Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine

Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine grew out of the Guangxi Provincial Nanning District Medical Research Institute established in 1934. The school was founded in 1956, renamed Guangxi Chinese Medicine College in 1958 and upgraded to Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1964. Nanning Medical College was incorporated in 1970. With Ministry of Education approval, it formally adopted its current name in March 2012. It is jointly developed by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and participates in national basic capacity development for central and western China.

Centered on Chinese medicine, it supports coordinated development in medicine, science, engineering and management. It has distinctive strengths in Chinese medicine and ethnic medicine, close integration of industry, education, research and clinical care, and notable advantages in external cooperation. Its Xianhu and Mingxiu campuses cover over 1300 mu. It has 17 second-level schools, 7 independent research institutions, 15 affiliated hospitals comprising 3 directly affiliated and 12 other affiliated hospitals, 1 attached Chinese medicine school, 1 Bainianle Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and 1 independent college. Its industry-education-research and practical teaching bases include Chongyangcheng Senior Apartments and others with a degree of national industry influence.

Strong faculty development and a powerful pool of talent

The university upholds its socialist educational direction, fulfills the task of fostering virtue and educating people and implements its strategy of strengthening through talent. It carefully cultivates, precisely recruits, thoughtfully deploys and sincerely values talent, strengthens teacher ethics, promotes the spirit of educators and continually improves teaching abilities and overall faculty quality. It has 827 full-time teachers. Through national, provincial, department-level and university-level talent development platforms and projects, it has nurtured and attracted many outstanding people. These include 3 National Masters of Chinese Medicine, 4 National Renowned Chinese Medicine Practitioners, 2 national Qihuang Scholars, 22 State Council special government allowance recipients, 5 National Outstanding Teachers and 1 National Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker. It has 1 national Huang Danian-style university teaching team, 6 national Young Qihuang Scholars and 57 instances of appointments as mentors for the national program to inherit senior Chinese medicine experts’ academic experience, establishing a strong talent foundation.

Improved talent cultivation and an increasingly complete education system

The university deepens teaching reform, emphasizing “the classics and strong clinical practice.” It integrates apprenticeship education with institutional education, introduces early mentorship and early clinical learning and develops students’ Chinese medical thinking and clinical abilities. It has passed the Ministry of Education’s undergraduate educational audit evaluation and accreditation in 4 programs including traditional Chinese medicine. It offers 26 undergraduate programs, with 4 national and 10 autonomous regional first-class program development sites. It has 13 national and 58 autonomous regional first-class undergraduate courses. Its high-level teaching platforms include 1 national Chinese materia medica experimental demonstration center and 1 national Chinese medicine clinical teaching and training demonstration center. It has received 1 second prize in the National Teaching Achievement Awards and participated in work receiving 1 national first prize, and has received 1 autonomous regional special prize and 22 first prizes in teaching achievement awards.

Steady discipline development and rising overall strength

The university concentrates on strengthening its three Guangxi first-class disciplines: traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese materia medica, and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It also emphasizes overall improvement, with mutual support and coordinated development across medicine, science, engineering and management. It is authorized to award doctorates and has 1 first-level doctoral authorization, 6 first-level master’s authorizations, 1 professional doctoral category, 5 professional master’s categories and 43 second-level master’s authorizations. It may recommend students for examination-exempt master’s admission. It has 1 postdoctoral research station in traditional Chinese medicine, 4 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine high-level key disciplines and 19 key Chinese medicine disciplines including those under cultivation. It has 2 Guangxi peak or plateau disciplines, 3 Guangxi first-class disciplines, 4 Guangxi strong distinctive key disciplines and 6 Guangxi key disciplines. It has 11 national key clinical specialties and 22 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key specialties. Clinical medicine and pharmacology and toxicology rank in the global ESI top 1%.

Abundant research results and stronger innovation platforms

Focusing on Chinese medicine and Zhuang and Yao medicine, the university carries out research across the entire industry chain of the “Ten Guangxi Medicinals.” It has received approval for high-level platforms such as a National Chinese Medicine Services Export Base and a Ministry of Education engineering research center. It leads major projects including Guangxi’s first key special project under the National Key R&D Program in Chinese medicine, a key project under the National Natural Science Foundation’s Joint Fund for Regional Innovation and Development, and a Guangxi Chinese and Ethnic Medicine Industry Science and Technology Special Project funded at RMB 78.5 million. It has initiated 4 ISO Chinese medicine standards and received 3 clinical trial approvals for Class 1.1 innovative Chinese medicines. It has received 173 science and technology awards at provincial or ministerial level and above. As a principal participating institution, it contributed to 2 second prizes in the National Science and Technology Progress Awards. As the lead institution, it received 1 second prize for scientific and technological progress in the Ministry of Education’s Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Awards for Higher Education Institutions, 8 first prizes and 48 second prizes in Guangxi Science and Technology Progress Awards.

