CityU holds TCM, health and wellness seminar to explore future development, clinical practice and industry trends
On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of City University of Macau (CityU), the academic seminar “Traditional Chinese Medicine, Health and Wellness Development: Clinical Practice, Health Management and Cultural Inheritance” was recently held on the Taipa Campus. Co-organized by the Faculty of Health and Wellness (FHW), the Research Center for Authenmole Modern Chinese Medicine Big Health and and the Academy for Seniors, the event brought together experts, scholars, and industry representatives from the fields of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical practice, health management, cultural studies, and mental health to jointly explore the development trends and practical pathways for TCM within the health and wellness ecosystem.
Guests attended the event either online or offline, including Mo Hui, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine (Macao); Van Iat Kio, president of the Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau; Ip Kuai Peng, CityU Vice Rector; Xie Changcai, director of the Acupuncture Department of the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (Zhuhai); Wu Shengtao, professor of the Jilin University; Sun Pei, executive associate dean of FHW ; Hou Shengtian, professor of FHW; Jenny Lok Chan Nei, program coordinator in Social Work of FHW; and Wang Yiwen, director of the Research Center for Authenmole Modern Chinese Medicine Big Health.
Vice Rector Ip Kuai Peng noted in his opening remarks that the TCM and Health and Wellness industry is facing significant opportunities amidst Macao’s efforts to promote moderate economic diversification. He emphasized that TCM possesses unique advantages in chronic disease prevention and health management, which are crucial for improving residents’ quality of life and promoting longevity. Vice Rector Ip stressed that its profound cultural connotations also provide solid support for contemporary health concepts.
Furthermore, he pointed out that CityU has long been attentive to population aging and public health, attaching great importance to the practical needs of the elderly in terms of physical and mental health, life well-being, and lifelong learning. Vice Rector Ip highlighted the establishment the Academy for Seniors to actively promote the popularization of health knowledge and lifelong learning, helping senior citizens establish healthy lifestyles and enhance their overall well-being.
In response to the national priorities in managing obesity and chronic metabolic diseases, Director Xie Changcai from the Acupuncture Department of the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (Zhuhai) highlighted the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture in weight management and metabolic intervention. Through auricular acupoint stimulation to suppress appetite, as well as improving sleep and mood, it helps alleviate insulin resistance and can reverse pre-diabetic conditions. Director Xie stressed that TCM weight management must move toward standardization and scientization in the future, establishing graded intervention mechanisms and SOP, while integrating big data and smart wearable devices to build a digitally-enabled, full-life-cycle health management system encompassing assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
Prof. Hou Shengtian suggested that Macao should grounded in its positioning as “one center, one platform, one base”, establishing a new paradigm for TCM health management on both physical and mention health. He proposed the integration of TCM constitution and TCM psychosomatic medicine to address the physical and mental health needs of modern society. With digital intelligence, lifelike, industrialization, and globalization as the four driving forces, Prof. Hou said that the new paradigm can be implemented in community, cultural tourism hotels, and cross-border healthcare and elderly care scenarios, forming a replicable and feasible development pathway that aligns with the “Healthy Macao” strategy and the goal of moderate economic diversification.
Prof. Wu Shengtao from Jilin University noted that modern psychology should be integrated with China’s traditional culture and smart technologies such as large language models, by analyzing classical texts to decipher the “happiness genes” of the Chinese people. He noted that the Chinese concept of health emphasizes the cultivation of both internal and external aspects, integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and summarized it as the “four harmonies” approach: harmony with oneself, harmony with others, harmony with nature, and harmony with the Dao. His big-data research showed that the agency values embedded in Chinese culture are closely linked to the cyclical development of the economic population. He expressed the hope that new technologies would revitalize Eastern philosophy, alleviate modern psychological anxiety, and promote high-quality development that unifies body and mind.
Program coordinator Jenny Lok Chan Nei pointed out multiple physical, psychological, and social challenges faced by perimenopausal women in Macao under dual-career pressures. Her research team introduced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and conducted the first eight‑week randomized controlled group study on this population. She showed findings indicating that ACT can significantly and sustainably reduces psychological distress, with psychological flexibility serving as a key mediating mechanism. She regarded this intervention as a highly feasible, culturally accepted approach in community settings, offering a safe and effective non‑drug alternative for women who cannot or prefer not to undergo hormone therapy.
Dr. Zhang Xin, a psychotherapist at the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, found through reflexive thematic analysis that the hope psychology of patients with terminal cancer often fluctuates between “desire for healing” and “accept the reality”. She noted that the hope of healing is not an unrealistic fantasy, but rather an important psychological defense mechanism that alleviates patients’ fear of death, which is deeply rooted in Confucian and Taoist views of life as well as profound emotional attachment to family. She called on healthcare professionals and family members to embrace the diversity and change of hope psychology in terminal patients, replacing denial with attentive listening and empathy, and providing end-of-life care with greater humanistic care.
FHW doctoral student Sang Wei shared his frontline practical experience in the mental health industry, introducing the “Science of Happiness Pavilion” project, which translates positive psychology theories into an experiential scientific space. He pointed out that mental health prevention services still face challenges in the process of commercialization, but physical and mental regulations demonstrate significant synergistic effects. Sang highlighted the role of Artificial intelligence in data analysis, decision-making support, and improving service accessibility; however, the core of health services remains in the accompaniment and support of professional practitioners. He called for the establishment of scientific health assessment and product evaluation mechanisms to pave the way for translating scientific educational projects into the market.
Source: Faculty of Health and Wellness
