Google translate is a wonderful tool but it can sometimes be so funny – I guess it still needs a bit of work. I’ve googled ‘Alan Bensoussan’ due to the recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald exposing the National Institute of Complementary Medicine’s (NICM) dealings with communists and smugglers. In the article, reference is made to a speech given by Alan Bensoussan sucking up to some communists in China. Let me quote the article: “According to a leaked draft of his speech notes, Bensoussan planned to say Chinese medicine was “exceptional” because of the “conscientious, vigorous support of the Chinese government”. NICM would not confirm if Bensoussan made the speech. “China remains on a strong trajectory to develop [traditional Chinese medicine] internationally … It is now up to China to help us with this task … We look forward to ongoing collaboration with our Chinese partners [and] the continued support of the Chinese government,” the draft speech continued.”
So the question is; did Alan Bensoussan give the speech or not. The NICM will obviously say nothing and they deny having received any funding from China for the advancement of TCM in Australia (which I don’t belief). But according to a recent Chinese article, obviously written in Chinese, he did indeed give the speech. But this depends a little bit on google translate and if Bensoussan = Benshanshan = Ben Shusan (Ben Shoeshine would have been great). I’ve copied the translated text below followed by the original Chinese text (I’ll appreciate it if a native speaker can give me some pointers). I’ve also highlighted some funny parts.
“Australian and Chinese medicine researcher Bensoussan: China leads the world with acceleration
China News Service reporter Tao Shelan
“I have been studying Chinese medicine for the first time in Nanjing since 1984. For decades, I have witnessed the great changes in China. It is leading the world with the development of acceleration. I often think: Maybe the Chinese themselves will also be affected by this speed. The result is that they are very adaptable. If this continues, China will have a better future. Westerners need to recognize China’s achievements.” Australian Chinese Medicine Research Scholar, Dean of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), University of Western Sydney Alan Bensoussan told the China News Agency reporter.
In an ancient building built in 1915, 25 kilometers west of Sydney, NIMC led by Benshanshan and its predecessor, the University of Western Sydney’s Center for Auxiliary Medicine, have been conducting “from laboratory to clinical” for Chinese medicine since 1995. The comprehensive research program is a leader in Australian Chinese medicine research, education and policy development. It is his greatest wish to let Chinese medicine, a medical culture, be shared by the world.
In fact, Ben Shushan himself is an acupuncturist with 25 years of experience. From an early age, he was interested in medicine, especially non-traditional medicine. Through the media, he learned about the magic of acupuncture, so he enrolled in a three-year acupuncture course and took acupuncture license. After training in Nanjing, he opened a clinic. Some cases that are not complicated but have not been cured for a long time, through his acupuncture and Chinese medicine, the patient miraculously recovered. This brought him business and made him “fascinated by Chinese medicine practitioners” until now.
“The example of slaughtering shows that Chinese medicine is very valuable.” [I wonder, does this now refer to the slaughter of pangolins and rhinos?] Ben Shushan said that in recent decades, China has made outstanding achievements in the protection of traditional medicine and established many excellent Chinese medicine hospitals, schools and research institutions.
While attending the clinic, I completed a master’s degree from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Ph.D. program at the University of Sydney. Compared with business, Benshanshan prefers to do academic research. In 1989, he was employed by the University of Western Sydney to engage in non-traditional medical research while teaching. In 1996, he was invited to take the lead in researching and evaluating the practice of Chinese medicine in Australia, and published the “Australian TCM Practice” assessment report, which laid the foundation for the standardization and legalization of Chinese medicine in Australia in the future.
In 2013, Benshanshan won the Chinese Medicine International Contribution Award from China. This award is the only international award in the field of Chinese medicine in the world. He became the only foreigner who won the medal in the same year. On the podium, Ben Shushan said: “China is the only country that has protected and developed its traditional medical system. Looking around the world, clinical and research facilities without any traditional medicine can compete with Chinese medicine.” [if this translation can be corrected, will this correspond with the leaked speech notes?]
In that year, NICM and the Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences established a joint research and development center for Chinese medicine. In 2014, NICM signed a memorandum of cooperation with Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to establish the first high-quality integrated Chinese and Western medicine research and clinical service center in Australia. The two sides exchange medical personnel for academic research or training. Ben Shushan said that cooperation with China is very important and necessary. What we have to do is to successfully apply Chinese medicine to Western countries. There will be unlimited opportunities for future Chinese medicine practitioners.