The university actively develops scientific innovation bases and platforms. It has 1 National Chinese Medicine Services Export Base; 1 Ministry of Education engineering research center; 1 Ministry of Natural Resources engineering technology innovation center in preparation; 1 national Chinese medicine clinical research base; 1 national Chinese medicine inheritance and innovation center; 1 national base for inheriting Chinese medicinal processing techniques; 3 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key research offices; 4 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine level-three research laboratories; 5 Guangxi key laboratories; 5 Guangxi clinical medicine research centers; 1 Guangxi technology innovation center; 1 Guangxi technology transfer demonstration institution; 1 Guangxi scientific innovation cooperation base; 2 Guangxi pilot-scale research bases for commercialization of scientific achievements; 1 Guangxi proof-of-concept center; 1 academician workstation; 10 autonomous regional engineering research centers; 1 intellectual property training base; 1 Guangxi university key humanities and social science research base; 3 Guangxi collaborative innovation centers; 6 Guangxi university engineering research centers; 5 Guangxi university key laboratories; 5 Guangxi Health Commission key laboratories including those under cultivation; and 3 training centers and 1 promotion center for substances used as both food and medicine under the autonomous region’s Chinese medicine administration. These provide solid support for research innovation and talent cultivation.

Careful social service and responsibility through distinctive strengths

Aiming to use research for ASEAN countries and regional economic development, the university uses scientific innovation platforms to advance commercialization. It serves local economic and social development through deep industry-education-research cooperation with governments, enterprises and institutions including Nanning, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Hezhou municipalities, Hong Kong’s Sunwah Group, Guangxi Tourism Development Group, Guangxi Liuzhou Pharmaceutical Group and Wuzhou Zhongheng Group. It has participated in formulating 22 Guangxi local standards, completed surveys of Chinese medicinal resources in 14 Guangxi counties and districts, and led policy documents and industry plans including the 14th Five-Year Plan for Chinese Medicine and Zhuang and Yao Medicine Development in Guangxi, supporting the development of Guangxi’s RMB 100 billion Chinese medicine industry.

Medical service capabilities at its 3 directly affiliated hospitals continue to improve. The First Affiliated Hospital was selected for a National Chinese Medicine Inheritance and Innovation Center and National Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base. The Second Affiliated Hospital became a pilot national flagship hospital for coordinated Chinese and Western medicine and a National Epidemic Prevention and Treatment Base. The affiliated International Zhuang Medicine Hospital became the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Regional Chinese Medicine (Zhuang Medicine) Diagnosis and Treatment Center. Both the First and Second Affiliated Hospitals rank among the national top 100 and Guangxi top five in performance assessment of comparable hospitals.

Drawing on its strong talent and technology, the university provides technical assistance to primary-level hospitals, establishes health assistance bases, implements a rotating village doctor system and brings Chinese medicine culture into schools, communities and villages. It provides high-level clinical services at the grassroots, helps alleviate difficulties in obtaining medical care and has earned broad praise from society and the public.

Distinctive cultural inheritance and innovation, passing on ethnic medicine

The university builds on its roots while expanding, consistently treating cultural inheritance and innovation as its historical mission. In recent years, it has prioritized strong humanities research bases with distinctive characteristics. It is a National Science Popularization Education Base, autonomous regional Patriotic Education Base, Chinese Medicine Culture Publicity and Education Base, and Chinese Medicine Health Tourism Demonstration Base. It researches and preserves Zhuang, Yao and other ethnic medicines, has established quality standards for Zhuang and Yao medicine, and published series of scholarly works and textbooks. It holds national or autonomous regional intangible cultural heritage items including Zhuang thread-and-point moxibustion, Zhuang medicinal bamboo cupping and Yao needle-pricking therapy. It has contributed to promoting outstanding traditional Chinese culture and increasing the international influence of ethnic medical culture.

The university emphasizes a campus atmosphere rich in traditional Chinese culture and Chinese medicine. Its series of Chinese medicine cultural landscapes create a strong atmosphere and demonstrate the breadth and depth of Chinese medical culture.

Extensive international cooperation brings Chinese medicine culture to the world

The university is a talent training base of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s China-ASEAN Traditional Medicine Exchange and Cooperation Center. It has received approval for the China-Malaysia Chinese Medicine Center, China-Vietnam Modern Craftsman College of Chinese Medicine and China-ASEAN College of Innovative Chinese Medicine Technology. With 7 ASEAN countries, it jointly develops the China-ASEAN International Joint Laboratory for Traditional Medicine Research and became one of the first members of the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Alliance. Professor Wei Guikang founded the World Manual Medicine Alliance. The Wei family’s manual techniques are renowned in China and abroad and have contributed to taking Chinese medicine to the world.

The university has exchange, visiting-study and advanced-study partnerships with 129 universities and institutions in 30 countries and regions, including Australia, the United States, Thailand and Malaysia. These create bridges for international cooperation in medical education, healthcare and research and play an important role in internationalizing Chinese medicine, strengthening cultural exchanges and serving the Belt and Road Initiative.

A new era, a new journey and new development. Rooted in Guangxi, serving China, reaching ASEAN and engaging the world, the university continually improves its core competitiveness and educational standards. It strives to become a nationally recognized, regionally first-class, high-level comprehensive Chinese medicine university centered on Chinese medical and medicinal disciplines, with coordinated medicine, science, engineering and management, strong industry-education-research integration and distinctive ethnic medicine.