Legacy of the Red Wall Imperial Physician Passed On, Industry-Education Integration Embarks on a New Journey

Professor Hu Weiqin at the Joint Graduate School of Traditional Medicine, The Asia Pacific School of Business Held in Taizhou, China

In January 11~12, 2026, as the lingering chill of early spring lingered over Taizhou, a heartwarming event filled with the mission of inheriting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture unfolded. The disciple - accepting ceremony of Professor Hu Weiqin, the renowned "Palace Physician of the Red Wall", at the Joint Graduate School of Heritage Medicine of the Asia Pacific School of Business (APSB), was grandly held in this historically and culturally rich city. Dr. Jane Yin Yiyan, Chairman of the APSB Board of Directors, Professor Che Yanping, Vice - President of the Joint Graduate School of Traditional Medicine, and Dr. Zhang Jie, Ombudsman of APSB, attended the ceremony to offer guidance. More than 60 attendees, including authoritative experts from the national TCM field, representatives of leading enterprises in the big - health industry, heads of industry associations, and representatives of teachers and students from our school, gathered together to witness this solemn moment of TCM inheritance and discuss strategies for the integrated development of TCM inheritance, innovation, and the big - health industry.

Upholding National Treasures with Proper Rites; Resuming Cultural Heritage through Devout Discipleship

The disciple - accepting ceremony strictly followed the traditional TCM apprenticeship rituals. The venue was solemnly and elegantly arranged. A red carpet paved the way for inheritance, and ancient tables displayed classics and keepsakes symbolizing "imparting knowledge, educating people, and resolving doubts", fully demonstrating the profound heritage of traditional Chinese etiquette. At around 9 a.m., the ceremony kicked off with the melodious tunes of traditional Chinese musical instruments.

As a famous "Palace Physician of the Red Wall" and an authoritative giant in the field of TCM inheritance, Professor Hu Weiqin sat in the main seat dressed formally, with a solemn yet gentle expression. Born in Jinhua, Zhejiang in 1934, he graduated from the Medical Department of Shanghai Second Medical University in 1961. He is a "medical scientist with outstanding contributions" enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, holding the titles of Chief Physician (Division - level) and Professor. His medical career is nothing short of legendary. Starting from 1971, he worked in the Outpatient Department of Zhongnanhai, engaging in medical and health care work. He once served as the full - time health - care doctor for Commander - in - Chief Zhu De, tailoring a "hypoglycemic diet" and a systematic health - care plan for the elderly who had suffered from diabetes for many years, helping him live a long life to the age of 90 despite his illness. Meanwhile, he also provided full - time health - care services to many Party and state leaders such as Chairman Hua Guofeng, Gu Mu, and Yao Yilin, accumulating rich experience in high - end medical care. In major foreign - related events, Professor Hu also took on important responsibilities. He participated in medical security work as a full - time doctor throughout historic moments like Nixon's visit to China, safeguarding the health of Chinese and foreign leaders and witnessing many historical events firsthand.

With over 60 years of medical practice, Professor Hu has been dedicated to the academic frontier and clinical work. In 1964, he studied the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and intractable diseases under the tutelage of the famous internal medicine professor Le Wenzhao. In 1976, he attended a training program for Western medicine practitioners to learn TCM and studied TCM treatment of diabetes under the renowned TCM master Zhu Chenyu, eventually developing a unique integrated TCM - Western medicine diagnosis and treatment system. He has profound attainments in the conditioning and treatment of intractable diseases such as geriatric diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. He has authored several best - selling health - preservation books, including Obesity Calls for Qi Tonification, Leanness for Blood Nourishment and Carry TCM Through to the End. He has also been invited to appear on famous health programs like Health Preservation Hall on Beijing Satellite TV and Health Is Coming on Guangdong Satellite TV to popularize TCM health - preservation wisdom to the public. For this disciple - accepting event, after rigorous screening, Professor Hu finally selected 8 outstanding students with solid medical literacy and excellent professional ethics to take under his wing, aiming to pass on all his life - long knowledge and cultivate compound inheritance talents with a solid foundation in traditional TCM and advanced concepts in modern health services.

