Back to the roots

Abstract

There must be a reason why Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history dating back to centuries or millenniums ago. Such a long and rich history accounts for one of the longest lasting forms of treatment and medicine, the other two being Egyptian and Babylonian medicine. The fact that it has been present for thousands of years is a testament to its importance in today’s remedies to many ailments. However, due to the advanced progress in western medicine, will TCM still be relevant? Findings from the survey conducted with families and peers aged 18-30 further concludes that they have heard of the term Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM before but have negative stereotypical thinking on this topic.

Considering the youths are the future bearers of our traditions, they should carry on the traditions and cultures that our forefathers passed on to us. This includes the culture of traditional medicine, which in today society’s often viewed as a type of “complementary and alternative medicine” to western medicine. Many argue that western medicine has been certified and proven scientifically, thus providing safer coverage. However, this should not diminish the effectiveness of TCM. My project titled “ Back to the roots” aims to re-portray the traditional concept of TCM to cast new light in the understanding of TCM for my target group aged 18-30. Simple forms of visuals supported by verbal expression in layman terms are used in this project to help in this understanding.