Academician Project Goes to the Grassroots | The “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns Initiative” Demonstration Site Established at Zhuxi County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

On March 31, the unveiling ceremony for the demonstration site of the “Thousand Counties and Ten Thousand Towns Initiative” under the Research Achievement Promotion Center of Academician Liu Liang’s team, together with a training conference for the Zhuxi County Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Quality Control Center, was held at the Zhuxi County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, presided over by Chen Shengming, Party Secretary of the County Health Commission. Zhuxi County has become the first demonstration site for this initiative in Hubei Province. As an important practical implementation of bringing academician-led projects down to the grassroots level, the establishment of this demonstration site represents a pivotal step for Zhuxi County in promoting the high-quality development of TCM, addressing shortcomings in primary healthcare services, and enhancing public health. It also marks a significant milestone in bridging cutting-edge research achievements with grassroots medical care and in providing medical support to bolster rural revitalization.

The event was hosted by the County Health Commission and co-organized by the Fengxi Town People’s Government and the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Attendees included members of Academician Liu Liang’s expert team—team leader Wu Feichi, advisor Long Xianjun, deputy director Jiang Yiwei, and other experts—as well as county leaders Zhu Dongfang, Chen Shengming, Party Secretary of the County Health Commission, and Luo Jie, Director of the Commission; Liu Jinghai, Party Secretary of the Fengxi Town People’s Government; Liu Wei, Party Secretary of the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital; and Lei Zhaoming, the hospital’s President; in addition to relevant officials from the County Party Committee Organization Department, the Science and Technology Association, and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, along with more than 120 acupuncture and rehabilitation professionals from across the county, all of whom gathered to witness this significant milestone for the development of TCM in Zhuxi County.

In his address, Liu Wei, Secretary of the Party Committee of the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, stated that in January 2025 the hospital was recognized as one of the city’s first batch—and the county’s very first—Level-III TCM hospital, thereby establishing a “one hospital with three campuses” structure. The hospital now has 645 open beds, boasts six provincial-level and 22 municipal-level key specialties, and continues to enhance its comprehensive service capabilities. Adhering to the principle of “placing TCM at the core while giving equal emphasis to TCM and Western medicine,” the hospital has developed an integrated “medical care–prevention–nurturing–rehabilitation–health promotion” model, cultivating distinctive strengths in areas such as acupuncture, rehabilitation, and minimally invasive pain management. Liu Wei emphasized that the hospital will take this collaboration as an opportunity to effectively translate research findings into clinical applications, promote advanced technologies, and standardize quality control, thereby converting the academician team’s expertise into tangible benefits for the public.

Jiang Yiwei, Deputy Director of Project Promotion for Academician Liu Liang’s team, provided a detailed overview of the background, progress, and implementation plan for the “Thousand Counties and Ten Thousand Towns Initiative” in Zhuxi, outlining key priorities such as technology transfer, talent development, clinical application, and grassroots outreach, thereby charting a clear path for the project’s successful rollout.

Wu Feichi, station director of the academician Liu Liang’s team, stated that the team has consistently committed to bringing scientific research outcomes down to the grassroots level. The selection of Zhuxi as the demonstration site is a recognition of the local foundation in traditional Chinese medicine and the strength of its hospitals. Moving forward, the team will leverage its strengths in technology, talent, and research, focusing on the fields of rheumatology and pain management, to introduce proven, safe diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and research achievements to primary-care settings. This will help elevate the quality of acupuncture and rehabilitation specialties, enable local residents to access high-level TCM services close to home, and further deepen collaboration to establish a model for translating research findings into practical applications at the grassroots level.

Luo Jie, Director of the County Health Commission, pointed out that the county’s TCM service capacity has been steadily improving; however, grassroots acupuncture and rehabilitation services still face several shortcomings, including a shortage of qualified personnel, uneven technical standards, inconsistent quality control, and insufficient translation of research findings into clinical practice. Collaborating with academician teams is key to overcoming these bottlenecks. He urged that we firmly assume our supervisory responsibilities and deepen cooperation; conduct targeted training to enhance professional competence; strengthen quality-control leadership to promote standardized diagnosis and treatment; and effectively disseminate and extend these initiatives to enhance the public’s sense of health-related benefits.

At the event, Academician Liu Liang’s team signed “Academician Project to Bring Advanced Research to the Grassroots” cooperation agreements with the County Health Commission and the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Leaders and experts in attendance jointly unveiled the plaque, marking the official establishment of cutting-edge TCM research achievements in Zhuxi County. To date, the academic team’s related diagnostic and therapeutic techniques have been applied in nearly 100 cases at the County TCM Hospital, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in treating conditions such as osteoarthritis and cervical spondylosis, and receiving positive feedback from patients.

Following the unveiling ceremony, attendees conducted a site visit to examine the construction of the Promotion Center and the progress of its projects, commending the Center’s standardized development and tangible outcomes while offering constructive guidance. Concurrently, a training session on quality control in acupuncture and rehabilitation was held, during which Xia Yinping, an expert from the team led by Academician Liu Liang, delivered lectures and hands-on instruction on the triadic sequential therapy for rheumatism and pain. The County Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Quality Control Center also invited numerous local medical experts to share their experience on such topics as appropriate TCM techniques and the integration of acupuncture with pain management, thereby empowering the participants.

This initiative has facilitated the precise alignment of high-end medical resources, thereby empowering primary-care TCM professionals. Moving forward, the Academician Liu Liang Expert Workstation will continue to promote and apply appropriate TCM technologies, accelerate the training of TCM specialists at the grassroots level, ensure that the research achievements of academicians benefit local communities, and leverage the distinctive strengths of TCM to safeguard public health.