Foreword

The Silk Road，from Chang'an（Xi'an now）to the west lands，was initiated by Emperor Wu in the Han Dynasty and started by Envoy Zhang Qian.

The great Maritime Silk Road，with the South China Sea as its center，was formed in the Qin and Han Dynasties，thrived in the Tang and Song Dynasties，and changed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

After vicissitudes，the Belt and Road Initiative comes into being nowadays.Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）is a great treasure for Chinese people.We are willing to share such a treasure with the world without reservation to save more people's lives.Therefore，with the opportunity of Belt and Road Initiative，I write this book to share it with all comrades and friends with the same ambition，to save people from sufferings，and to build a community of shared future for mankind.

This book is divided into four chapters，each of which has five sections，with one therapy discussed in each section.The first chapter of acupuncture does not list the common methods such as filiform needle method，because there are so many books about it and there is nothing new to be included in this book.While other methods of acupuncture are included such as periocular acupuncture，plum-blossom needle therapy，fire needle therapy，auricular acupuncture and penetration needle therapy.For example，the periocular acupuncture，created by Peng Jingshan in our hospital，is renowned overseas for its outstanding curative effects.As for chapters of moxibustion，medicated bath and Tong therapy，lots of schools and theories are included and referred to simplify the complex statements，to correct the wrong ones，to gather the scattered ones，to organize the tanglesome ones，and to clear the ambiguous ones.This book is the final version after several modifications，which can be used to inspire new and valuable thoughts and shared with the world to demonstrate the oriental wisdom.

“How can you go up high mountains without a path？How can you go to Fusang without a boat？”If you want to make achievements and want the world to recognize TCM，there are，I think，three crucial factors.First，it is ambition.As for individuals，ambition is the foundation of self-cultivation and career；as for a country，ambition is the basis of policies and guidelines.Only with clear ambition，will both individuals and countries behave with manners and make suitable choices.Second，it is bravery.The great talented doctors always hold different views from their peers.Before the great doctors become successful，it is difficult to distinguish them from the common ones.The great doctors are those with extraordinary bravery who can tolerate the frustration of not being recognized and respected，can take responsibilities bravely and make concession suitably，and can still keep self-confidence with knowledge of their own shortcomings.It is also true of a country.A country should not become timid or fearful for the prevalence of Western knowledge，and should not flatter or rely on Western knowledge for its popularity.A country should inherit and innovate its own medicine based on curative effects and continue to accumulate experience to thrive it some day.Third，it is perseverance.There are many doctors，but the good ones are rare.The reason is not that they are not intelligent enough，but that they do not make enough efforts.A good doctor should perfect their skills step by step in practice；as to the emergence of TCM to the world，it is definitely difficult for those of other culture to trust and use it if the native scholars do not fully understand and believe in the advantages and merits of the medicine！ A platform should be established to integrate different development，to inspire communication，and to patiently promote it.

I hope that this book will be available for readers soon，and that any of you can correct possible errors in it for our mutual advance！

Guan Xuefeng

January 2022