China is ramping up its promotion of its ancient medical arts

“ONCE eyed with suspicion for not being scientific enough, traditional Chinese medicine might just be about to take over the world.” So opined China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua, in an article last year. It was, of course, indulging in playful hyperbole—even the Chinese Communist Party has no plans to supplant modern medical science with ancient and unproven forms of treatment. But the party is serious in its efforts to promote the use of such remedies (commonly known as TCM) globally, and to reinforce China’s own extensive network of TCM hospitals and clinics.In recent years, TCM has been enjoying rapid growth in China. The number of Chinese hospitals offering it rose from about 2,500 in 2003 to about 4,000 by the end of 2015. In the past six years, the number of licensed practitioners in China has increased by nearly 50%, to more than 450,000. Using its network of “Confucius Institutes”, the Chinese government has been subsidising the teaching of TCM in America, Britain and other countries (see ). “Is the world entering a TCM era?” asks , another propaganda outfit, on its website. The government would be delighted if the answer were yes. Humankind, and the natural world that supplies TCM with its ingredients, would have less cause to rejoice.