What makes Ben Shushan feel shocked is the speed at which China has developed rapidly in recent decades. When I first went to China in the same year, on the streets of Nanjing, when he asked for directions, there were many people who looked around. There were very few foreigners in China at that time. He went to Shijiazhuang, and the street signs on the street didn’t have pinyin, so he lost his way. Twelve years later, he revisited China with a visiting delegation of the World Health Organization. His great changes made him speechless. Now, he has to go to China several times a year.
Ben Shushan said: “China has its own culture different from Western culture. Just like the Chinese tunic suit, it is a unique charm. Now go to China’s shopping malls, McDonald’s, Starbucks, etc. But the Chinese are warm and friendly. Innovation has never changed. Chinese culture is extremely rich and diverse. China’s traditional medicine also has diversity, which is worth exploring and learning, and thus benefiting all mankind.” Ben Shushan looks forward to cooperating with Chinese medicine in China. “We have infrastructure, resources, and enthusiasm.”
原标题：(新中国70年)人物志：澳大利亚中医药研究学者本树山：中国以加速度发展引领世界
中新社悉尼8月5日电 题：澳大利亚中医药研究学者本树山：中国以加速度发展引领世界
中新社记者 陶社兰
“自1984年第一次去南京学习中医，几十年来，我亲眼见证了中国的巨大变革。它是在以加速度的发展引领世界。我常常想：也许中国人自己也会受到这种速度的冲击吧。结果是，他们非常适应。照这样下去，中国会有更好的未来。西方人需要认可中国的成就。”澳大利亚中医药研究学者、西悉尼大学国家辅助医学研究院(NICM)院长艾伦·本树山(Alan Bensoussan)告诉中新社记者。
在悉尼以西25公里外一栋建于1915年的古老建筑里，本树山领导的NICM及其前身西悉尼大学辅助医学研究中心自1995年以来，针对中医药展开了“从实验室到临床”的综合研究计划，在澳大利亚中医药研究、教育及政策制定方面居于领导地位。让中医这种医学文化为世界所共享，是他最大的愿望。
事实上，本树山自己，就是一名有着25年从业经验的针灸师。从小就对医学尤其是非传统医学充满兴趣的他，通过媒体了解到针灸的神奇，于是报读了一个为期3年的针灸课程，考下了针灸师执照。在南京进修后，他开了诊所。一些并不复杂却久治不好的病例，通过他的针灸和中药，病人奇迹般康复。这给他带来了生意，也让他直到现在还“为中医着迷”。
“屠呦呦的例子，充分说明中医药是非常有价值的。”本树山说，近几十年来，中国在保护传统医学方面成果突出，建立了许多优秀的中医医院、学校及研究机构。
一边开诊所，一边读完了悉尼科技大学的硕士、悉尼大学的博士课程。和生意相比，本树山更喜欢做学术研究。1989年，他受聘于西悉尼大学，在教学的同时，从事非传统医学研究。1996年，他应邀牵头调研和评估中医在澳大利亚的实践，并出版了《澳大利亚中医实践》评估报告，为以后中医在澳大利亚的规范化和合法化奠定了基础。
2013年，本树山获得中国颁发的中医药国际贡献奖。这个奖项是世界范围内中医药领域唯一的国际奖项，他成为当年获得此项奖章的唯一外国人。颁奖台上，本树山说：“中国是唯一将本国传统医学体系保护并发展完好的国家。环顾世界，没有任何传统医学的临床及研究设施可以与中医媲美。”
也就在那一年，NICM与中国中医科学院西苑医院建立了中医药联合研发中心。2014年，NICM与北京中医药大学签署合作备忘录，共同在澳大利亚建立首个高质量中西药结合研究和临床服务中心，双方互派医务人员进行学术研究或培训。本树山表示，与中国进行合作是非常重要且必要的，我们所要做的就是将中医成功运用于西方国家。未来中医将有无限机会。
同样让本树山感到震撼的，是中国近几十年来飞快发展的速度。遥想当年第一次去中国时，在南京街头，他一问路，就有很多人围上来看稀奇。那时候在中国的外国人很少。他去石家庄，街道上的路牌没有拼音，以至于迷路了。12年后，他随世界卫生组织的一个访问团再访中国，变化之大令他无以言表。现在，他每年都要去中国几次。
本树山说：“中国自有它不同于西方的文化，就像中山装一样，是独特的魅力。现在去中国的购物中心，麦当劳、星巴克等等什么都有。但是，中国人的热情、友好、创新，始终没变。中国文化极其丰富，有多样性。中国的传统医学也有多样性，值得探索、学习，从而造福于全人类。”本树山期待与中国的中医药合作也可以出现加速度，“我们有基础设施、有资源、也有热情。”(完)
The anti-Quack site 