一枚银针牵起一段跨国情缘

Introduction to the Character

Cheng Yi, female, 31 years old, Malaysian. She is an international graduate of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, where she studied traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and now works as a teacher at the Kuala Lumpur Academyof Traditional Chinese Medicine in Malaysia.

What She Said

China is the birthplace of TCM. What I learned is not just medical skills, but a culture that has been passed down for thousands of years.

"Today, we are going to get to know licorice." On a July night, in the classroom of the Kuala Lumpur Academyof Traditional Chinese Medicine, teacher Cheng Yi gestured to the students to observe the cross-section of licorice while explaining in meticulous detail.

Four years ago, this master's graduate from Hunan University of Chinese Medicine ended her 8-year study journey in China and returned to her hometown. From a TCM clinic practitioner to a professional teacher at a TCM academy, she is determined to use the knowledge she learned in China to help more Malaysian compatriots understand TCM, know themselves better, and establish a healthy lifestyle.

Witnessing Changsha's Development During Study in China

"When I was a child, if I had a slight cold, my father would give me ginger water and do massage for me..." Cheng Yi's ancestral home is Guangdong. Her great-grandfather's generation immigrated to Malaysia, and she was exposed to TCMfrom an early age.

"China is the birthplace of TCM. I must go to China." In the summer of 2013, 19-year-old Cheng Yi came to Changsha with a yearning for TCMculture. During her eight years of studying in Changsha, Cheng Yi witnessed the rapid changes of Changsha. "Now the area around the school is getting more and more lively, and Changsha is becoming more and more prosperous and full of vitality."

At Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Cheng Yi received the most authentic and systematic grounding in TCM theories. She recalled that observing consultations and practicing acupuncture techniques beside teachers always brought unexpected gains. After finishing her studies and returning home, she would always take the initiative to use TCMknowledge to regulate her parents' health.

The Silver Needle Acts as a Matchmaker, Making Cheng Yi a Hunan Daughter-in-Law
In her junior year, Cheng Yi, as an international student, signed up for the National Acupuncture and Tuina Competition. The teacher arranged for her to join a club to practice acupuncture and tuina techniques systematically with other students. During the preparation for the competition, she needed to find a relatively fixed partner for acupuncture practice. Cheng Yi asked a boy next to her, and unexpectedly, he readily agreed.

"At that time, my techniques were rusty, and I was a bit 'heavy-handed', but he had no complaints at all." This boy named Liu Jing gradually walked into Cheng Yi's heart.

In 2021, after graduating with a master's degree, Cheng Yi returned to Malaysia, while Liu Jing went back to his hometown to work as a grass-roots doctor in a village in western Hunan. Cheng Yi said that TCMis like a red thread that has always closely linked them together.

In 2023, the two ended their 7-year long-distance relationshipand obtained marriage certificates in China and Malaysia.

Gaining a Large Number of "TCMFans" in Malaysia
After returning to Malaysia, Cheng Yi has been committed to promoting TCM. Whether in clinical practice or teaching at the Kuala Lumpur Academyof Traditional Chinese Medicine, she has been using her professionalism to help more Malaysian people understand, know and believe in TCM.

"Malaysia is located near the equator, with a tropical rainforest climate and a cold diet, which can easily lead to distinct constitutions of damp-heat or cold-dampness among local people. Therefore, treatment must be tailored to the individual." When facing patients, Cheng Yi is happy to popularize common knowledge of TCM, teaching them TCM basics to help them better understand their physical conditionsand develop healthy living habits.

There was once a girl who reported that her sleepwalking symptoms had alleviated after two weeks of TCMconditioning, which made her family hold TCMin high regard.

"Nowadays, Malaysian people's acceptance of TCMhas significantly improved." What makes Cheng Yi pleased is that with the Malaysian government's standardization of TCMpractitioner certification, the team of certified practitioners has grown. "Many of my students have chosen TCMas their second career and take further studies in the evening."

Looking forward to the future, Cheng Yi and her husband are full of longing: "After my husband completes his grassroots service term, maybe we will open a TCMclinic in Kuala Lumpur and work together in this career we love."