First Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival marks a start today for over 200 promotion activities of Chinese medicine culture to be held in these three months (with photos)
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The Acting Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, and the Commissioner for Chinese Medicine Development, Dr Vincent Chung, officiated at the kick-off event for the first Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival today (December 7) to unveil over 200 promotional activities for Chinese medicine (CM) culture to be jointly held across Hong Kong by the Health Bureau (HHB) together with the CM sector and community partners from this December to February next year.
The Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival is a new initiative put forward by the Chief Executive in his 2024 Policy Address. Partnering with local CM sector and various community organisations, the HHB promotes in diversified ways to pass on CM culture and knowledge to the general public. This kick-off event is the first major activity of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival and is being held at the Central Market today and tomorrow (December 8).
Dr Lee said, “CM is the treasure of Chinese culture. The CM in Hong Kong has been experiencing a steady development over the past two decades or so, with the application of pure traditional CM theories and methods for prevention and treatment of diseases being a distinctive advantage. To push ahead CM development on all front, riding on the two milestones of CM namely service commencement of the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and release of the Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint at the end of next year, we have specifically organised the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival to enable citizens to get first-hand experience through diverse activities in various forms in these three months, thus enhancing their interest and understanding on wisdom and concepts of CM for fostering CM inheritance and development.”
Supported by over 80 organisations from the CM sector and community partners, the first Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival features a splendid array of activities, including free consultation sessions, free health consultation, thematic talks as well as exchange forums and seminars for members of the public and various sectors to participate. A number of community organisations will also hold CM-related workshops and experiential activities, such as guided tours led by professional docents to explore herbal plants in the countryside where participants can learn about Chinese herbal medicine while enjoying the nature. To foster the cultural inheritance of CM, the Festival also has in place activities targeting students, such as CM identification workshops and CM planting activities, to cultivate the younger generation’s interest in traditional medicine.
A number of exhibitions and interactive booths are being staged at the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival kick-off event at the Central Market today and tomorrow for general public to learn more about the CM culture in an interesting way, ranging from a CM constitution identification booth, a simulated CM clinic with CM tools and dress-up for photo-taking, to information panels on health maintenance during winter and the CMHHK model exhibition and games. CM thematic talks covering topics such as globalisation of CM, the role of CM in primary healthcare, CM and mental health, interesting science of CM as well as experience of free CM consultations in different regions are also arranged for members of the public and various sectors.
Members of the public interested in joining activities of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival may visit the dedicated website (www.hkcmfest.gov.hk/en) for activity details and ways of enrollment.
Also attending the launching ceremony of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Festival today were Legislative Council members Dr David Lam and Mr Shiu Ka-fai; the Chairman of the Chinese Medicine Practice Subcommittee under the Chinese Medicine Development Committee (CMDC), Professor Chan Wing-kwong; the Chairman of the Chinese Medicines Industry Subcommittee under the CMDC, Mr Tommy Li; and the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr Pang Fei-chau.