On July 7, a five-member delegation from Sikasso of the Republic of Mali visited Tianjin Hongxing Vocational Secondary School in North China, a co-founder of the Mali Luban Workshop.

The delegation attended a brief welcome ceremony at the school.

Zhuang Jianjun, president of the Tianjin Hongxing Vocational Secondary School, makes welcoming remarks. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

Ouyang Min, director of Tianjin's Hongqiao district's educational authority, delivers a speech. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

Ouyang Min, director of the Hongqiao district's educational authority, said in his speech that the Mali Luban Workshop, which is committed to promoting traditional Chinese medicine and skills in Africa, has cultivated a large number of TCM talents for Mali and has improved local people's health.

He hopes that the leadership of Sikasso can help expand the influence of the Luban Workshop in Mali and across West Africa, so that it can play a greater role in health work.

Bernard Coulibaly, deputy governor of Sikasso, Republic of Mali, delivers a speech. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

Mr. Bernard Coulibaly, deputy governor of Sikasso, Republic of Mali, affirmed and appreciated what the school has achieved in TCM health care and health promotion.

He expected the Mali Luban workshop to integrate its techniques with Mali's traditional medicine and herbal therapy, in a bid to boost cooperation between China and Mali in medical care, health and vocational education, to improve the health of two peoples, and to advance people-to-people exchanges.

The delegation members receive souvenirs with Tianjin characteristics. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

Afterwards, accompanied by the principal, Zhuang Jianjun, and relevant department heads, the delegation visited the school's Luban workshop faculty training center, the excellent traditional Chinese culture experience center, and the Chinese medicine and rehabilitation training base.

The delegation members learn about making traditional Chinese medicine sachets. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

The delegation members have a taste of traditional Chinese tea culture. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

The delegation members experience devices pertaining to homology between medicine and food. [Photo provided to tianjin.chinadaily.com.cn]

During the trip, they had tried their hand at making traditional Chinese medicine sachets and Chinese tea culture, and experienced a virtual 3D herbarium of TCM, an identification platform for homology between medicine and food, simulated acupuncture moxibustion VR and other programs.

This trip was facilitated by the first World Vocational College Skills Competition, which was held in Tianjin last year, and aims to promote the better construction and more efficient operation of the Luban Workshop in Mali.