As the chief examiner for the national committee of acupuncture physicians, Mu Lin not only participated in establishing the examination regulations but also held the authority over the acupuncture physicians’ certification process. This was an extraordinary honor, one that even the U.S. had not bestowed upon Mu Lin. One could only wonder what the high-ranking officials in the U.S., who had been considering re-establishing ties with Mu Lin, would think upon learning that West Germany had granted him such privileges.
The very next day, West Germany held a press conference to announce its plan to implement a national certification system for acupuncture physicians and to appoint Mu Lin as the chief examiner. During the conference, it was also revealed that Mu Lin would establish four branch clinics across the country. Consistent with the policy in the U.S., each clinic would offer free treatment to two seriously ill common citizens every month. Additionally, medical expenses for government officials would now be covered under the national health insurance system.
This announcement created a massive ripple effect. Across Europe, countries reacted strongly. France, West Germany’s historical rival, was among the first to respond. The majority of French media openly praised West Germany’s decision, calling it a wise move that would greatly advance medical development and benefit the German people.
They urged their own government to follow West Germany’s lead and quickly establish certification standards for acupuncture physicians, so that this ancient Chinese medical practice could begin alleviating the suffering of the French people. They also called on the French government to extend the same invitation to Mu Lin to open clinics in France, allowing ordinary citizens access to his advanced medical techniques.
This delighted the West German leadership. Historically, the two nations had deep-seated rivalries, often opposing each other on principle. Now, for their longtime rival to actually support their decision was a rare and satisfying moment.
Meanwhile, U.S. media quickly responded, largely applauding the German government for recognizing Mu Lin’s potential. They praised their own government for being the first to legally recognize acupuncture as a scientific method to alleviate the suffering of American citizens, calling it a major benefit to the public. They also congratulated U.S. citizens on Mu Lin receiving such recognition abroad. Soon after, media outlets revisited Mu Lin’s clinic history. One outlet conducted a detailed survey of patients treated at the clinic and found that, over two years of operation, there had not been a single case that the clinic had failed to cure.
Once this information was verified, it triggered an even greater wave of reactions worldwide. In countries that had not yet established acupuncture certification systems, media outlets urged their governments to quickly develop such systems so their citizens could benefit from this shared human achievement. They also encouraged their governments to contact Mu Lin as soon as possible to bring his clinics to their countries, allowing their people to benefit sooner.
Seeing these reports, Mu Lin felt a deep sense of sorrow. Traditional Chinese medicine, a treasure of Chinese civilization, seemed to be receiving more recognition abroad than in its homeland. Thanks to his efforts, acupuncture was gradually gaining acceptance across all levels of Western society and becoming more widely embraced.
Yet in China, where traditional medicine had originated, it was still struggling for survival, with a bleak outlook. Worse still, some individuals, blinded by their admiration for Western culture and rejecting their own heritage, were calling for the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine. Others, with ulterior motives, were fueling this sentiment. Though Mu Lin was a cultivator, he was still a son of China, and he deeply worried about the future of traditional Chinese medicine.
As news of Mu Lin’s achievements in Germany gradually reached China, due to the limitations of domestic information dissemination, many people refused to believe such events could be real, dismissing them as fantasy. It wasn’t until several universities began openly selecting a second batch of students for training that domestic media started to acknowledge the truth of these reports.
By the time Chinese media began sending reporters abroad to investigate, the story had already faded from international headlines.
Across Europe, most NATO member countries praised the developments in their media, urging their governments to follow the examples of the U.S. and West Germany and introduce acupuncture certification systems as soon as possible. They hoped that Mu Lin’s clinics would soon open in their countries so their citizens could benefit from this medical advancement.
However, a few countries remained cautious. They argued that acupuncture had not yet achieved theoretical breakthroughs, and the meridian theory could not be concretely demonstrated in the human body. Therefore, the effectiveness of acupuncture still required further observation and verification.
Some countries strongly doubted the efficacy of Mu Lin’s acupuncture treatments, suggesting that it was nothing more than a grand deception orchestrated by him alone, deceiving people around the world who believed in science.
In particular, the Y country (UK) openly criticized acupuncture in its media, claiming it lacked scientific validation and that its effects were comparable to 18th- and 19th-century Western bloodletting practices—offering temporary relief but failing to cure diseases. They labeled acupuncture as typical witchcraft and witch-doctoring. They argued that only modern Western medicine, grounded in scientific principles and years of development, was the true path to healing and urged the U.S. and West Germany to take legal action against Mu Lin.
Religious institutions in Y country went even further, declaring Mu Lin a heretic whose medical practices were evil sorcery. They called on believers to resist Mu Lin’s clinics and avoid being deceived.
As a result, U.S. media and most European countries that supported acupuncture and Mu Lin’s clinics engaged in fierce verbal battles with the opposing nations. This left the public confused, unsure of whom to believe. It was the first time that NATO member states had failed to reach a consensus on a medical issue through their media.
During this time, many international media outlets had hoped that Chinese media would offer some commentary on Mu Lin’s clinics and the certification system being implemented in the West. However, they were met only with silence.
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