On October 30, the 2026 Silk Road Youth Forum was held at the National People's Congress Conference Center in Beijing. Under the theme of "Continuing the Grand Chapter, Youth in Action," this forum coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Silk Road Youth Forum and the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, and aimed to review the past decade and propel Silk Road youth cooperation from an exchange platform to an action-oriented platform. Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress; Liu Xiaofeng, Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; and Yang Dongping, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Silk Road Youth Forum, attended the forum among other distinguished guests. Li Qiuyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xiyuan Hospital, attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech.

During the forum, the "Guihong Project" was officially launched. The name "Guihong"—signifying geese returning to their nests with their hearts tied to their homeland—was jointly initiated by the Silk Road International Think Tank and Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. It aims to forge a Silk Road bond for "return of talent, flow-back of wisdom, and mutual learning among civilizations." Relying on Xiyuan Hospital's international alumni platform for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the youth exchange network of the Silk Road International Think Tank, the project will promote the interactive flow of talent, technology, and experience along the Silk Road, injecting youth momentum into the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

During the keynote speech, Li Qiuyan shared insights across three chapters: Xiyuan Hospital's seventy-year heritage, international cooperation, and the cultivation of Silk Road talent. She pointed out that TCM is an important vehicle for people-to-people exchanges and health cooperation in jointly building the Belt and Road. As the first large-scale TCM hospital established by the Central People's Government after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xiyuan Hospital has formed a development pattern of "one body, four dimensions" over the past seventy years. It integrates three major national-level platforms: a National TCM Service Export Base, an International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and a Foreign Aid Training Organizer of the Ministry of Commerce. It bridges the Silk Road through a "four-in-one" approach encompassing medical care, scientific research, education, and culture.

Li Qiuyan introduced that the hospital dispatched China's first complete-unit TCM foreign aid medical team to Cambodia. Sailuotong (SLT) capsules, jointly developed with Western Sydney University in Australia, became China's first innovative TCM to complete international multi-center double-blind controlled trials overseas and was launched on the market. The hospital has also hosted the Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Sub-forum of the World Conference on Traditional Medicine for two consecutive sessions and released international standards, winning international academic recognition for TCM through high-quality research. At the same time, it has created the bilingual cultural desk calendar "Herbs Through Seasons," and developed cultural and creative products like Four-Season Spirit-Regulating Sachets and Wuqinxi (Five-Animal Exercise) refrigerator magnets, connecting people's hearts with TCM in a tangible and relatable way. Notably, through 16 consecutive years of dedicated foreign-aid training—covering nearly 100 countries and regions and training over 3,300 participants—the hospital has established the "Xiyuan·Guihong" TCM International Alumni Platform, ensuring that the legacy of TCM is continuously passed down along the Silk Road.

In the afternoon, Vice President Wang Peili attended the "Artificial Intelligence + Health Silk Road" sub-forum and delivered a themed report, presenting the hospital's practical explorations and future outlook in AI-empowered TCM health services, innovation and the translation of research achievements.

As an important force in the field of TCM, Xiyuan Hospital will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with countries and regions along the Silk Road in medical services, talent cultivation, scientific research, and innovation. Carrying Forward the Legacy of TCM Along the Silk Road. Xiyuan Hospital is willing to work with partners from all walks of life to gather these sparks into a prairie fire that lights up the Silk Road, allowing TCM to better safeguard people's health, contribute Chinese wisdom in traditional medicine to people around the world, and make greater contributions to building a global community of health for all.

Contributed by: Office of International Exchange and Cooperation