Abstract
The People's Republic of China is a developing nation with several aid-related activities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. It has acquired international goodwill through its provision of financing or loans for infrastructure projects, trade agreements and major economic investments in these countries.1 Within this structure is the Human Resources Development Cooperation Program, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, China, from which multiple programmes related to several sectors of the Chinese economy (eg, the health sector) are offered.2 Under the auspices of the Ministry of Commerce, the International Training Course on Clinical Application of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina towards Developing Countries is organised by the International Exchange Center of Shanxi Provincial Health Department in Taiyuan. First introduced in 1998, the training course is held once or twice a year bringing together health professionals from several developing countries. The programme, which has trained about 700 healthcare professionals since its inception,2 aims at imparting knowledge on current practices in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and at fostering a strong and enduring friendship and cooperation between China and its developing country allies. It is structured in the form of lectures, demonstration classes, field trips and clinical attachments in hospitals. Apart from studies on acupuncture conducted by notable Nigerian anaesthetists like Professor Beatrice Umeh, the practice of acupuncture in Nigeria is yet to gain significant momentum. This article presents the author's bird's eye-view as a participant in the 2010 training module. On 13 April 2010, the Nigerian delegation, led by me, embraced the chilly-cold spring weather at the Beijing International Airport from Abuja, Nigeria, en-route Taiyuan city, to participate in the 12th International Training on Clinical Application of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina towards Developing Countries. Taiyuan, literally translated, ‘Great plains’, is a prefectural-level city and the capital of Shanxi province in …
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