With customs clearance fully restored in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the number of foreign students in traditional Chinese medicine colleges and attached clinical hospitals has gradually increased, including 62-year-old South Korean student Xu Mingji. In June, she will graduate from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine with a bachelor's degree in acupuncture and massage. As a mother of three children, she also sent them to China to study traditional Chinese medicine, and all of them have now finished their studies.

Change from an accompanying studying mother to 57-year-old bachelor of traditional Chinese medicine

Many years ago, Xu noticed that the elderly in South Korea trusted traditional Chinese medicine when she was still a housewife, so she came up with the idea of having her children come to China to learn traditional Chinese medicine. "I think China's acupuncture and massage ranks first in the world!" She said.

In 2003, Xu came to China with three kids. At that time, her daughter and eldest son were in high school, and her youngest son was in junior high school. In 2017, all of her children were studying in college. As she was not busy accompanying her kids to study anymore, Xu discussed with her husband that she could learn traditional Chinese medicine too: "When my kids graduate and work, I can cooperate with them in the future. This is the life I want."

Xu's insistence moved her husband to support her decision. At the age of 57, she applied for the acupuncture and massage major at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and began a six-year undergraduate study.

After starting her studies, Xu realized that learning Chinese medicine was far more difficult than she thought. "First, I need to translate what the teachers said into Korean to understand and recite, and then translate Korean into Chinese and recite again. Language and age barriers make me forget what I just recited yesterday."

In order to keep up with the learning schedule, she has to study until midnight every day after returning to her dormitory. The time to sleep became later in the final exam week when she couldn't go to bed until one or two o'clock every night. With doubled efforts, Xu managed to pass all the exams during undergraduate study without failing any one of them.

Xu to promote traditional Chinese medicine in South Korea with her kids

One morning, Dr. Lin Min of the Rehabilitation Center of Acupuncture and Massage of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine was at work, and many students followed him as internships to study on-site, and Xu was one of them. Dr. Lin has a "unique skill", which is his acupoint technique. He had previously demonstrated it in the consulting room and he asked Xu to use this technique that day.

"The rhythm of her acupoint technique is good and the intensity is enough. I can tell it's definitely not the first time for her to do it. She must have taken notes and practiced many times at home to achieve such effect." He praised Xu's efforts.

Since traditional Chinese medicine is an empirical discipline, acupuncture and massage need practice and clinical experience. For now, Xu has completed a rotational internship in the gynecology department, pediatric department, orthopedic department and encephalopathy department. After her graduation in June, Xu will return to South Korea to organize a school and a hospital specializing in traditional Chinese medicine and work with her three children.

In this school, in addition to studying courses offered in general junior high school, students can also learn Chinese and basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine, so that after their graduation, they can directly apply for traditional Chinese medicine colleges in China. "Isn't it a happy thing for a family to have a common goal and work together?" Xu said.

这个韩国妈妈把三个孩子送来学中医，自己也顺便读了个本科丨外国人学中医

随着粤港澳全面通关，在各大中医院校及其临床医院里学习中医的外国面孔逐渐增多，62岁的韩国学生徐明姬也是其中之一。2023年6月，她将从广州中医药大学针灸推拿专业本科毕业。作为一个妈妈，她把三个孩子送来中国学中医，目前都已学有所成。

从陪读妈妈到57岁的中医本科生

“我觉得中国的针灸推拿是世界排名第一的！”多年前，还是家庭主妇的徐明姬就注意到韩国老人很信任中医，她因此萌生了让三个孩子来中国学中医的想法。

2003年，徐明姬带着三个孩子来到中国。当时女儿和大儿子读高中，小儿子读初中。2017年，三个孩子都先后考上大学，作为陪读妈妈的她没那么忙了，便和丈夫商量自己也去学中医：“三个孩子将来工作时，我可以和他们合作，这是我想要的生活。”

徐明姬的坚定打动了丈夫。当时57岁的她报考了广州中医药大学针灸推拿专业，开始历时6年的本科学习。

开始学习后，徐明姬才意识到这比她想象的难太多了。“老师讲的内容，我要先把它翻译成韩语，理解、背诵，再翻译成中文背诵。语言加之年龄，经常是今天背过，明天就全忘了。”

为跟上学习进度，她每天回到宿舍都要学到12点，而到了考试季，常常凌晨一两点才能睡。加倍的努力，让徐明姬通过了本科期间所有的考试，无一门“挂科”。

将和三个孩子在韩国推广中医

一天上午，广州中医药大学第一附属医院针灸推拿康复中心林敏医生正在出诊，诊室里有不少跟诊实习的学生，徐明姬也在其中。林敏医生有个“绝活”是点穴手法，此前他在诊室里演示过一次，这天他让徐明姬操作。

“节奏掌握得很好，力度也够，肯定不是第一次实操，应该是记下笔记，回到家在自己身上练习过多次才能有这样的效果。”他对徐明姬的用心表示赞许。

中医是一门经验学科，针灸推拿更需要实操训练。目前徐明姬已完成在妇科、儿科、骨伤科、脑病科的轮科实习。今年6月毕业后，徐明姬将回到韩国，开始筹办一所学校和中医院，与她的三个孩子一起在里面工作。

在这所学校里，学生除了学习初高中的课程，还能学习中文、中医基础理论，这样等他们高中毕业后，就能直接报考中国的中医学院。“一家人有个共同的目标，能和自己的孩子一起工作，不是一件很幸福的事吗？”

文丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 陈辉 通讯员 刘庆钧
视频拍摄丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 甘卓然
图、视频剪辑丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 秦小杰
视频翻译丨陈萱
文字翻译丨白心怡
责编丨古司祺