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As part of its worldwide campaign to promote Chinese medicine, World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) has launched a live-streamed webinar series with a lineup of esteemed guest speakers.  The first seminar was given by Professor Zhao Zhongzhen, Chair Professor of CMTR on 22 May on the topic of  "The world of bencao, the bencao of the world — in commemoration of the 502nd anniversary of the birth of Li Shizhen". 

In the 100-minute webinar, Professor Zhao enthralled his audience with seven compelling stories including: "The mystery of the Li Shizhen statue"; "In search of the manuscript of Compendium of Materia Medica"; "In memory of the experienced and knowledgeable medical historian Ma Jixing"; "Discovering a new species of Flos Magnoliae in Dabie Mountains — a loving tribute to the late mentor"; "On the hunt for ancient Chinese medicinal specimens in London"; "Exploring the origin of Calculus Macacae Mulattae in India", as well as "The unnoticed and forgotten museum of Chinese medicine". 

Hailed by his peers as the "missionary of the Chinese medicine culture", Professor Zhao boasts decades of experience in bencao studies, setting foot in over 30 Chinese provinces and more than 40 countries across seven continents to conduct field research on traditional medicines.  To help his audience get the gist of the Compendium of Material Medica, Professor Zhao gave a detailed account of his own journey into the world of bencao which is encapsulated in the 1.9 million-word ancient Chinese medicine encyclopedia. 

Following his talk, Professor Zhao went on to exchange his views on topics such as the application and future development of Chinese herbal medicines with guests from all over the world.  He was then joined by Professor Lyu Aiping, Dean of SCM, who took the opportunity to share with the global audience his insights into the promotion and standardisation of Chinese medicine. 

More than 200 leaders of relevant professional bodies, institutions and enterprises from over 20 countries and regions joined the discussions at the webinar, attracting close to 19,000 viewers during the live broadcast.