidence-based therapy plans for international hospitals, Tianjin publicity department introduced in June 2025..

一家天津的技术公司和一家沙特的医疗机构正在共同开发人工智能算法和大数据平台，以标准化肿瘤治疗方案。该项目将预测分析应用于临床数据，使中医能够融入国际医院的数字化、循证治疗计划中，天津市委宣传部于2025年6月介绍。

Eyeing the future

着眼未来

With the development of intelligent TCM technologies, some of the most 'futuristic' ideas are beginning to move from imagination to reality. Receiving TCM services in space, for instance, is no longer just the stuff of science fiction.

随着中医智能化技术的发展，一些最“未来式”的想法开始从想象变为现实。比如，在太空中接受中医服务也不再是科幻小说里的内容。

A team led by Zhou Peng, director of the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Technology and Equipment, has developed this portable transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation device in collaboration with Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine..

周鹏带领的团队与天津中医药大学合作开发了这款便携式经皮穴位电刺激装置，周鹏是天津市智能中医诊疗技术与装备重点实验室主任。

The device has been carried aboard multiple

该设备已被带上多个

Shenzhou

神舟

manned spacecraft for space experiments, Zhou told the Global Times. 'The research aims to explore how wearable acupoint stimulation can help regulate astronauts' physical and mental health in a weightless environment and safeguard their well-being,' he said.

周告诉《环球时报》，用于空间实验的载人航天器。“该研究旨在探索可穿戴穴位刺激如何帮助调节宇航员在失重环境中的身心健康并保障他们的安全，”他说。

Zhou said the experimental results are still being analyzed, but he remains confident about the technology's future applications. 'Through brain-computer interface technology, we hope patients can move from passively receiving acupuncture to actively participating in regulation with their brains during rehabilitation, which may help stimulate neuroplasticity and improve rehabilitation outcomes,' Zhou said..

周表示，实验结果仍在分析中，但他对该技术的未来应用仍充满信心。“通过脑机接口技术，我们希望患者能从被动接受针灸转变为在康复过程中用大脑主动参与调节，这可能有助于刺激神经可塑性并改善康复效果，”周说。

As these technologies move from laboratories and space missions into everyday healthcare, questions are also emerging about how AI and new technologies should be used in medical decision-making.

随着这些技术从实验室和太空任务走向日常医疗保健，关于如何在医疗决策中使用人工智能和新技术的问题也浮出水面。

During the ongoing 'two sessions,' Zhang Wenhong, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and a Shanghai-based infectious disease expert, said in an interview with The Paper that while AI-assisted self-diagnosis can provide certain health reminders, it also carries risks if patients begin to believe AI can replace doctors..

在本次两会期间，全国政协委员、上海感染病专家张文宏在接受澎湃新闻记者采访时表示，虽然人工智能辅助自查可以提供一定的健康提醒，但如果患者开始相信人工智能可以代替医生，也存在风险。

Given the current stage of AI development, Zhang said the more reasonable and safer approach is to position AI strictly as a 'super assistant' and an 'amplifier of doctors' capabilities.' In other words, while AI-powered healthcare should continue to develop, strengthening grassroots medical services remains essential, as primary healthcare institutions form the foundation of the medical system..

鉴于人工智能当前的发展阶段，张表示更合理且安全的做法是，将人工智能严格定位为“超级助手”和“医生能力的放大器”。换言之，虽然应该继续发展人工智能驱动的医疗保健，但加强基层医疗服务仍然至关重要，因为初级医疗机构是医疗体系的基础。

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202603/1356631.shtml

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202603/1356631.shtml

SOURCE Global Times

来源：环球时报

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