Healthy Silk Road: The Inaugural “Jin Yi Silk Road Award” Presented at the University of Johannesburg

Johannesburg | 30 August 2025

On August 30, the inaugural “Jin Yi Silk Road Award” ceremony, jointly organised by the International TCM Medical Centre of Distinguished Sichuan Experts (South Africa) and the University of Johannesburg, was held in grand fashion at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Over one hundred attendees gathered for this milestone event, including Dr. Gauhelo Molefe, Clinical Manager from the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, members of the Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Africa (CMAAA), the Homeopathic Association of South Africa; staff and students from the Department of Complementary Medicine at the University of Johannesburg, as well as Chinese medicine practitioners, academic representatives, and members of the broader community from across South Africa.

(Group photo of award recipients)

The Jin Yi Silk Road Award was established to inspire passion for learning among Chinese medicine students and practitioners and to promote the broad dissemination and deep development of Chinese medicine culture in Africa. Under the guidance of the Sichuan Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the award is hosted by the CMAAA and organised by the International TCM Medical Centre of Distinguished Sichuan Experts (South Africa). With a total prize fund of 250,000 rand, the award includes four categories: the Jin Yi Silk Road Award for Outstanding TCM Ambassadors, the Jin Yi Silk Road Xing Lin Award for TCM Excellence, the Jin Yi Silk Road Qi Huang Award for TCM Excellence and the Jin Yi Silk Road Qi Huang Scholar. These categories respectively honour individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to cultural dissemination, clinical services and technology promotion, education and research, and cultural development in the field of Chinese medicine. This is the first influential and comprehensive award of its kind in Africa’s Chinese medicine sector.

This year’s inaugural awards recognised ten outstanding recipients, who have not only achieved remarkable accomplishments in their respective fields but have also built bridges between Chinese medicine and the health needs of African communities. The awardees will be invited to Chengdu, China, later this year to participate in the International Training Program on the Characteristics of Sichuan-style Chinese Medicine, hosted by the Chengdu Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Hospital. There, they will receive systematic training in specialised Sichuan TCM techniques and theoretical advances, further enhancing their expertise and bringing innovative knowledge and practices back to Africa to benefit more patients.

(Speech by Professor Hu Zijing, Head of the International TCM Medical Centre of Distinguished Sichuan Experts (South Africa))

Established in 2025, the International TCM Medical Centre of Distinguished Sichuan Experts (South Africa) is a collaboration between the Chengdu Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Hospital and the African Centre of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. It actively responds to the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting the global reach of Sichuan-style Chinese medicine and fostering exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa in traditional medicine. Founded in 1942, the Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital is one of China’s first national key integrated TCM and Western medicine hospitals, a Top 100 Hospital, a national-level Baby-Friendly Hospital, and a flagship institution for integrated Chinese and Western medicine in Sichuan Province.

Professor Hu Zijing, head of the centre, remarked: “The establishment of the Jin Yi Silk Road Award marks a new stage in the development of Chinese medicine in Africa. It not only opens new pathways for expanding the international influence of Chinese medicine but also injects fresh momentum into building a China-Africa health community of shared future.”

This award is not only a recognition of individual and institutional achievements but also an integral part of the internationalisation strategy of Chinese medicine. By creating platforms for cooperation, fostering academic exchange, and encouraging technological sharing, it enables the wisdom and philosophy of Chinese medicine to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in Africa, vividly reflecting the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind in the field of health.