From September 4 to 5, the WFAS 2026 Conference on Health Communication and Yang Jizhou Acupuncture Symposium was held in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The event was sponsored by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), organized by Quzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Quzhou Association for the Promotion of TCM Development, and the Health Communication Working Committee of WFAS, and co-organized by the Pain Committee of the Zhejiang Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, the Quzhou Association for Science and Technology, and other organizations.

Yan Shujiang, former Deputy Director of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Yang Longhui, WFAS Vice President and Secretary of the CPC Committee of the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion; Xiao Luwei, Zhejiang Provincial Distinguished TCM Doctor and former President of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; and Lei Xiaoyan, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and Deputy Director of the Quzhou Municipal Health Commission, were among the guests attending the conference. The opening ceremony was chaired by Yang Yuyang, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of WFAS. Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, National TCM Masters, Qihuang Scholars, as well as experts, scholars and professionals in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion and health communication gathered in Quzhou, known as the “Home of Southern Confucianism,” for in-depth discussions on the preservation, innovation and international communication of TCM acupuncture-moxibustion in the new era.

Lei Xiaoyan delivered a welcome address. She noted that Quzhou has a rich and longstanding tradition of traditional Chinese medicine and that The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, written by the renowned physician Yang Jizhou, has had a far-reaching influence both in China and abroad. Yang Jizhou Acupuncture, recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage item, embodies both a profound historical legacy and the wisdom of traditional medicine, and has become an important part of Quzhou’s cultural identity. In recent years, Quzhou has worked to build itself into a leading center for TCM development in the four-province border region, further explore its TCM intangible cultural heritage resources, and attract a number of national-level platforms, steadily strengthening the foundation for the high-quality development of TCM. She expressed the hope that participating experts and scholars would share their knowledge and experience and continue to support Quzhou in developing into an important platform for international academic exchange in acupuncture-moxibustion and a key center for the promotion of Yang Jizhou acupuncture culture.

Speaking on behalf of WFAS, Yang Longhui thanked the distinguished guests for gathering in Quzhou to discuss the development of acupuncture-moxibustion. He noted that its continued development requires academic innovation and clinical practice, together with stronger public and international communication. WFAS and the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion will continue to leverage their platforms and expert resources and deepen cooperation with Quzhou in academic research, talent development, standards development, health communication and international exchange.

Yan Shujiang noted that traditional Chinese medicine is a great creation of the Chinese nation and that acupuncture-moxibustion has become an important window through which the world gains an understanding of TCM. Gathering in the hometown of Yang Jizhou to discuss the innovative development and health communication of TCM acupuncture-moxibustion in the new era represented both a dialogue between history and the present and a connection between inheritance and the future. He called for greater cultural confidence while upholding tradition and pursuing innovation, stronger emphasis on talent development to ensure the continued transmission of TCM knowledge and practice, and broader exchanges and cooperation to further advance acupuncture-moxibustion internationally.

Han Jisheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Honorary Director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at Peking University, and Li Diangui, National TCM Master, delivered video addresses.

The opening ceremony also featured the unveiling of the Quzhou Institute of Distinguished TCM Doctors.

Chen Runsheng, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and bioinformatician; National TCM Master Tang Zuxuan; National TCM Master Ding Ying; and Fang Yigong, Qihuang Scholar and Vice President of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, delivered keynote presentations entitled “Artificial Intelligence Empowering the High-Quality Development of TCM Acupuncture-Moxibustion,” “Chinese Approaches to Health Preservation,” “Current Development of TCM Health Care and Its Distinctive Advantages for Children,” and “Preservation and Innovation in the Integration of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Reproductive Medicine,” respectively. Their presentations highlighted the academic vitality and application prospects of TCM and acupuncture-moxibustion in the new era from multiple perspectives. The keynote session was chaired by Yin Haibo, Deputy Secretary-General of WFAS and Director of its Academic Department.

Building on the conference, Quzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine will further strengthen its cooperation with WFAS and other platforms, enhance the development of its acupuncture-moxibustion discipline, and translate the academic outcomes of the conference into practical results in clinical care and research. The hospital will also draw on high-quality provincial resources from the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Distinguished TCM Doctors to advance the development of the Quzhou Institute of Distinguished TCM Doctors, strengthen the documentation and transmission of academic experience, and promote talent development. It will continue to explore new approaches to TCM health communication through public-oriented activities such as health education, free medical consultations and wellness markets, while strengthening links among academic research, clinical practice and public health communication and further enhancing Quzhou’s profile as a city with a distinctive TCM cultural heritage.

During the conference, expert-led free medical consultations and an “End of Heat” seasonal wellness market themed around Southern Confucian culture, traditional medicine and acupuncture-based health preservation were also held.