The demonstration site for the “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns” initiative has been established at the Yancheng District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

On September 11, 2026, the “Rheumatism and Pain Triple‑Sequential Therapy—Demonstration Site of the ‘Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns’ Initiative” was officially established at the Yancheng District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. This event marks another significant step in the Liu Liang Academician Expert Workstation’s efforts to bring high‑quality TCM resources down to the grassroots level, thereby supporting rural revitalization and enhancing specialized capabilities at the county level. Representatives from medical institutions across the province and beyond, along with heads of district‑level healthcare facilities, gathered on the banks of the Sha‑Li River to jointly witness this important milestone in the development of TCM in Yancheng.

Qi Linjing, Deputy Director of the People’s Congress and Chairman of the General Trade Union of Yancheng District; Li Yanping, Deputy Director of the Academician Liu Liang Expert Workstation; Sai Sun, Party Secretary and Director of the Health Commission of Yancheng District; Meng Fuzhong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Health Commission of Yancheng District; He Zhiguo, National Project Director for the “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns” initiative at the Academician Liu Liang Expert Workstation; Ning Zuotang, North China Regional Project Director; and Professor Xia Yinping all attended the event. Representatives from Luoyang Sixth People’s Hospital, Tongbai County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Suixian County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Yanling County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, along with the principal leaders of medical institutions across the district, also took part in the ceremony. The ceremony was chaired by Lü Hua, President of Yancheng District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

I. Building a Shared Platform: Facilitating Precise Alignment of Academician Resources with Grassroots Needs

In his address, Sai Sun stated that the “Academicians’ Projects to the Grassroots—Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns Initiative” serves as a vital bridge for precisely aligning high‑level academic and expert resources with primary‑care medical services. It plays a crucial role in facilitating the implementation of appropriate traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technologies at the county level, enhancing public access to TCM care, and ensuring that TCM services reach the “last mile” of patient care. He expressed the hope that the Yancheng District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine will seize this opportunity, leverage the platform of academicians and experts, strengthen its specialized TCM programs, promote and popularize suitable TCM techniques, and continuously bolster the supply of TCM services at the grassroots level.

In his address, Li Yanping highlighted that Academician Liu Liang’s team has consistently upheld the development philosophy of “using science and technology to deconstruct traditional Chinese medicine,” pioneering a new integrated model of diagnosis and treatment that combines Chinese and Western medicine. The team’s three‑step sequential therapy for rheumatic diseases and pain has been awarded the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Centered on active ingredients such as Qingfengteng and sinomenine, this approach boasts the advantages of simplicity, convenience, affordability, and proven efficacy—making it well suited for primary‑care settings. To date, it has been implemented in over 20,000 medical institutions nationwide, benefiting countless patients with rheumatic pain.

II. Signing and Unveiling: The Yancheng District Demonstration Site Officially Established

At the event, Li Yanping and Sai Sun jointly signed the “Academician Project Grassroots Cooperation Agreement,” while He Zhiguo and Zhu Xiaoxia, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Yancheng District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, signed the “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns Plan Demonstration Site Cooperation Agreement.” Subsequently, Li Yanping, He Zhiguo, Ning Zuotang, Xia Yinping, Qi Linjing, Sai Sun, Meng Fuzhong, Zhu Xiaoxia, and Lü Hua jointly unveiled the plaque for the Yancheng District TCM Hospital demonstration site under the “Academician Project Grassroots – Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns Plan,” marking the official establishment of the demonstration site at the hospital.

Following the unveiling ceremony, the leaders and experts proceeded to the outpatient building to conduct an on-site visit to the demonstration zone for diagnosis and treatment at the Academician Liu Liang Workstation, located within the Yancheng District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. They inspected the facility’s infrastructure and equipment, and engaged in discussions on future development plans and strategic directions.

IV. Technical Training: A Balanced Approach of Theory and Hands-On Practice

The second phase of the TCM appropriate‑technology promotion and training program in Yancheng District commenced concurrently. Yan Bilei, director of the Prevention‑of‑Disease Department at the district’s TCM hospital, presented an overview of the training base for the rheumatism‑and‑pain triple‑sequential therapy, outlined the current operational status of the “Thousand Counties, Ten Thousand Towns” demonstration sites, and shared the department’s medium‑ and long‑term development plan. Several leading TCM practitioners from within and outside the province, as well as from the hospital itself, delivered specialized lectures on topics including the rheumatism‑and‑pain triple‑sequential therapy, syndrome differentiation and treatment of vertigo, clinical applications of the Six Meridians differentiation, auricular acupuncture, and appropriate external TCM therapies for primary‑care settings. These sessions integrated theoretical instruction, case analysis, and hands‑on practice sharing, providing participating grassroots medical personnel with clinically relevant TCM training.