In the core part of the ceremony, 25 disciples, dressed in uniform costumes, lined up to step forward one by one and paid a three - bow apprenticeship salute to Professor Hu Weiqin. Their standard bowing postures and solemn expressions fully demonstrated their respect for the master and their sincere commitment to inheriting the cause of TCM. Subsequently, the disciples held warm tea with both hands and respectfully presented it to Professor Hu. The simple words "Master, please have some tea" represented not just a simple etiquette, but a heavy commitment and responsibility. Professor Hu took the teacups, sipped the tea slowly, and then presented each disciple with personally signed TCM classics and customized keepsakes, exhorting them one by one: "TCM is a treasure of the Chinese nation, and the road of inheritance is a long and arduous one. You must adhere to medical ethics, study diligently and practice hard, be proficient in traditional classics, and have the courage to innovate and practice, so as to live up to the mission of the times." The disciples replied in unison, "We will strictly follow the master's teachings", and their firm voices echoed throughout the venue, creating a touching scene. Finally, Mr. Sun Kangyuan, the representative of the disciples and the Operation Director of Weilai Cloud Group, presented flowers to Professor Hu Weiqin to express his gratitude. The entire apprenticeship process was standardized and meaningful, allowing the guests present to deeply feel the solemnity and sacredness of TCM cultural inheritance.

Building a Platform through Industry - University Integration; Embarking on a New Chapter with Business - Discipline Empowerment

In his speech at the ceremony, Dr. Jane Yin Yiyan, Chairman of the APSB Board of Directors, extended warm congratulations on Professor Hu Weiqin's acceptance of disciples and sincere welcome to the guests. He pointed out that TCM culture is a brilliant treasure and an important part of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. Inheriting and developing the TCM cause well is not only a key measure to promote the construction of Healthy China, but also a glorious mission and era - bound responsibility entrusted to educators in the new era.

Dr. Jane emphasized that this disciple - accepting ceremony is far more than a simple traditional apprenticeship ritual; it also marks a new starting point for the school. As an international private institution of higher education, APSB has always adhered to the school - running philosophy of "Integrating Chinese and Western Wisdom; Uniting Knowledge and Practice". As the Vice - Chairman of the Academic Committee and doctoral supervisor of our school, Professor Hu's joint efforts in education aim to give full play to the comprehensive advantages of the Joint Graduate School of Traditional Medicine in the integration of TCM and Western medicine, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and higher education, deeply integrate with the professional TCM resources of Professor Hu's team, and jointly explore new paths for the integrated development of "TCM + big - health industry" and "TCM + business management".

Dr. Jane also mentioned that to ensure the quality of inheritance and empower the growth of disciples, our school will officially incorporate Professor Hu Weiqin's inherited disciples into the unified student registration management system and innovatively integrate the long - term education plan of "continuous further education and lifelong learning" into the core of the talent - training system. For the inherited disciples, the school will tailor a postgraduate diploma training system that combines offline immersive research and online regular learning. It will not only carry out face - to - face teaching based on Professor Hu Weiqin's clinical practice resources, but also build an anytime - anywhere learning channel through the digital teaching platform, enabling disciples to systematically inherit the essence of TCM diagnosis and treatment while improving their academic research and industrial adaptation capabilities. In the future, relying on this high - quality cooperation platform, our school will also jointly establish a TCM Big - Health Industry Research Center with Weilai Cloud Group, launch customized talent - training programs, accurately provide compound talents who understand both professional technology and business management for TCM enterprises, promote the transformation of TCM scientific research achievements and industrial upgrading, and inject strong new momentum into the high - quality development of the TCM industry.

