A report on the event held at The Forum, AcuMedic Centre, 6th July 2013
The remarkable sights, sounds and smells of China were brought to London as Professor Man Fong Mei delivered a multimedia introduction to what makes China so special to him.
The presentation was not simply a talk about China, but a profound journey into the mesmerising diversity of the country’s influences, culture and population. While the media has presented China as the emerging superpower and the economic rival to the West, what was really needed is a spotlight on the founding ideas, values, arts and wisdom of the Chinese civilisation.
This had to be done because China’s cultural heritage can serve us today and tomorrow as a source of ideas on how to cope in a world destabilised by the economic crisis and ethno-cultural tensions brought into sharp focus by globalisation.
Professor Mei introduced the 56 ethnic groups (including the 55 minority groups) which constitute China’s complex regional culture and geography, and, outlined the national policies originally designed to accommodate and serve such diversity.
The chronology of Chinese history was presented along with a summary of how Chinese language has evolved. To help the audience’s understanding, Professor Mei introduced the fundamental role of philosophy in Chinese culture and how it shaped its cherished art of poetry and painting. In China, philosophy and poetry were the means and the end to enlightenment.
The system of Chinese medicine is the most concrete means of attaining and applying enlightenment about yourself and the role of nature in your life. Professor Mei introduced its main components, including acupuncture, to explain how it informed the lifestyle of Chinese people and enabled them to live in real harmony with nature for thousands of years.
The audience of over 30 guests were then treated to finest Chinese tea at the end of a talk which incorporated awe-inspiring photography of China’s diverse natural and architectural landscape, illustrations of its arts and highly visual language as well as video and audio recordings of traditional poetry and music.
Professor Man Fong Mei is Executive Chairman, Advisory Committee for Working of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, Chairman of the Chinese Medical Institute and Register (CMIR,UK) and the Chinese Medical Council (CMC, UK). He is also the Clinical Director at AcuMedic.
Website acumedic.com cmir.org.uk Blog mfm.acumedic.com
Follow Professor Mei on Twitter @ProfMei
