Tong Ren Tang's clinic in Manhattan is headed by Dr. Jin Ming. She has been practicing TCM for over 30 years and is a trusted and renowned reputation here in the US and in China. It's for a very specific set of reasons that Dr. Jin's clinic was chosen:

Manhattan is... one of the regions in the United States with the densest population, fastest development, and most vivacious energy. It is comparable to the Qianmen area in Beijing. Qianmen is the most bustling and densely populated economic district in Beijing, China. It is also where TRT originated. This is why we chose Manhattan: we must proactively integrate into the American mainstream and allow the American people the opportunity to get to know Beijing TRT, learn about Chinese Medicine culture, fall in love with a time-tested brand from China, and choose a lifestyle that is inspired by Eastern wisdom. Manhattan is also the hub of world-renowned brands. Here you will find not only the pulse of economic vitality, but also the deep influence of world brands and cultures. These unique characteristics attracted Beijing TRT, which is not only an economic entity, but also a physical representation and carrier of Chinese culture. We sincerely hope to plant the seed for Chinese medicine in the fertile grounds of Manhattan, which will grow to allow the rich history of Chinese medicine culture to be presented to the world and make great contributions for the health of people worldwide.

I was offered the unique opportunity to partake in this event because I was affiliated with Dr. Jin and she knew of my translation abilities and recommended me to Tong Ren Tang (TRT) when they were looking for someone to translate the speeches of and interpret for Mdm Ding during the opening ceremony and potentially other events. Fortunately, they were satisfied with my experience and asked me to both translate the speeches as well as interpret for her, especially for the Q&A.

Being able to combine both of my skill sets (and careers), Translator and TCM practitioner, was a dream come true. It had been my hope that eventually I would be able to do translations in the field of TCM, and this was a small taste of what it would be like. When you are put under immense pressure is the time when your experience and preparation really shows, and I'm glad my years in these two industries have helped me prepare for this event (and hopefully more in the future).

An extra happy coincidence was when we found out that one of TRT's partners on the West coast was CIIS (ACTCM), which is my alma mater, and it just happened that Ms. Lixin Huang (who used to be the president of ACTCM) was going to be a guest at the ceremony! It was quite a joyous event, where my former self merged with my present self, and we all look forward to the new influence and changes that TCM will take in the US in the coming days.

I enjoyed the event immensely, and it was truly inspiring, particularly because the three people whom I worked with, Mdm Ding, Dr. Jin, and Ms. Huang, were all women - strong, powerful, independent, and most importantly, passionate women who are determined to bring TCM to more people and spread its benefits. I am honored to be part of this process and look forward to contributing my skills for this purpose!

On September 26, 2016, Beijing Tong Ren Tang (TRT), indisputably the most well known and respected brand name in Chinese Medicine, officially opened its first shop in the United States.

While TRT had already established a presence in North America (its first NA shop was in Toronto) since 2010, this was the first shop opening in the United States, which marked a momentous occasion both commemorating the expansion of TRT overseas as well as the proliferation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the West.

During the Rio Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps piqued interest of viewers when he showed off round marks all over his back. This is a technique called "cupping," which has been practiced for many hundreds of years in many regions but is particularly an important part of Chinese medicine. As many people have noted, as a result, the general public developed a desire to try out this (and similar) technique and many practitioners have seen an increase in patient flow.

That is the receptive and open attitude that greeted the unveiling of the first TRT shop in the US. The Opening Ceremony was held at the Avalon Hotel in Midtown Manhattan and TRT General Manager, Mdm Ding Yong Ling represented TRT. She is second from the left in the photo above. Also in the photo was Ms. Lixin Huang, former president of American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, my alma mater, which is now a part of the California Institute of Integral Studies. More on that later.

During the press conference, several statements in Mdm Ding's speech struck me as important:

In the company’s 347 years history, TRT has always abided by our motto of "No compromise on cost and labour despite the complexity of processing herbal medicines; no compromise on quality and standard despite the rareness of ingredient of medicines." With the spirit of true craftsmen, we have manufactured high quality products that have unique formulas, superior raw ingredients, created with superb techniques and show distinguished efficacy.

This paragraph, while deftly summarizing what TRT represents in the world of TCM with its long and esteemed history, also highlights the important point that regardless of if we are practitioners using or manufacturers of herbal medicine, we must focus first on the safety and quality of the herbs that we are prescribing to our patients. Authenticity of the herbs is a major issue that faces our community, and we must all band together to find a solution. She also said:

We don’t just want to bring the amazing effects of authentic Chinese medicine to Americans, we also want to open our arms and embrace the findings of the most innovative scientific research in our efforts to allow Americans to better understand why TRT and Chinese medicine can achieve such extraordinary results. Chinese medicine originated from China, but the need for health is shared by people all over the world... We don’t just want to bring high quality Chinese herbs and superior clinical skills to Americans. We also want to showcase the profound wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine through servicing the health needs of Americans and forge a new chapter in the friendship, written by Chinese medicine, between the Chinese and American people.

This also should be the goal of all practitioners of TCM. We can certainly celebrate our own successful practice, but we should not limit ourselves to our bubble. We should expand ourselves and communicate with other practitioners, work together as a group to protect the integrity of our amazing medicine.

Quite a few members of the media attended the press conference. See here for media coverage in English. Many Chinese outlets also reported extensively on the event and you can find articles published in SingTao Daily, World Journal, People.cn, zy.china.com.cn, Ynet, Huanqiu. The shop openings in the US include ones in Manhattan and Flushing (Queens) in New York City. There are also Educational Centers and shops opening in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I was fortunate enough to participate in this event and will describe my experience in detail in the next post.

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