Strengthening Faculty to Cultivate Talents; Integrating Knowledge and Practice for Development

In her speech focusing on the core work of talent training, Professor Che Yanping, Vice - President of the Joint Graduate School of Traditional Medicine of APSB, stated that the faculty is the core support and key driving force for the high - quality development of education. The joining of famous doctors like Professor Hu Weiqin has given a strong boost to the construction of the faculty team for traditional medicine - related majors in our school. Taking this disciple - accepting ceremony as an important opportunity, our school will further integrate the resources of famous doctors, establish a dual - platform system of "Famous Doctor Studios" and "Tutorial System Training System", allowing students to learn clinical experience and diagnosis and treatment skills from famous doctors up close and achieve a seamless connection between theory and practice.

Meanwhile, our school will fully optimize the talent - training program, break down the barriers of traditional education, promote the in - depth integration of TCM theoretical teaching with clinical practice and industrial practice, add special course modules such as big - health industry policies, TCM marketing, and health management, organize students to deeply participate in practical activities such as TCM scientific research projects and industrial surveys, and comprehensively cultivate students' innovative thinking and practical abilities. Vice - President Che revealed that in the future, focusing on core areas such as TCM inheritance and innovation and the development of the big - health industry, the school will regularly hold high - level academic forums, public lectures by famous doctors, industrial matching meetings and other activities, build a diversified platform for academic exchanges and industrial cooperation, help students grow and develop, and continuously improve the school's education quality and industry influence.

Discussing Inheritance for Development; Working Together for the Future

After the disciple - accepting ceremony, a seminar themed "The Collaborative Development of TCM Inheritance, Innovation, and the Big - Health Industry" was successfully held. The participating guests conducted in - depth exchanges and shared their views on key topics such as the contemporary value of TCM inheritance, the development trend of the big - health industry, the innovation of the school - enterprise collaborative education model, and the transformation path of TCM achievements, sparking insightful ideas.

Dr. Zhang Jie, Ombudsman of APSB, stated that Professor Hu Weiqin's act of accepting disciples has set an excellent example for the organic integration of the traditional TCM apprenticeship model and modern higher education, effectively helping to solve the problem of TCM talent shortage. Mr. Zhu Xiaoyong, Chairman of Weilai Cloud Group, proposed that he hopes to deepen strategic cooperation with APSB and Professor Hu's academic inheritance team to jointly develop TCM health products and build TCM health service brands, so as to achieve resource sharing and mutual benefit between schools and enterprises. Representatives of teachers and students of the school also spoke one after another, expressing their determination and confidence to engage in TCM inheritance and the development of the food - and - medicine - homologous industry. Consensus was reached on cooperation such as jointly establishing graduate practice bases and TCM big - health industry research centers, thereby establishing an industry - university - research development system under the school - enterprise cooperation model.

All attendees agreed that this disciple - accepting ceremony is a crucial opportunity to promote the high - quality development of the TCM cause. It not only builds a platform for famous doctors to teach disciples, but also establishes a bond for school - enterprise collaboration and the integration of industry, university, and research. It will provide strong support for TCM talent training, industrial upgrading, and cultural communication.

Finally, accompanied by leaders and relevant personnel of Weilai Cloud Group, Dr. Jane Yin Yiyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Professor Che Yanping, Vice - President of the Joint Graduate School of Traditional Medicine, and Dr. Zhang Jie, Ombudsman of APSB, visited the Kunyu Pharmaceutical Industrial Park and gained a detailed understanding of the development layout of the big - health industry in the Taizhou pharmaceutical market and the future plan for the food - and - medicine - homologous industry.

The successful holding of Professor Hu Weiqin's disciple - accepting ceremony marks a solid and crucial step for APSB in exploring the field of TCM inheritance and innovation. In the future, taking this event as a new starting point, the school will continue to deepen industry - university integration, strengthen faculty building, optimize the education system, strive to cultivate high - quality compound TCM talents, and make greater contributions to inheriting the excellent traditional Chinese TCM culture, serving the construction of Healthy China, and promoting the high - quality development of the big - health industry.

Event Video Clips