12th International Congress of Oriental Medicine

Abstract

It was indeed an extremely well organized Congress; almost a full week filled with a multiplicity of organizational details accompanied by food, flowers and elegance coupled with the warmth of the Taiwanese organizers, although a few of us from northern climes were sweltering in the warm and humid weather. (Martin Richardson, Oxford University Press, England; Emiko Okudo, Oxford University Press, Tokyo, in charge of the publisher's booth, displaying our new journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM); Edwin Cooper, Editor-in-Chief; Nobuo Yamaguchi, Managing Editor; Patty Willis, Administrator). We found it especially warm at the lunches provided as voluminous buffets, served under lovely tents. It was indeed a community affair in which everyone literally dug in with chopsticks to partake of exotic foods. The opening ceremony held the night before had all the trappings of a usual gala—a live rock music band such as La Bamba, folk dancers from the highlands of Taiwan, graceful swan dancers and even the Flamenco, performed by superb Taiwanese artists, that was as authentic as if we were in southern Spain. Other hints of a real gala included multiple lights, large screen video of VIP tables and one that attracted the most attention—the Mayor of Taipei, who welcomed the delegates in the best of spoken English. This was followed by a monstrous buffet. Numerous excursions were designed to highlight Taiwanese culture. A. Taipei City Tour included a visit to (1) Martyrs' Shrine, (2) National Palace Museum, (3) Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, (4) Chinese Temple, (5) The Presidential Office (pass by) and (6) Handicraft Center. B. Culture Tour included a visit to (1) Lungshan Temple, (2) Pao-An Temple and (3) National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts (Chinese Opera Performance). C. Wulai Aboriginal Village Tour including (1) Push-car Ride, (2) Wulai Waterfall, (3) Aborigine Folk Dance, (4) Swallow Lake (pass by) and (5) Chieftain Statue. D. Folk Arts Tour included a visit to (1) Sanhsia Tsu Shih Temple, (2) Old Street Scene in Sanhsia, (3) Yingko's Pottery Factory and Show Room and (4) Pottery Street in Yingko. E. Taroko Marble Gorge Tour. F. Taipei Night Tour including (1) Mongolian Bar-BQ Dinner, (2) Lungshan Temple, (3) Hwashi Night Market and (4) Panoramic View from the Taipei Observatory. G. East Coast and Taroko Gorge National Park Tour. The enormous efforts that went into the organization of the event were all clearly evident, especially Supervisors: Department of Health, Executive Yuan; Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry, National Science Council and the Taipei City Government; Sponsors: China Medical University, Chinese Traditional Medicine Research and Development Fund, Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Health, Council of Agriculture, National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, National Univion of Chinese Medical Doctors Association and ROC Chinese Medicines Association. There was a vast representation of people on the Organizing Committee, Executive Committee and Committee Members. There were numerous organizations and support and interest groups as well. Finally, there was widespread representation on the ISOM Organization. The conference included Lectures, Oral Presentations and Posters and Exhibitions in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean (simultaneous translations were provided). The first day of the Congress opened with three superb Plenary Lectures that set the stage for the later scholarly and research oriented presentations.