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

On March 31, the unveiling ceremony for the demonstration site of Academician Liu Liang’s team’s “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns” initiative, along with a training session 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 Hubei Province’s first demonstration site under this program. As an important grassroots implementation of the academician‑led project, the establishment of this demonstration site represents a pivotal step for Zhuxi County in advancing the high‑quality development of TCM, addressing shortcomings in primary‑level medical services, and improving public health. It also marks a significant milestone in bridging cutting‑edge scientific research with frontline healthcare, thereby bolstering rural revitalization through targeted medical assistance.

The event was hosted by the County Health and Wellness Bureau and co-organized by the Fengxi Town People’s Government and the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Members of the academician expert team led by Academician Liu Liang—including team leader Wu Feichi, advisor Long Xianjun, and deputy director Jiang Yiwei—along with county leaders such as Zhu Dongfang, Party Secretary of the County Health and Wellness Bureau Chen Shengming and Bureau Director Luo Jie, Fengxi Town Party Secretary Liu Jinghai, County TCM Hospital Party Secretary Liu Wei and President Lei Zhaoming, as well as relevant officials from the County Party Committee Organization Department, the Science and Technology Association, and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, together with more than 120 acupuncture and rehabilitation professionals from across the county, attended to witness this significant moment 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 and the county’s very first Grade III TCM hospital, establishing a “one hospital, three campuses” structure with 645 open beds. The hospital boasts six provincial-level and 22 municipal-level key specialties, and its overall service capabilities continue to improve. Adhering to the principle of “TCM as the mainstay, with equal emphasis on both TCM and Western medicine,” the hospital has developed an integrated “medical care–prevention–nurturing–rehabilitation” model, cultivating distinctive strengths in acupuncture, rehabilitation, and minimally invasive pain management. Liu Wei emphasized that, taking this collaboration as an opportunity, the hospital will effectively translate research findings into practical applications, promote advanced technologies, and standardize quality control, thereby turning 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 and progress of the “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns” initiative, as well as the implementation plan for Zhuxi. He outlined key priorities—including technology transfer, talent development, clinical application, and grassroots dissemination—thereby charting a clear path for the project’s successful rollout.

Wu Feichi, head of the academician Liu Liang’s team, stated that the team has consistently worked to bring scientific research成果 down to the grassroots level. The establishment of this demonstration site in Zhuxi reflects recognition of the local TCM infrastructure and the hospital’s strong capabilities. The team will leverage its strengths in technology, talent, and research, focusing on rheumatology and pain management, to introduce proven, safe diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and innovations to the community level, thereby enhancing the quality of the acupuncture and rehabilitation specialty. This will enable residents to access high‑quality TCM services close to home, while the team will continue to deepen collaboration to create a model for translating research findings into practical applications at the grassroots level.

Director Luo Jie of the County Health Commission pointed out that, while the county’s capacity in traditional Chinese medicine is steadily improving, grassroots acupuncture and rehabilitation services still face several challenges, including a shortage of qualified personnel, uneven technical expertise, inconsistent quality control, and insufficient translation of research findings into clinical practice. Collaborating with an academician‑led team is key to overcoming these bottlenecks. He urged that we firmly assume our supervisory responsibilities to deepen this cooperation; implement targeted training programs to enhance professional competence; strengthen quality‑control oversight to standardize diagnosis and treatment; and expand outreach and dissemination efforts to bolster the public’s sense of health‑related well‑being.

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

Following the unveiling ceremony, attendees conducted an on-site visit to examine the progress of the center’s construction and the implementation 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. Expert Xia Yinping from Academician Liu Liang’s team delivered a lecture and hands-on instruction on the three‑component sequential therapy for rheumatic conditions and pain. Meanwhile, the county’s acupuncture and rehabilitation quality‑control center invited numerous local medical specialists to share their expertise on appropriate traditional Chinese medicine techniques and the integration of acupuncture with pain management, thereby empowering the participants.

This event has facilitated the precise alignment of high-end medical resources, empowering grassroots TCM talent. Moving forward, the Academician Liu Liang Expert Workstation will continue to promote and apply appropriate TCM technologies, accelerate the training of TCM professionals at the community level, ensure that the academician’s research findings benefit local residents, and leverage the distinctive strengths of TCM to safeguard public health.