I undertook my elective for eight weeks in the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University attached to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the Department of Cardiology. In my time there, I observed the diagnosis and treatment of diseases using herbal medicine, acupuncture and massage which are the main modalities of TCM, and also conducted a research project studying the appropriateness of patient selection for coronary angiography by western-trained Chinese doctors. From the medical point of view, I feel that I may have achieved my aim of increasing my understanding of TCM and learning the basic principles of acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage. Collecting data for the study on patient selection for angiography was also a success, and I do thank God for his grace in these areas.
However, God has taught me much from my other experiences in this country with the largest population in the world. The Chinese are an extremely friendly and hospitable people, and this is not just because I am an overseas Chinese returning to the land of his forefathers. Many of them are genuinely interested in making friends with people from the outside world, But often, because of language difficulties or cautiousness due to years of a restricted lifestyle under the Communist regime, they are unable to open up to most foreigners. Being ethnically Chinese but brought up with a heavy dose of Western influences, I was able to straddle two communities while I was there. I had the opportunity to get into the culture of the locals, and also get involved with the International community - in my case mainly the Beijing International Christian Fellowship (BICF).
Many of the locals were very interested to find out why I had decided to go to China to learn medicine. They found it strange that a Singaporean would want to learn something from them, because they generally look up to Western and overseas Chinese who have 'made it'. That was always a good way to start a conversation. On the other hand I found that I could always blend into the crowd without too much difficulty if I wanted to avoid attention. I was able to speak to many complete strangers and subsequently formed friendships with several of them. It helped that I could speak the language.
China is in the midst of economic boom. With it comes increasing political power as a nation. Many foreign investors are flocking to the country because it has a whole wealth of potential to be tapped. Unfortunately, an accelerated economy without the corresponding growth in social, moral and spiritual areas spells trouble for society. And this was evident in what I saw many times. The vast majority of people are unable to handle the huge influx of money into the country which is not evenly distributed. The gap between rich and poor is widening. Everyone is competing in this new relatively free-market economy for a better material life.
In this new society, I could sense a yearning for something more in life, something deeper than simple material possessions, socialist ideals, or humanistic aspirations. This is the basis of the growth of the church in China. The Spirit has worked mightily in the lives of the people who have come to know the Lord in this country. What the Chinese Communist Party thought they had eradicated in the 1950's and 60's has flourished instead. Now there are an estimated 33.6 million believers in the country, making up nearly 3% of the population! And numbers are growing, praise the Lord! I had the opportunity to share my faith with some of the people I met and I strongly believe that God will work in their lives. It is still a criminal offence to evangelise openly outside a registered church building, and to convert minors (age under 18) to Christianity. But I found many people who were surprisingly open to the Gospel and they were willing to listen to what I had to say, even though at times the facts sounded more like fairy-tales when spoken with my limited vocabulary. But I thank God for working through my weaknesses.
Even though I went to the BICF on Sundays to worship, I had the opportunity to visit one of the local churches one week. It was one of the churches connected to the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), rather than an unregistered church. There are 9 TSPM churches in Beijing scattered all over the city. There were about 1000 people in the service. Even though the Sunday morning service was to have started at 9.30am, by 9.00am, the sanctuary was full and 'late-comers' had to be seated outside the main building and watch the proceedings on a video link-up. TSPM is quite tightly controlled by government. Local worshippers are segregated from foreign worshippers, and have to abide strictly by this rule, among others, if they do not want to fall foul of the law. It was encouraging to see so many Christians singing praises and praying to God. The vast majority of the congregation was elderly, but there was a significant number of young adults.
On this trip I feel that I gained much, both medically and spiritually. Being an overseas Chinese it was an eye-opener for me to return to the land of my fore-fathers and be immersed in a culture that has existed for thousands of years. God has certainly revealed the great beauty He has endowed on China, both natural and in her people. He is doing a great deal in the country but much more needs to be done. He has given me a taste of what living in a foreign country as an ambassador for God is like.
However, God has taught me much from my other experiences in this country with the largest population in the world. The Chinese are an extremely friendly and hospitable people, and this is not just because I am an overseas Chinese returning to the land of his forefathers. Many of them are genuinely interested in making friends with people from the outside world, But often, because of language difficulties or cautiousness due to years of a restricted lifestyle under the Communist regime, they are unable to open up to most foreigners. Being ethnically Chinese but brought up with a heavy dose of Western influences, I was able to straddle two communities while I was there. I had the opportunity to get into the culture of the locals, and also get involved with the International community - in my case mainly the Beijing International Christian Fellowship (BICF).
Many of the locals were very interested to find out why I had decided to go to China to learn medicine. They found it strange that a Singaporean would want to learn something from them, because they generally look up to Western and overseas Chinese who have 'made it'. That was always a good way to start a conversation. On the other hand I found that I could always blend into the crowd without too much difficulty if I wanted to avoid attention. I was able to speak to many complete strangers and subsequently formed friendships with several of them. It helped that I could speak the language.
China is in the midst of economic boom. With it comes increasing political power as a nation. Many foreign investors are flocking to the country because it has a whole wealth of potential to be tapped. Unfortunately, an accelerated economy without the corresponding growth in social, moral and spiritual areas spells trouble for society. And this was evident in what I saw many times. The vast majority of people are unable to handle the huge influx of money into the country which is not evenly distributed. The gap between rich and poor is widening. Everyone is competing in this new relatively free-market economy for a better material life.
In this new society, I could sense a yearning for something more in life, something deeper than simple material possessions, socialist ideals, or humanistic aspirations. This is the basis of the growth of the church in China. The Spirit has worked mightily in the lives of the people who have come to know the Lord in this country. What the Chinese Communist Party thought they had eradicated in the 1950's and 60's has flourished instead. Now there are an estimated 33.6 million believers in the country, making up nearly 3% of the population! And numbers are growing, praise the Lord! I had the opportunity to share my faith with some of the people I met and I strongly believe that God will work in their lives. It is still a criminal offence to evangelise openly outside a registered church building, and to convert minors (age under 18) to Christianity. But I found many people who were surprisingly open to the Gospel and they were willing to listen to what I had to say, even though at times the facts sounded more like fairy-tales when spoken with my limited vocabulary. But I thank God for working through my weaknesses.
Even though I went to the BICF on Sundays to worship, I had the opportunity to visit one of the local churches one week. It was one of the churches connected to the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), rather than an unregistered church. There are 9 TSPM churches in Beijing scattered all over the city. There were about 1000 people in the service. Even though the Sunday morning service was to have started at 9.30am, by 9.00am, the sanctuary was full and 'late-comers' had to be seated outside the main building and watch the proceedings on a video link-up. TSPM is quite tightly controlled by government. Local worshippers are segregated from foreign worshippers, and have to abide strictly by this rule, among others, if they do not want to fall foul of the law. It was encouraging to see so many Christians singing praises and praying to God. The vast majority of the congregation was elderly, but there was a significant number of young adults.
On this trip I feel that I gained much, both medically and spiritually. Being an overseas Chinese it was an eye-opener for me to return to the land of my fore-fathers and be immersed in a culture that has existed for thousands of years. God has certainly revealed the great beauty He has endowed on China, both natural and in her people. He is doing a great deal in the country but much more needs to be done. He has given me a taste of what living in a foreign country as an ambassador for God is like.
