“What do you call traditional medicine that works?” “Medicine.” This old joke contains more than a milligram of truth. For example, Tu Youyou,a Chinese chemist,    1    (begin) testing the sweet wormwood used in local herbal remedies    2    a cure for malaria (疟疾). But not every folk cure is so closely examined.

Over 1.7 billion people, most    3    (live) in the world’s poorest countries, are affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDS). These often lead to    4    (disable) and place a heavy burden on health-care systems. They are    5    (bad) equipped to deal with them. They    6    (refer) to as “neglected”. A study published in 2009, in International Health, estimated that they received only 0.6% of the money given by rich countries to poor ones for health purposes.

A team put a crude sample on    7    they were working through two rounds of chromatography. Their analysis revealed (揭示)    8    oil which proved effective at killing trypanosome parasites. For many researchers, that would have been the cue for a trip to the patent office.     9    for Dr Osei-Safo the point is not to make a refined pharmaceutical, but rather    10    (direct) those who are ill towards the best treatments available from herbalists.

Visit any park in China these days and you are likely to see several people     1     (practice) qigong.     2    started as a traditional Chinese treatment has become a major health trend today.

Qigong is a combination of body posture, movement, breathing and meditation. It is used to improve one’s health and spiritual well-being, as well as in martial arts training. Qigong     3     (develop) over the centuries and today tends to have     4    more medicinal than spiritual focus. Meditative qigong uses still positions and     5     (focus) on breathing techniques to clear the mind. In 2020, the Chinese Health Qigong Association     6     (official) brought in five new health Qigong forms   (Five Animal Play)     7     the direct aim of improving teenagers’ health.

Qigong is made up of two separate words, qi and gong. Qi means air or breath but is often used to refer to the idea of vital or life energy. Gong on the other hand translates as cultivation or work. When     8     (combine) with qi, the two describe systems that seek to balance one’s life energy through hard work and     9     (commit).

Thanks to globalization in general, qigong is now practiced by people of diverse backgrounds, some of     10     do it for fun, some for exercise and some for healing.

My dream to study in China came true in 2016 when I registered for a medical degree at Gannan Medical University in Ganzhou City of Jiangxi Province.

At the beginning, it was difficult     1     (talk) to the local people due to the language barrier. The use of a phone translation app made my life     2     (easy) than before. With an interest in making local friends, I started studying standard Chinese. It was difficult at first,     3    (especial) with the four tones in Chinese pronunciation to deal with. But after more exposure, practice and hard work, I began to understand the basic sentences,     4     (allow) me to talk with locals.

Among the many friends I     5     (meet) is Sasha, a young, beautiful and hardworking single mother. She introduced me     6     the business world. I launched my own brand of women’s shoes produced in China.

Apart from studies, I got the opportunity to travel to many cities for business and     7    (please). Moreover, I also had the opportunity to participate in local Chinese talent competitions,     8     I won some awards as well.

These are my most memorable moments I will cherish for     9     rest of my life: the experience of being able to fit into the Chinese society and way of living, being accepted and treasured. I came to China as a foreign student but six years later, I became not only a     10    (qualify) doctor, but also a businesswoman with a well-rounded, balanced life overflowing with good memories and a wide knowledge of China. I consider it as my second home.