Acupuncture, ancient therapy that brings Chinese, Moroccans together

It is quite scary sometimes for those who are not familiar with acupuncture, one of China's most traditional medical therapies, when doctors insert glittering silver needles into the bodies at certain points.

The special treatment, whose birth could date back to very ancient ages, has been commonly used for reducing back pain, shoulder stiffness, and knee pain.

A group of Chinese doctors working in Morocco on Saturday came to the Confucius Institute at Mohammed University V here in the country's capital to share their ideas about the time-honored treatment with local students.

For the Moroccan students at the institute, it is their first ever encounter with acupuncture, so it is understandably normal for them to feel curious and reluctant to try. Many of them even doubted that such a small set of needles could even be counted as a medical treatment at all.

Encouraged by the Chinese doctors, some came forward and gave it a try. Many felt surprisingly good after the therapy, and asked the doctors if they could book for another treatment some other time.

In fact, while the youngsters at the institute exclaimed over the magic of the Chinese medical practice, many Moroccans have already benefited from it.

In 1986, Chinese acupuncturists set up a center in the city of Mohammedia, 50 km south of capital Rabat. Since then, doctors at the clinic have helped tens of thousands patients, and trained many local and European doctors.

China has begun to dispatch medical teams to Morocco since 1975. For the past 40 years, more than 1,200 medical professionals have arrived in the country to serve the local, and help promote bilateral understanding between the two countries and their peoples.