I’ve chosen the right path in developing the Tibetan medicine industry.

　　“A few years ago, when I was in Nagqu, Tibet Autonomous Region, I witnessed with my own eyes Tibetan doctors using ancient methods to successfully treat conditions that modern medicine deemed incurable. This experience reaffirmed for me once again that the path I’m on is the right one—and I’m determined to keep walking it!” Since founding Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Group in the 1990s, Lei Jufang has led Qizheng Tibetan Medicine to actively embrace new technologies while preserving the outstanding qualities of Tibetan medicine. By integrating traditional Tibetan medicinal practices with cutting-edge modern pharmaceutical techniques, Qizheng has driven the upgrading of the Tibetan medicine industry in Gansu Province and become a benchmark enterprise for the modernization of Tibetan medicine production in China. As a result, in 2018, following her recognition as a “Meritorious Figure in the Pharmaceutical Industry Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up,” Lei Jufang was also named among the 100 Outstanding Private Entrepreneurs of the 40-year Reform and Opening-up period.

　　Tibetan medicine is crucial for safeguarding the health of plateau ethnic groups.

　　“Tibetan medicine and traditional Chinese medicine can, to some extent, be compared with each other. Tibetan medicine has its own independent system, a complete theoretical framework, its own diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and a distinct medicinal system—it is a fully-fledged ethnic medical system. It plays a vital role in safeguarding the health of people living in high-altitude regions!” Lei Jufang told reporters from China Women’s News and China Women’s Net.

　　In the early 1990s, Lei Jufang happened to come across one of the eighty illustrated charts of Tibetan medicine—the “Chart of Embryonic Development.” This chart revealed the mysteries of life in clear and concise language. Upon learning that the chart’s description had been made without the aid of any instruments, more than a thousand years before microscopic technology confirmed the secrets of embryonic development, Lei Jufang was profoundly shocked.

　　In the days that followed, Lei Jufang ventured deep into Tibetan areas and spent several years conducting field studies and learning about Tibetan medicine. She humbly sought guidance from master practitioners of Tibetan medicine, carefully studying and gaining a thorough understanding of its history. She delved into the traditional methods of preparing Tibetan medicines and their pharmacological properties. Thus, the nectar of Tibetan medicinal culture began to flow into the very veins of Qizheng’s enterprise.

　　At the very beginning of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s establishment, Lei Jufang faced a significant challenge: how to integrate modern pharmaceutical technology with the development of Tibetan medicine—how, in other words, to modernize Tibetan medicine. Relying on her scholarly judgment of the contemporary value of traditional medicine and guided by an unwavering conviction, Lei Jufang and her team persevered through continuous exploration and ultimately found a scientific solution to the challenges of extracting and preserving active substances from natural plants native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. From the moment Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s products were launched, they received widespread recognition from the medical community and were enthusiastically welcomed by numerous patients.

　　Since Qizheng Tibetan Medicine established its enterprise in Tibet in 1995, more than two decades have passed. Today, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine has become a leading enterprise in the Tibetan medicine industry, driving the development of the core pillar industries in the Tibetan region.

　　Throughout the company’s development journey, Lei Jufang has placed particular emphasis on the protection of the Tibetan region’s ecological and natural resources. For instance, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine has implemented base-level conservation efforts and conducted sustainable research on Tibetan medicinal plant resources, ensuring the supply of raw materials needed for the industrialization of Tibetan medicine and carrying out conservation cultivation studies on 45 different medicinal species. In 2014, thanks to its sustained efforts in biodiversity conservation, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine was honored with the “Golden Bee Award—Growing Enterprise” title. In 2015, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine established specimen collections and DNA fingerprint databases for Tibetan medicinal plants, and in collaboration with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, set up a monitoring station for information on Chinese medicinal material resources.

　　As a leading enterprise in Tibetan medicine, Lei Jufang places particular emphasis on cultivating local businesses and local talent. She believes that young locals who have received higher education are the core force behind building a robust local talent pool. Throughout the process of founding her company, Lei Jufang has actively recruited Tibetan college and graduate students from well-known domestic institutions, fostering talent from various ethnic groups—including Tibetans, Han, Hui, and Monpa—and helping a group of local key employees grow and thrive.

　　Public welfare is not just an expression of compassion; what matters most is making a real impact.

　　“Public welfare and charity are a crucial aspect of a company’s social responsibility, serving as an integral part of its development strategy—and they are mutually reinforcing with the company’s growth,” Lei Jufang told reporters.

　　Since entering the Brightness Initiative in 1995, Lei Jufang has spent over two decades continuously exploring new models for engaging in sustainable development–oriented public welfare projects. She has successively established a special “Tibetan Culture Preservation and Inheritance Fund” to systematically invest in public welfare endeavors. To date, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine has completed more than 200 specialized public welfare projects focused on supporting the development of Tibetan medicine, improving basic education in western China, and providing poverty alleviation and disaster relief. Qizheng’s philanthropic efforts also extend to poverty alleviation and assistance to those in need. In 2008, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s company in Linzhi hired four successive groups of local ethnic minority people with disabilities, thereby easing the employment challenges faced by the local government. These individuals now enjoy stable incomes and have become the economic pillars of their families.

　　In recent years, Qizheng Group’s public welfare and charitable endeavors have reached a new level. The Group’s support for public welfare and charity also extends to the study of Tibetan medicine, cultural preservation, academic seminars, education, as well as support for research bases and forums in various other areas.

　　On this point, Lei Jufang told reporters: “Public welfare is not merely an expression of kindness; more importantly, it’s about making a real impact. By supporting scientific research and academic seminars, and by funding the establishment of academic research centers, we aim to explore ways to reduce illness and provide positive support for the advancement of medicine. Sometimes, this kind of effort is even more important than simply donating money directly. I believe this is precisely what a mature enterprise should be doing.”

　　It is reported that, as of 2018, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine had cumulatively paid over 1.8 billion yuan in taxes and invested more than 90 million yuan in public welfare initiatives in western China, including over 20.1 million yuan in Gansu Province. As a result, Lei Jufang and her Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Group have received numerous honors, such as the National May Day Labor Award and the title of National Model Enterprise for Harmonious Labor Relations.

　　Lei Jufang has served as a deputy to the National People's Congress and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Over the years, she has actively offered advice and suggestions to the relevant authorities, striving for favorable policy support to promote the development of the industry.

　　Regarding the future development of Tibetan medicine, Lei Jufang told reporters: “I hope that in the future, not only in Tibetan areas but also in hospitals outside Tibetan regions, Tibetan medicine departments can be established, thereby leveraging Tibetan medicine’s strengths in treating certain diseases. At the same time, I also hope that Tibetan medicine will one day reach a position of equal standing with other medical disciplines. This road is long and arduous, but we must take the first step!”

　　Reporting media: China Women's News

　　Report link: http://paper.cnwomen.com.cn/content/2018-11/10/054169.html