A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Looking at the empty free clinic area, Zhou Hongmei felt a chill in her heart.

The "Liaoning-Jiangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Festival" has been open for an hour, and the five experts invited from Liaoning are sitting behind their brand-new consultation tables, but there are only a few patients in front of them.

On the grassland not far away, there were hundreds of yurts, but the herders looked at them from afar and refused to come closer.

"What's going on?" Zhou Hongmei asked the township official in charge of liaison.

The township official smiled wryly: "Dr. Zhou, the herders say those experts are too advanced, they dare not see them."

"High-class?" Zhou Hongmei asked, puzzled.

"It's just too formal and too unfamiliar."

Aygul came over to explain that she was wearing traditional Uyghur clothing today. "You see, the experts are all dressed in white coats, and the medical equipment on the examination table is neatly arranged. The herders feel that this is the setup of a big hospital, and they are afraid that they will not be able to diagnose the disease properly, and they are also afraid of spending too much money."

Buick added, "Moreover, the experts all speak Chinese, which the herders can't understand."

Seeing a doctor is already stressful enough; if we can't even communicate properly, who would want to come?

Looking at the groups of herders in the distance, and then at the experts' embarrassed expressions, Zhou Hongmei realized that she had made a mistake—she had simply transplanted the urban hospital model to the grassland.

"What should we do? The experts have come all this way; we can't let them come for nothing."

Professor Wang, the leader of the Liaoning expert team, walked over, his face showing embarrassment.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Hongmei suddenly had an idea.

"Professor Wang, would it be alright if our local students brought the herders to see the doctor?"

She pointed to Ayiguli and Bek, "They understand Mandarin and the language and customs of the herders, so they can act as intermediaries."

Professor Wang's eyes lit up: "This is a great idea! We'll see the doctor, and they'll handle the communication."

Zhou Hongmei's mind opened up: "It's not just about communication; we need to make the cultural festival feel like a festival on the grasslands, not like a hospital going to the countryside."

She immediately convened a meeting with all the trainees.

"The cultural festival can't just be about free medical consultations by experts," Zhou Hongmei drew on the whiteboard. "We need to incorporate things that the herders are familiar with."

Aygul, do your Uyghur people have any traditional dietary therapy methods?

"Yes, I have!"

Aygul perked up, "We use chickpeas and rose petal jam to regulate the spleen and stomach, and walnuts and honey to moisten the lungs and relieve coughs. These are all methods passed down from our elders."

"Okay! We'll set up a 'Uyghur Food Therapy Experience Area,' and you'll be in charge."

She then looked at Bek: "What unique herbs do the Kazakhs have?"

Buick rattled off a list of his treasures: "We use camel thorn to treat rheumatism, bitter bean to stop diarrhea, and artemisia to stop bleeding..."

These herbs grow everywhere on the grasslands, and the herders all recognize them.

"Then let's set up a Kazakh herbal medicine display area, and you can be in charge of explaining it."

Maimaiti raised his hand: "We can let the cured patients tell their stories."

"Rehemaiti's mother had such severe rheumatism, but it was cured using the method you taught her. He tells everyone he meets about it."

Zhou Hongmei clapped her hands, "That's absolutely right."

The plan was readjusted, and the originally uniform free clinic area was broken up and incorporated with various ethnic elements.

In Aygul's food therapy experience area, a small charcoal stove was set up, on which a fragrant chickpea soup was simmering, and traditional foods such as rose jam and walnut honey were placed next to it.

Dressed in traditional Uyghur, she explained to the onlookers in Uyghur: "This soup is especially good for people with cold stomachs; adding a little ginger makes it even better..."

Buick's herbal medicine display area is more like a small grassland herb garden.

Fresh and dried herbs are arranged in categories, with bilingual labels next to each herb.

Buick explained in loud Kazakh: "This camel bonnet, our Kazakh elders call it the rheumatism nemesis, actually its active ingredients are very similar to Angelica pubescens in traditional Chinese medicine..."

The most attractive part is the patient sharing area.

Rehemaiti, the young herdsman who was once the most skeptical of traditional Chinese medicine, is now gesturing wildly as he tells the story of his mother.

"My mother's rheumatism is so severe that she can't get out of bed at times."

He spoke in simple Kazakh, while Aygul translated into Chinese, "I've tried all sorts of medicine, been to big hospitals in Urumqi, and spent a lot of money, but I still can't get better."

More and more herders gathered to watch, and some nodded in agreement, clearly having had similar experiences.

"Later, Dr. Batel treated my mother with acupuncture and medicated plasters, and guess what?"

Rehemaiti paused deliberately, "He could get up on his own in the first month, milked sheep after three months, and now he can follow the flock for half a day!"

"Really?" some herders asked skeptically.

"My mother is over there!"

Rehemaiti pointed to a spot not far away where an elderly Kazakh woman was deftly arranging a wool blanket.

"Let's go take a look."

"Ask how much it costs?"

"Will it hurt a lot?"

At this point, Aygul and Bek's roles became apparent.

They led a small group of herders toward the specialist clinic area, introducing them as they went: "This is Professor Wang from Liaoning, who specializes in treating rheumatism. I'll translate for you, don't be afraid."

When Professor Wang saw that a patient had finally arrived, he immediately adjusted his mindset.

Instead of directly examining the patient, he first asked Aygul to inquire about the patient's daily habits.

"He said he often slept on the damp floor of his yurt, and his knees would get very cold from herding livestock in the winter," Aygul translated.

Professor Wang nodded and explained through Ayiguli: "The floor of the yurt should be covered with a thick blanket, and it is best to add a layer of moisture-proof sheepskin."

"You can make sheepskin knee pads for winter herding; it's simple, but very useful."

These practical suggestions resonated with the herders, who nodded in agreement.

The consultation process became much smoother. Experts found that having local trainees as intermediaries not only helped them accurately understand the patient's condition but also provided insights into the patient's background, leading to more targeted treatment plans.

Aygul translated for an old herdsman: "Professor Wang said that the root cause of your illness is cold and dampness penetrating to the bones. In addition to acupuncture, he will teach you a simple moxibustion method that you can do at home."

She took out a simple moxa stick from her portable medical kit and demonstrated how to use it.

The old herdsman's eyes lit up: "This is good, we don't have to keep going to the clinic."

It was even more lively over at Buick.

He led several herders to Professor Liu, who was an expert in gynecology. He first asked the professor questions in Kazakh and then translated them for him.

"She said that after giving birth to her third child, her back always hurt and her periods were irregular," Buick translated.

Professor Liu suggested several acupressure massage techniques through Buick and also prescribed some medicated patches for conditioning.

"Professor Liu said that these patches can be used for a month, and we can get more from the clinic before the next move."

Buick explained, "She will also teach your daughter how to apply it for you, so you won't have to do it yourself."

The herder woman nodded gratefully, saying, "This doctor understands us."

The atmosphere of the cultural festival gradually became more lively.

The herders discovered that these experts were not aloof; they listened attentively to their descriptions and offered practical and cost-effective advice.

What surprised Zhou Hongmei even more was that the experts also learned something from the herdsmen.

During a break, Professor Wang said to Zhou Hongmei, "Dr. Zhou, the use of that camel thorn is very interesting. It has similar effects to the Angelica pubescens we use, but it is more suitable for the type of rheumatism caused by the grassland climate."

I need to take some samples back for research.

Professor Liu praised the Uyghur people's dietary therapy methods: "Rose jam soothes the liver and relieves depression, and chickpeas strengthen the spleen and remove dampness. These are all excellent auxiliary treatments, and they are completely integrated into daily life."

At 3 p.m., the cultural festival reached its climax.