Italian students visit a traditional Chinese medicine museum in Taicang. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

More than 20 students and teachers from the University of Florence in Italy visited Taicang on July 15 as part of a summer Chinese language study program, gaining firsthand insights into China's modern industries and traditional Chinese medicine.

At the Nike China Logistics Center, the students visited Asia's largest fully automated warehouse housed in a single building. The facility has the capacity to process up to 20,000 orders per hour. In 2023, Taicang Power Supply Company collaborated with government departments, Nike and research institutions to transform the logistics center into China's first wind-solar integrated zero-carbon smart logistics park. This is set to provide 100 percent of its energy needs using zero-carbon sources.

The group also visited the Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum at Taicang TCM Hospital, where they learned about the history of TCM in Taicang, renowned local practitioners and their contributions, as well as the modern inheritance and development.

Students explored exhibits including medicinal herbs, historical books and traditional tools used for processing and weighing medicines. They even sampled the flavors of coptis root and licorice and tried bread and pastries containing medicinal ingredients.

A participant experiences traditional Chinese medical practices. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

At the hospital's preventive healthcare center, the participants learned about the principles and benefits of traditional practices such as cupping, moxibustion and gua sha. After watching demonstrations, some students showed enthusiasm by signing up to experience the treatments themselves.

Aurora, one of the participants, said she has a strong interest in Chinese culture, including traditional Chinese medicine. There is also a TCM clinic in Florence, where she had previously experienced massage therapy.

"I found it fascinating," she said. "This trip to Taicang gave me the opportunity to learn much more about traditional Chinese medicine and experience moxibustion myself. "