A CHAT with Dr Hong Hai is like opening up an encyclopaedia's worth of knowledge about health and wellness.
The 65-year-old takes great patience, and delight, in imparting his observations on maintaining a healthy lifestyle - the Chinese way.
With such a deep understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it comes perhaps as a surprise that the former dean of Nanyang Business School studied the Chinese language in earnest only since 1994.
Said the professor: "I developed an interest in Chinese language and literature, and the TCM way of well-being, relatively late in life.
"I realised that I needed to brush up on my Chinese to grasp more fully the subtleties of Chinese literature as well as Chinese medicine, which tend to be lost in translation."
After taking courses held by the Beijing Normal University from 2000, he attained a master's degree in Chinese literature in 2007.
Along the way, he also took up a six-year TCM programme and became a qualified practitioner in 2003.
He now runs a TCM clinic along Neil Road - as "a hobby", he mused - and is cooperating with the Speak Mandarin Campaign to start a bilingual forum at the clinic for people to find out more about yang sheng, the Chinese way of maintaining a healthy life.
The scepticism that TCM faces is that it is un-scientific. Is this a valid criticism?
I think it is a misconception. TCM is scientific; it is not merely empty postulating, but is based on empirical evidence and (has been) recorded in case studies, as physicians since the Han Dynasty noted down each of their patients' ailments and how they tried to treat them.
Its treatments are always customised to restore health and internal balance in each patient's body, unlike Western medicine, which mainly targets the elimination of diseases.
What is the essence of the Chinese view of wellness?
The traditional Chinese view of health is focused on balance - how the body maintains balance within itself and with its environment.
When a person is unwell, it means that there are disturbances to this balance.
It's a more holistic paradigm than Western medicine, in that it actually shows you how to conduct your daily routines for healthy living, manage your emotions and integrate cultural activities into your lives to attain wellness.
Keeping a calm but active mind and spirit is an important part of this philosophy. For example, the Chinese believe that four activities - qin (making music), qi (chess), shu (calligraphy), hua (painting) - help develop one's aesthetic and spiritual sensibilities, and are beneficial to one's well-being and longevity.
It is interesting to note that many great calligraphers live long lives - for example, Singapore's own Pan Shou. In contrast, some Western artists typically live tumultuous lives, and few live to a very old age.
Does learning Chinese help one understand TCM better?
Yes, it helps a lot in understanding the subtleties of the treatments and observations described in ancient classics, as well as in modern texts. Some of these subtleties are hidden in the nuances of language.
Also, as Chinese medicine requires practitioners to find out about their patients' social and family background, learning Mandarin helps one communicate and understand another.
Are young professionals taking to this Chinese way of wellness?
I have found that young people are just as interested in health as older people. They are concerned about the stress they get nowadays.
They are curious about Chinese culture, and are open to different ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The Ministry of Health now requires TCM practitioners to be certified. This helps people to feel more confident when they approach them for advice on their illnesses, and on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, the Chinese way.
hankeong@sph.com.sg
CATCH THESE TALKS
THE Speak Mandarin Campaign will launch "Yang Sheng: The Chinese Way to Wellness" next Saturday.
Here is a list of scheduled talks:
2.30pm: Science and Philosophy in Health- the Chinese Perspective (Speaker: Dr Hong Hai, director, Renhai Corporation and Renhai Clinic)
3.30pm: Mind Over Body - The Chinese Way of Yang Sheng (Speaker: Professor Lu Zhaolin, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine)
4.30pm: Retracing the Quest for the Preservation of Life: Joseph Needham and Chinese "Physiological Alchemy" (Speaker: Prof Christopher Cullen, director, Needham Research Institute, Cambridge)
5pm: Confucius and the Secret to Good Health (Speaker: Dr Koh Hock Kiat, director, Confucius Institute)
7pm: Metal, Water, Fire, Wood and Earth: The Five Elements Way to Health (Speaker: Grand Master Raymond Lo, author)
All talks in English except Prof Lu's, which will be in Mandarin.
