CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- The Spring Festival is a time for family reunions, yet for the members of Chongqing’s overseas medical teams, it is a time to remain steadfast in their medical posts far from home.

Currently, the 7th Chongqing medical aid team in Barbados and the 14th team in Papua New Guinea are actively engaged in their duties.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, they too are experiencing the festive atmosphere of the season, even while working in foreign lands.

Barbados, a small island in the Atlantic, hosts the annual “Fish and Dragon Cultural Festival” around the time of the Chinese New Year. This event serves as a cultural celebration of the Chinese spring festival, drawing not only the local Chinese community but also many native residents.

At this year’s Fish and Dragon Festival, members of the Chongqing medical aid team showcased the charm of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to the local community.

Among them, Yuan Ye, an attending physician from the Acupuncture Department of Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, was especially busy.

Yuan demonstrated traditional TCM tools, such as acupuncture needles, moxa sticks, and bamboo cupping devices, to the local residents. He also guided them through hands-on experiences of acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping therapy.

In addition to treatments, Yuan shared herbal drinks like dark plum juice and chrysanthemum tea – popular examples of food and medicine from the same source. He hoped these experiences would deepen the locals’ understanding of Chinese medicine and allow them to appreciate its healing power.

For the Chongqing medical aid team, being away from family during the New Year is difficult, but the greatest reward is seeing their patients recover and live pain-free after receiving treatment.

In Papua New Guinea, a special gesture of gratitude reached Dr. Hou Bonan, an attending physician in the Orthopedics Department of Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Early in January 2025, Dr. Hou treated a patient suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis using traditional acupuncture techniques.

After several days of treatment, the patient experienced significant improvement, with pain no longer limiting their daily activities. Once healed, the patient sent a heartfelt letter of thanks to Dr. Hou and the medical team, expressing not only gratitude for the treatment but also admiration for the miraculous effects of acupuncture. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)