Chinese medicine: from rural hospitals to top three hospitals in Kyoto

"It's great that everyone has this ambition."

Chen Yang smiled and said, "The province has a profound foundation, and Cheng Yi and others are indeed quite capable, but we don't need to underestimate ourselves."

"After all, everyone is among the top thirty in the Medical Competition."

Chen Yang chuckled and said, "Although some highly skilled and accomplished experts did not participate in this medical competition, you are definitely among the best of the younger generation."

As someone who possesses a system, Chen Yang is well aware of the level and strength of certain individuals.

Although the top 100 in this National Medical Competition cannot truly represent the top 100, after all, there are still some masters and experts who did not participate.

For example, Wen Xiuping, Chu Yiyun, Wen Rongxuan, and Chen Yang's teacher Wu Yaolin did not participate in the competition.

To be honest, the top 100 in this medical competition are not entirely accurate.

However, all of the top 100 in the Medical Competition are capable of making it onto the system's Qingyun Ranking, with Zhuang Qiwen, Xun Jiahong, and others even reaching the level of the Famous Doctors Ranking.

Chen Yang did see Cheng Yi from the scattered province on the Qingyun Ranking. Cheng Yi was ranked 94th, which was indeed a prodigy, but he was not outstanding compared to the people Chen Yang was leading this time.

In this year's Medical Competition, there weren't many people like Cheng Yi who were on the system's Qingyun Ranking but didn't participate. However, each of them was highly regarded in their local area. Only those who were highly regarded would not care about the bonus points in this year's Medical Competition.

Of course, the next edition will be different; the status of the Medical Competition will become increasingly higher.

"Remember, one of the purposes of our trip is to 'spread the flame,' to showcase the spirit we have cultivated through the baptism of the competition and the tempering of grassroots practice, which places greater emphasis on accurate diagnosis and clinical efficacy."

Chen Yang addressed the crowd, saying, "This competition is an excellent stage. Don't see it as a simple contest of victory or defeat, but rather as a profound academic exchange and a clash of ideas. Show your true skills and demonstrate the spirit and responsibility of us, the practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in this new era!"

"Yes, Director Chen!" the crowd responded in unison, their morale soaring.

Over the next two days, Chen Yang led everyone to visit and learn about the situation at the Affiliated Hospital of the Provincial University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Everyone also summarized some of the problems they had discovered.

Chen Yang also gave Zhuang Qiwen and Yu Shiyun some advice: "Cheng Yi's style is inherited from the Wu School, which emphasizes the harmony of Qi and uses mild and gentle medicine. This is his strength, but sometimes when facing chronic and stubborn diseases, he may be too slow. You should be good at grasping the key to the pathogenesis, dare to make arguments, and persuade the judges with solid diagnosis and clear logic."

Two days passed in a blink of an eye.

On the day of the competition, the century-old auditorium of the provincial university of traditional Chinese medicine was packed with people, the atmosphere both enthusiastic and tense. Every seat was taken, and even the aisles were filled with people, with flashes of light constantly going off.

On the chairman's stage, the judging panel was impressive.

Lu Yuanmin and Wu Yongping were personally present, along with several elderly Wu family elders, renowned university professors, and relevant leaders from the Provincial Health Commission.

Chen Yang, as the team leader, director of Kyoto International Medical Center, and chief judge of the Xinglin Competition, was also invited to sit on the judges' panel.

After a brief opening by the host, the players from both sides entered the field.

The provincial teams, dressed in uniform white lab coats with their college or school badges pinned to their chests, exuded an air of refined elegance and composure, displaying the rigor and confidence of academics.

Chen Yang's team, dressed in matching dark blue training uniforms, were in high spirits with sharp eyes, exuding a competence and composure honed through real combat.

The two teams stood facing each other on the stage, their eyes meeting, and it seemed as if invisible sparks were colliding in the air.

Cheng Yi, the captain of the provincial team, is a young man of about thirty years old, wearing frameless glasses and with a gentle demeanor.

He nodded to Zhuang Qiwen and the others first, his smile warm, but deep in his eyes there was a hint of pride and scrutiny belonging to the Wu School's successors.

As a young upstart who did not participate in the Medical Competition, Cheng Yi naturally felt a bit proud. In the first Medical Competition, some prodigies did not take it seriously.

Cheng Yi didn't think the top thirty in the Xinglin Competition were much stronger than him, except for Xiao Jingyun and An Yunfan.

Zhuang Qiwen returned the greeting with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Round One: Theoretical Debate, Begin!" the host announced.

The large screen displayed a complex case: a middle-aged woman with a persistent low-grade fever, her temperature fluctuating between 37.5°C and 38°C, accompanied by fatigue, night sweats, irritability, insomnia, dry mouth without thirst, a red tongue with little coating, and a thready, rapid pulse. Western medical examinations ruled out tuberculosis, rheumatism, and other diseases, and the diagnosis was "fever of unknown origin," but treatment was ineffective.

This case seems simple, but it actually contains a hidden mystery. Low-grade fever, night sweats, red tongue with little coating, and thready and rapid pulse are all signs of yin deficiency and internal heat. However, the "dry mouth without thirst" suggests that it is not simply yin deficiency, but may be accompanied by dampness or qi stagnation.

The first speaker from the provincial team was a doctoral student. He cited classical texts and started with the theory of "fever due to yin deficiency". He proposed using Artemisia annua and turtle shell decoction as the main prescription to nourish yin and clear heat. His argument was rigorous and fully demonstrated the theoretical foundation of the Wu School of Medicine.

Many judges in the audience nodded slightly in approval.

When it was Chen Yang's team's turn, Yu Shiyun stood up.

She took a deep breath, walked to the front of the stage, bowed to the judges and the opposing team members before speaking.

"The other student's diagnosis was very insightful, but I believe the key to this patient's pathogenesis lies in 'yin deficiency with damp heat, and heat lurking in the yin aspect'!"

Yu Shiyun spoke in a clear and articulate voice: "Although the patient shows signs of yin deficiency, the 'dry mouth without thirst' is a typical manifestation of dampness obstructing the body and preventing fluids from rising. The persistent low-grade fever is due to the accumulation of damp-heat, which causes fever. The sticky nature of the damp-heat is why the disease is prolonged. Simply nourishing yin may hinder the flow of dampness; simply clearing heat may easily damage yin. It is necessary to nourish yin and resolve dampness simultaneously, and to clear heat and relieve stagnation together!"

Next, Yu Shiyun proposed a modified version of Haoqin Qingdan Decoction combined with Qinggu Powder, which not only clears away damp-heat in the Shaoyang meridian but also nourishes Yin fluids and dispels latent pathogens. In her discussion, she skillfully referenced the views of the Wenbing School, creating an interesting contrast and complement to the Shanghan Lun system, which was the specialty of the Wu School.

Yu Shiyun's speech, with its unique perspective and compelling arguments, drew surprise and thoughtful expressions from many judges in the audience. Lu Yuanmin paused slightly, stroking his beard, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

In the first round of the competition, Chen Yang's team, thanks to Yu Shiyun's outstanding performance, was in no way inferior in terms of conception and dialectical depth, and even showed more novelty and sharpness.

Cheng Yi pushed up his glasses, and his gaze toward Yu Shiyun held less disdain and more seriousness.

The opposing team only fielded Yu Shiyun, who was the youngest member of their team and apparently hadn't yet obtained a medical license.

Cheng Yi was quite surprised that such a contestant possessed such strength and skill.