𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐢 (梅万方教授), BSc (KCL), MA PhD (Medicina Alternativa, Spain), was a true pioneer who dedicated his whole life to building bridges. As a Physics graduate of King's College London, he founded AcuMedic and the Chinese Medical Institute and Register (CMIR), creating one of the UK's first and most influential hubs for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment, education, and, crucially, 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 [1-3].

In honour of the legacy of 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐢, the King's Centre for Integrative Chinese Medicine (CICM) initiative at King's College London is raising funds to establish the 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐢 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 [4,5].

Contribution to TCM

• 𝐏𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: He invented the world’s first disposable acupuncture needle, addressing critical cross-infection risks and revolutionising the practice. He further modernised TCM by designing early electro-acupuncture devices and developing a range of capsulated herbal extracts for standardised, convenient prescription.

• 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: He founded AcuMedic Ltd (1972), a pioneering company supplying acupuncture equipment worldwide, and the renowned AcuMedic Clinic in London (1982), which became a flagship TCM clinic in Europe treating tens of thousands of patients, including high-profile figures.

• 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐂𝐌 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: He founded CMIR in 1992 to provide accredited academic courses and qualifications, significantly raising educational standards for TCM practitioners in the West and graduating over 300 healthcare professionals.

• 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: He worked tirelessly as a key adviser and stakeholder with UK regulatory bodies (e.g., UK Department of Health, MHRA) to shape fair and appropriate legislation for herbal medicine and acupuncture, aiming to protect public access and integrate TCM into mainstream healthcare frameworks.

• 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬: A passionate integrator, he promoted dialogue between evidence- and dialectical-based medicines. He lectured globally on this synthesis and explored the connections between TCM principles (like Yin and Yang) and modern quantum physics.

What Will the Award Support?

The 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐢 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 will fund innovative research in Integrative Chinese Medicine (ICM) that embodies 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬. It will support projects that break down silos by combining:

• TCM with fields like physics, engineering, or data science.

• Clinical practice with unconventional research methodologies.

• Diverse cultural perspectives to create new paradigms of health and healing.

This award seeks out bold, unconventional ideas that would make Professor Mei proud—ideas that fuse different worlds to create something new and transformative.

Continue His Vision

Upon learning of the proposal to establish the 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐢 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, his son, Mr. Don Mei, Chairman of CMIR, endorses this award: ""On behalf of my whole family, I wish to thank you for this honour to my father. His vision of evolving a sustainable, effective and patient-centred healthcare system by integrating the wisdom of Chinese Medicine with modern approaches is more relevant today than ever before. Thank you for furthering this dream with your work and passion."

By contributing, you are supporting the mavericks and visionaries who are not afraid to merge different disciplines. You are helping to create the unique, integrated approaches needed to solve tomorrow's health challenges.

Donors will receive their 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 by email — please let us have your email address — and may opt to join the 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐂𝐈𝐂𝐌 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 to receive regular updates. If you have any questions or need our help, we will be happy to hear from you.

Honour a pioneer of integration by funding the next big breakthrough. Please donate generously.

Reference:

1. The Inspirational Life of Professor Man Fong Mei. GP-TCM RA Newsletters, 2014: https://www.gp-tcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ProfMeiBiography.pdf

2. The ‘positive' professor: Family and friends pay tribute to Acu Medic founder Benny Mei. www.camdennewjournal.co.uk, 2014

3. Man Fong Mei — In Memoriam | IT. Rose J. https://internationaltimes.it, 2014

4. The King's CICM Website

5. 伦敦国王学院整合中医药学中心官网