A Study of the Cross-cultural Communication of TCM in France

Abstract: This paper divides the centuries-long dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in France into three progressive stages: the first stage (17th to 19th centuries), characterized by academic recognition and knowledge transmission; the second stage (mid-19th century to late 20th century), focusing on clinical verification and school-based innovation; and the third stage (late 20th century to the present), marked by cultural integration and pluralistic coexistence within systems. The introduction of TCM in France is a process of cross-cultural adaptation and coexistence driven by specific health needs in French society, such as chronic disease management and complementary therapies. The French medical community and sociocultural context have not only verified and interpreted TCM through an empirical scientific perspective, but also realized creative localization by developing indigenous schools like electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture. Eventually, through institutional measures including national certification, terminology standardization, and networked healthcare services, TCM has been deeply integrated into France’s medical system and social context, forming a stable ecosystem of cross-cultural adaptation and pluralistic coexistence. The French experience, which takes aligning with local health needs as the starting point, stimulating localized cultural innovation as the core, and promoting systematic integration into local systems as the support, presents a picture of traditional medicine serving modern society, the improvement of global health, as well as mutual learning and symbiosis among different civilizations.