Research On The Dissemination Of Chinese Medicine In Singapore From The Perspective Of Cultural Identity Theory

ObjectiveThis study aimed to find out the communication effect and cultural identity level of traditional Chinese medicine in Singapore and provide reference for the future TCM international communication by conducting two researches.The first research was to summarize the current situation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in Singapore from the aspect of registration,medical services,herbal medicine regulation and education.The second research was to analyze Singaporean reports on TCM from the perspective of cultural identity.MethodsFirst,the literature about TCM communication in Singapore was collected from CNKI and Wanfang database.The latest information about TCM communication in Singapore was also collected from the official websites of the Singapore Government Agency,Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner Board,Singapore Department of Statistics and some health service providers.Second,the reports on TCM from the Straits Times during the period from 2015-2019 were acquired and downloaded from the Factiva database,and was imported into the qualitative analysis software Nvivo11.The statistical analysis was then conducted through free coding method,including word frequency statistical analysis,phrase analysis,news content and tone analysis,the level analysis of TCM cultural identity.ResultsA total of 24 literature and 21 electronic materials were collected through the databases and official websites.The result of the first research showed that the Singapore registration was in good condition;there were 3256 registered TCM practitioners in Singapore;there were five main types of TCM service providers;the management of Chinese herbal medicine was standardized through the staged control;TCM education was mainly offered by private TCM colleges.A total of 2625 reports were collected from Factiva database,of which only 338 reports were useful.The result of the second research showed:(1)Singaporean mainstream media paid much attention to TCM and its report number was considerable;(2)there were 39 vocabularies with a word frequency of more than 130 times,such as Traditional,Chinese,medicine,blood,clinical and so on;(3)the number of neutral,positive,and negative reports accounted for 44%,38%,and 18%of the total report number respectively;the tone of the report was neutral and objective;(4)there were 160 reports involving the cultural identity of traditional Chinese medicine;the topics of these 160 reports could be divided into:science popularization,life,medical services,commerce,discussion,Chinese TCM incidents and other 14 types;(5)most interviewees in the Straits Times was at the behavior level,which means most of them experienced TCM.ConclusionSince Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner Act 2000 took into effect,TCM has been well-developed in Singapore,and has made great achievements in the fields of registration,clinical service,and education.The mainstream media in Singapore has paid attention to TCM continuously.The level of local people's cultural identity in TCM has also gradually increased.However,there are still some problems that cannot be ignored at this stage.For example,there are no registration for Chinese herbal dispensers;the requirement for applying registration is low;public hospitals do not provide patients with comprehensive TCM services;TCM is not included in national health insurance program;there is a lack of unified TCM education standard;the level of local people's cultural identity in TCM has not yet reached the emotional level.After analyzing the above problems,this study finally put forward some corresponding solutions.