Artist Dong Xiyuan speaks at the opening ceremony of his painting exhibition in Beijing on Sept 21, 2020. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

China waged, and won, the battle against coronavirus outbreaks earlier this year – a fight it fought tooth and nail, in which traditional Chinese medicine played an irreplaceable role.

Dong Xiyuan, who is renowned for traditional Chinese painting, has his own unique way to sing praises for TCM practitioners and highlight TCM efficacy in the war against the deadly virus: by portraying the ingredients of this proven recipe and the herbal concoction.

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As confirmed by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM can rapidly ease symptoms of mild infections, shorten the treatment course for patients with severe symptoms and reduce the possibility of mild infections worsening to become severe cases.

Delighted by news of the effectiveness of the herbal concoction known as Qingfei Paidu Soup in treating COVID-19 patients in Wuhan earlier this year, artist Dong Xiyuan started to create paintings featuring the herbal ingredients of this healing prescription

Delighted by news of the effectiveness of the herbal concoction known as Qingfei Paidu Soup (concoction to clear the lungs and expel toxic elements from the body) in treating COVID-19 patients in the Hubei provincial capital, Wuhan, earlier this year, artist Dong started to create paintings featuring the herbal ingredients of this healing prescription.

The National Health Commission listed the prescription in the diagnosis and treatment guidelines for COVID-19 patients, which was then called pneumonia with an unknown cause.

In a span of eight months, Dong, also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, completed the painting series, producing 42 pieces of artwork in total.

In each painting, the property and effect of the herb is explained in a simple way.

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His works won high applauses from officials and experts from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the China Artists Association and the Publicity Department of the Fujian provincial Party committee.

Dong wanted to tell the world about TCM’s role in the fight against the pandemic with what he is good at – the art of painting – and thus show his gratitude to TCM experts and practitioners for what they have done to defeat the menace.

The artist was very moved by the responses he received from CPPCC members, officials and the media when he shared his idea about the artistic creation while attending the annual CPPCC session in Beijing in May.

“I’m very much grateful to learn more and create artistic works about TCM and will continue to work to promote the TCM culture,” he said.

Currently, Dong is hosting an exhibition of his works at the culture and history gallery of the CPPCC complex in Beijing. The event runs through Sept 30.

Here are some of Dong's paintings: