Lei Jufang: Entering the martial world with spontaneity, acting with chivalry and benefiting others.

　　After more than 20 years of legendary success, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine has ranked 30th on the “2018 Healthy China Brand List” with a brand value of 2.243 billion yuan.

　　In the view of Lei Jufang, Chairperson of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Co., Ltd., “Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s own growth is actually the result of mutual kindness and care between the company and its employees.” She says, “In society, as individuals immersed in the world, we are mutually dependent, interconnected, and part of a shared ecosystem. Together, we create the enduring warmth and genuine affection that make our world a better place.”

　　Dressed in a plain navy-blue coat and sporting a pair of gray sneakers, with her gray-and-white hair casually tied into a bun and complemented by a blue-and-white silk scarf—recently, Lei Jufang accepted a media interview in Lanzhou. At 66 years old, she exuded a gentle and composed demeanor, resembling both an ordinary housewife next door and a reclusive knight-errant hidden away in the world’s shadows. Though unassuming and low-key, her profound skill was unmistakably evident.

　　From a scientist in the laboratory to a female entrepreneur who ventured into business, from a physics expert who switched to the completely unrelated field of Tibetan medicine, from a non-state-owned enterprise owner to a philanthropist giving back to Tibet’s western regions... Along this journey, Lei Jufang has remained spontaneous and carefree. She not only helped traditional Tibetan medicine break out of the Tibetan plateau and enter overseas markets but also turned industry-driven poverty alleviation into a “team that stays put and refuses to leave” on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—bearing fruit and taking deep root at the grassroots level.

　　Planting the First “Glowing Seed” on the Plateau: Teaching People to Fish

　　Lei Jufang, born in 1953 in Lintao, Gansu Province, was assigned to work at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences after graduating from university. In 1987, she left her stable government job to start her own business, founding the “Lanzhou Institute for Industrial Pollution Control.” In the early 1990s, driven by her desire to pursue a long-term, public-benefit endeavor, she unexpectedly traveled alone to Tibet and thus began her connection with Tibetan medicine. In 1993, she founded Qizheng Group.

　　In 1995, the China Guangcai Program sent a delegation of Chinese private enterprises to Tibet. Lei Jufang was deeply moved by the Guangcai Program’s philosophy of “balancing profit with public interest,” which resonated perfectly with Qizheng’s corporate culture of “doing good and benefiting others, pursuing righteous paths and honest business practices.” She came to believe that this approach would differ from the short-term, emergency aid projects typically characterized by mere “blood transfusions,” and instead would bring about lasting, transformative changes in impoverished regions.

　　In the same year, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine invested in and built a factory in Linzhi, Tibet, planting the very first “seed” of the Guangcai Initiative in Tibet.

　　“Everything is difficult at the outset.” After the factory “settled in,” numerous challenges emerged. Tibet has no railway; on the “Roof of the World,” where the average altitude is 4,000 meters, all material transportation over distances of several thousand kilometers relies solely on trucks. The region’s harsh climate—characterized by extreme cold and oxygen deprivation—makes it hard for people from inland areas to adapt, and even harder for talented individuals to stay committed in such a hostile natural environment. For Qizheng, everything feels like immense pressure.

　　“At that time, Linzhi didn’t have any concept of industry; there weren’t many paved roads—neither cement nor asphalt—and in fact, many roads were still gravel paths, making transportation extremely inconvenient,” Lei Jufang recalled. Yet the region of Linzhi boasted藏药 resources and ecological conditions that were simply unmatched elsewhere—a treasure bestowed upon us by heaven. And so, we stayed put and persevered.

　　What kept Lei Jufang going was also the beautiful sight of witnessing the Tibetan people’s lives being transformed. When she set up a factory in Linzhi and began hiring workers, she recruited some disabled individuals and local residents. “Could these workers—many of whom lacked formal education and any industrial background—really adapt to the job?” Just as she was pondering this question, the workers’ enthusiasm and their eagerness to work deeply moved her.

　　More than 20 years have passed, and these employees with disabilities have become the economic pillars of their families, enabling them to live with dignity. After undergoing systematic training, the first-generation workers have become the backbone of the company, safeguarding their “extraordinary and glorious years.”

　　Recalling the little moments, Lei Jufang feels deeply gratified. She says, “This isn’t something we’ve bestowed upon them—it’s something they’ve created with their own hands.” At the same time, they’ve also brought a positive and optimistic cultural ethos to the enterprise, profoundly embodying the essence of the “Brilliant Career” initiative. We’re not giving anything to others; rather, we’re teaching them how to fish.

　　In 2009, the company successfully went public. Leveraging its continuously accumulated industrial capabilities and solid foundation, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine has become a leading enterprise in China’s Tibetan medicine industry, driving the development of Tibet’s core pillar industries. To date, the company has paid 1.98 billion yuan in taxes in Tibet.

　　Over 20 Years on the Path of Charity: Establishing a Tibetan Medicine School to Preserve and Pass on Ethnic Culture

　　“Wealth belongs not only to society but, more importantly, to the masses,” said Lei Jufang—and that’s exactly what she’s been doing. Right from the very beginning, she incorporated the word “public welfare” into her business plan, thus embarking on a charitable journey that has now spanned over two decades.

　　In addition to pursuing the flagship model of the Guangcai Initiative—investing in projects, cultivating talent, and driving local development with a balanced approach that combines profit and social responsibility—Lei Jufang has begun exploring a new Guangcai model for engaging in sustainable development public-interest projects. Through her involvement in poverty alleviation and donation activities, she has come to realize: “Building Tibetan medicine schools, nurturing talent, preserving ethnic culture, and building a team of aid-Tibet personnel who will stay and not leave—these are the most fundamental needs of the people in western China.”

　　In 2004, Qi founded the Gongbu Manlong Yutuo Tibetan Medicine School in Nanyigou, Linzhi, Tibet, to provide traditional Tibetan medical education. The school was entirely funded by the company, and its teaching and operations are entirely managed by the school itself. The school also has an affiliated Tibetan medicine clinic that provides medical care to the local community.

　　In 2007, Qi established a special “Tibetan Cultural Preservation and Heritage Fund” under the China Guangcai Program Foundation, systematically investing in public welfare initiatives. In 2008, he launched the “100 Tibetan Medical Clinics Initiative,” a dedicated public welfare project that donated and supported the operation of a total of 14 Tibetan medical clinics in remote Tibetan areas including Tibet and Qinghai, providing affordable and convenient medical services to tens of thousands of Tibetan people.

　　In addition, the company has invested over 14 million yuan in Linzhou County, Tibet, to restore and rebuild the Wuming Cultural Institute, offering education in traditional Tibetan culture and cultivating more than a hundred specialists in the preservation of distinctive cultural heritage.

　　Not long ago, Lei Jufang visited several Tibetan medicine schools in Sichuan. She said that the students get up to study shortly after 5 a.m.—spending the morning learning theory and the afternoon engaging in hands-on practice. Compared to students from formal medical programs, their practical experience is more practical and extensive, enabling them to run a clinic on their own. This not only boosts employment opportunities but also addresses the challenge of access to medical care for people living in remote areas.

　　“Students are not only the main agents of Tibetan medicine’s inheritance—they are also the carriers of its cultural dissemination,” said Lei Jufang. As a Tibetan medicine enterprise, we have deeply benefited from both cultural heritage and technological innovation, with cultural inheritance being particularly crucial. Most of Tibetan medicine’s传承 takes place among the general public; as long as these young people trained in schools continue practicing medicine, they will be making the best possible contribution to the inheritance of Tibetan medicine—and this, in turn, will boost the development of our enterprise. These two aspects are closely intertwined and inseparable.

　　Moreover, immediately after the Wenchuan earthquake, the Yushu earthquake, and the Nepal earthquake, the company promptly organized the “Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Guangcai Medical Rescue Team” to deliver Tibetan medicines to the residents in the disaster areas who were in urgent need.

　　Having been engaged in the Tibetan medicine sector for over two decades through the Guangcai Initiative, Lei Jufang has steadfastly upheld her altruistic mission. As of the end of 2018, Qizheng had cumulatively invested more than 100 million yuan in social welfare undertakings—including medical care, education, poverty alleviation, and disaster relief—in Tibetan areas and western China.

　　Rising National Medicine with Altruistic Spirit: Technological Innovation, Shared with the World

　　In her own words, Lei Jufang is a born idealist. It is precisely her inner drive to benefit others and her unwavering dedication to exploration and research that have led her from the laboratory to the marketplace—and drawn her closer to the Tibetan medicine culture, which is rooted in the principle of benefiting all beings.

　　As a private enterprise originating from western China, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine focuses on traditional ethnic medicine and the health industry.

　　“In today’s human society, we’ve reaped the immense material abundance brought about by technological advancement; yet at the same time, we’re facing significant health challenges. Traditional ethnic medicines represent a vast treasure trove,” says Lei Jufang. She believes that scientifically exploring these traditional ethnic medicines and effectively promoting them can offer hope for addressing the health challenges confronting our society today.

　　At the very beginning of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine’s establishment, in order to bring Tibetan medicines produced using traditional craftsmanship out of the Tibetan region, Lei Jufang led a team of Tibetan and Han researchers to successfully develop a new-formula patented Tibetan medicine—the Qizheng Pain-Relieving Plaster. Utilizing modern technological methods such as “vacuum freeze-drying,” they scientifically addressed the challenges of extracting and preserving the active ingredients from natural plants native to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. From the moment it was launched, the product quickly gained popularity among patients, earning widespread acclaim for its rapid and reliable efficacy and becoming the preferred essential medicine for Chinese national team athletes.

　　Today, the company is leveraging modern technological approaches to address longstanding challenges in traditional Tibetan medicine production. As it continues to modernize and innovate its dosage forms, its products are becoming increasingly aligned with contemporary consumer demands and gaining widespread market recognition. As of the end of 2018, the company had 55 Tibetan medicine varieties and 72 approved drug registration numbers, including 9 over-the-counter (OTC) varieties and 2 nationally classified confidential varieties. These products cover a range of specialized Tibetan medical treatment areas such as orthopedics, neurology, gynecology, and gastroenterology, thereby further strengthening the company’s strategic positioning in key differentiated therapeutic segments of Tibetan medicine.

　　Between Western medicine and traditional medical theories, Qizheng Tibetan Medicine continues to strengthen its academic leadership and professional drive, focusing on unlocking the unique potential of plateau herbs in terms of safety, efficacy, and quality. Its products are sold extensively both domestically and internationally, benefiting people around the world.

　　As of the end of 2018, the company had a total of 48 product lines, specifications, and versions that had been launched and sold in the market. Its overseas markets cover North America—including the United States and Canada—and Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. The company’s primary customers include hospitals, pharmacies, and community service centers.

　　Looking back on her more than 20-year journey in the pharmaceutical industry, Lei Jufang has always believed: “As human beings, we rely on countless businesses and undertakings for our livelihood. It is a great blessing to have the opportunity—through wisdom and continuous improvement—to sow seeds for others and for ourselves, allowing these seeds to blossom into flowers of health and longevity and yield the fruits of peace and faith. This is truly our life’s blessing.”

　　In Lei Jufang’s view, the success of ethnic medicine development is akin to what’s mentioned in the Guangcai Spirit—“developing enterprises and giving back to society.” This is a closely linked, mutually interdependent, and mutually supportive relationship. “This is truly the Guangcai cause, and it’s also the best example of poverty alleviation practice—a philosophy that was already embraced more than 20 years ago.”

　　Reporting media: China News Service

　　Report link: http://interview.chinanews.com/gn/2019/10-17/8981581.shtml