Wu Zhi Qiao x THEi Study Programme
Prof. Dawn Au, Li Ning Hon Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine at Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), and Ir Dr Simon Wong led a delegation of students from our institution to Qingyu Village in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, from 1 to 8 August 2025, undertaking an eight-day service-learning programme. This initiative was funded by the Shang Sin Chun Tong Charitable Foundation, which established the scholarship named ‘省善真堂中華藥學與文化傳承獎學金’. Organised jointly by Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation and THEi, the programme involved collaboration with Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology.
During the first two days, participants ascended nearby mountains to gather medicinal herbs, visited a Schisandra chinensis cultivation base, and engaged with local traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and Qinqiang opera representatives. Subsequent activities proved equally enriching: repairing an opera stage, exploring herbal markets to understand procurement practices, pounding glutinous rice cakes, touring a bee farm, and attending a cultural exchange evening featuring Qinqiang opera and Cantonese pop music.
Beyond these activities, students undertook in-depth studies across seven thematic areas: classical texts, traditional Chinese medicine processing techniques, schisandra paste production methods, ancient formula development, moxa stick fabrication, specimen organisation, and facility design. This programme significantly enriched participants' professional knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine while immersing them in the cultural heritage of both Qinqiang opera and traditional medicine, yielding substantial benefits.
10 August 2025