导语：Meeting in Longhui: Sino-Foreign Delegates Explore Authentic Medicinal Herbs and Experience the Charm of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Recently, a delegation from the Embassy of Viet Nam in China, the Shanghai Representative Office of Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government of the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong’s traditional Chinese medicine industry and Diplomat Magazine visited Longhui County to conduct inspections on industrial cooperation and cultural exchanges.
The delegation visited local TCM medicinal material enterprises including Hunan Hongli Pharmaceutical, Baimashan Pharmaceutical, Ruiyuan Agriculture and Shengshi Fenghua Biotechnology, conducting on-site inspections of the whole industrial chain covering standardized planting, intensive processing and market circulation of medicinal materials.
The delegates held in-depth discussions with local enterprises on variety breeding, quality control and cross-border trade standard alignment.
They highly praised Longhui’s achievement of building a complete TCM industrial chain based on superior ecological resources, and exchanged views on potential cooperation in plant extracts and functional product development.
During the visit, the delegation toured Wei Yuan’s Former Residence. They learned about the life of Wei Yuan, a pioneering modern thinker who “opened his eyes to the world”, understood his open vision and patriotism embodied in the idea of “learning foreign technologies to defend the country”, and experienced Longhui’s profound historical and cultural heritage.
The delegation also visited Tantou Town to explore the Tantou New Year Painting Inheritance Studio and Fumeixiang New Year Painting Workshop.
At the studio, staff introduced the unique intangible‑cultural‑heritage craftsmanship of Tantou New‑Year Paintings, including handmade papermaking, pear‑wood engraving and traditional color overprinting. Guests stopped repeatedly to admire and discuss the simple yet vividly coloured artworks.
Under the guidance of folk artisans, the delegates experienced woodblock rubbing firsthand.
They inked the block, laid paper and pressed to produce their own New‑Year paintings, getting an up‑close taste of the unique charm of this national‑level intangible cultural heritage.
It is reported that Longhui County, Hunan Province, hosts the Annual Honeysuckle and Lily Trade Fair every August. Committed to strengthening its featured traditional Chinese medicine industry, the county warmly welcomes guests from home and abroad to conduct inspections, strengthen exchanges and jointly explore new cooperation opportunities.
