China launches its first digital resource center for Tibetan medicine, astrology

LHASA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region launched the country’s first digital resource center for Tibetan medicine and astrology on Friday.
Established by the Hospital of Traditional Tibetan Medicine in the regional capital Lhasa, the center features 10 databases, including Tibetan medicine materials and the literature on Tibetan medicine and astrology. It also houses high-resolution scanned copies of rare Tibetan medical and astrology texts dating back to the 8th Century.
The digitization efforts began in 2006, with over 40 researchers working to collect and preserve valuable literature not only from Xizang but also from provincial-level regions such as Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and Liaoning. The team also traveled internationally, securing documents from collections in Mongolia, the United States and France.
“It is a critical step forward in advancing academic collaboration and scientific research in Tibetan medicine and astrology. We aim to create an open, accessible platform offering high-quality data and services to the global academic community,” said Tsering, director of the hospital.
Traditional Tibetan medicine emphasizes that seasonal changes affect the circulation of the body’s organs. As a result, practitioners pay close attention to variations in celestial bodies.
Under Tibetan tradition, astronomical calculations and astrology are conducted at hospitals. Each year, the almanac is generated based on calculations made by scholars of the hospitals. ■