Xu Yan， a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） at the Matou Township Hospital in Linyi City， east Chinas Shandong Province， explains functions of medicinal herbs to local primary school students on October 21.

In celebration of World Traditional Medicine Day on October 22， activities were held at schools across China to raise the students awareness of TCM culture.

Spanning a history of up to 3，000 years， TCM utilizes a unique system to diagnose and cure illnesses. In TCM， the treatment of the human body is based on the holistic understanding of the universe； illnesses are diagnosed based primarily on the differentiation of syndromes.