Exploring Medicine, Culture and More in Guizhou
A five-day journey of learning, culture and new perspectives! Our Biomedical Sciences students joined the 2026 Zhi & Xing Guizhou “Qian Cheng Si Jin • Xun Ji Zunyi” Cultural Exploration combining academic visits, cultural experiences and hands-on activities in Guizhou, China.
7 October 2026
What do you get when you take Biomedical Sciences students to China for a Summer Exchange Programme?
A wealth of learning, plenty of culture, new perspectives, and, of course, wonderful memories to bring home!
That was what our students and accompanying academic member got from the 2026 Zhi & Xing Guizhou “Qian Cheng Si Jin • Xun Ji Zunyi” Cultural Exploration, held in conjunction with the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Guizhou, China.
The five-day programme brought together science, medicine, culture, food, and plenty of opportunities to see things from a different perspective, with an itinerary featuring a mix of academic visits, cultural experiences, and hands-on activities.
Days 1 and 2 focused on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), while Days 3 and 4 took the group to Moutai, where the focus shifted to liquor brewing and wine culture. On Day 5, the group explored Northern Guizhou culture at Huichuan Courtyard, learning more about the region’s history, culture, and geography.
Holistic Perspectives
For students used to learning about health and medicine through the lens of Biomedical Sciences, the TCM component offered a particularly different perspective.
“I learned that Traditional Chinese Medicine is not only about herbal medicine, but also about a different way of understanding health and treatment,” said Isaac Hii, a Year 2 Biomedical Sciences student. “It was interesting to see how TCM places more emphasis on maintaining balance in the body and looking at the patient more holistically.”
For accompanying academic Dr Dominic Kay, the experience highlighted just how much TCM has developed over thousands of years.
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“I was introduced to concepts such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion and saltwater steaming, as well as the importance of maintaining the balance of Yin and Yang within the body,” he shared.
He also noted that TCM places strong emphasis on prevention, lifestyle, and diet, rather than focusing only on treating a particular symptom or illness.
Expanding Horizons
For the students, the exchange was about much more than adding another experience to their academic journey.
Isaac found that the programme offered a broader perspective on learning beyond the classroom. Being exposed to TCM allowed him to see a different approach to health and treatment from what he would normally encounter in their Biomedical Sciences studies.
“Interacting with students from different cultural and educational backgrounds also helped me become more open-minded and adaptable,” he continued.
For Angeline Kho, a Year 3 Biomedical Sciences student, the experience reinforced the importance of looking at healthcare from a preventive perspective.
“Through this exchange programme, I’ve learned that healthcare must be proactive rather than reactive,” she shared. “It has sparked my passion to bridge between Eastern and Western medicine, and advocate an integrative approach that uses targeted standard procedures of modern medicine alongside the preventive care of alternative therapies.”
Beyond academics, the programme also showed how culture can shape the way people understand health, medicine and even everyday life.
According to Dr Kay: “The trip has taught me that meaningful learning does not happen only in classrooms or laboratories. Some of my most valuable lessons came through conversations, shared experiences, and friendships with delegates from different cultures and disciplines.”
More Than Just a Summer Trip
This year’s Summer Exchange Programme in China was a youth exchange programme jointly organised by Zunyi Medical and Pharmaceutical College (ZMPC), Zunyi Normal University, and Moutai Institute in Guizhou Province.
For our Biomedical Sciences students, it was a chance to step outside their usual learning environment, explore a different healthcare tradition, experience the culture of Guizhou, and connect with people from different backgrounds.
Sometimes, the best learning happens when you step away from the classroom and into the world.
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