Zhou Haijiang, an acupuncturist at the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of TCM, checks a patient's tongue in Minsk, Belarus. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

A medical service center specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was recently opened in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, thanks to a cooperation program between the Eastern European country and East China's Zhejiang province.

The move came in response to a national call to promote TCM, which was proposed by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Zhou Haijiang, an acupuncturist at the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of TCM, said the popularity of acupuncture is beyond comprehension.

Zhou, along with two other TCM doctors, arrived in Minsk on Jan 16. They were awaited by a group of patients who had made appointments by telephone.

"Acupuncture was introduced to Belarus 30 years ago," Zhou said, adding that traditional Chinese methods of treatment like acupuncture and tuina (literally meaning "push-and-pinch"), are quite popular there.

The three doctors from Zhejiang brought some equipment for TCM treatment, such as cupping jars and moxa sticks for moxibustion therapy.

During their 16-day stay in Belarus, they will perform demonstrations of TCM therapy and promote knowledge of TCM. Acupuncture and tuina will be the focus of the training for local medical workers.

An official from Minsk's health department said TCM is neither conservative nor primitive. She changed her opinion on it when she inspected the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of TCM and some other enterprises in the field last November.

The visit also helped spur on the cooperation project between Belarus and Zhejiang.