1 Introduction

This article introduces traditional Chinese medicine culture as an important component of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, emphasizing its core values and ideological characteristics. At present, research on the external dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture mainly focuses on the fields of communication and linguistics, exploring the current situation, methods, and challenges of inheriting, developing, and enhancing China's soft power of traditional Chinese medicine culture, as well as the importance of cross-cultural dissemination. Scholars have analyzed the problems of the external dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine from different perspectives, and proposed the challenges and solutions they face. Based on the theory of cultural discourse analysis, this paper analyzes the relevant news reports of Chinese medicine culture on the the Belt and Road Network of China, aiming to explore the current situation of the external dissemination of Chinese medicine culture in the context of the "Belt and Road", so as to promote its better external dissemination.

Theory of Cultural Discourse Analysis

Introduced Shi Xu's theory of "cultural discourse research", emphasizing that discourse is a communicative event in a specific historical and cultural context, namely a social event. This theory studies discourse through different paradigms, explores the connotation of cultural discourse, and reveals discourse misunderstandings caused by cultural biases and ignorance. The study of cultural discourse integrates the traditions of Western and Eastern discourse research, using a comprehensive, dialectical, and unified approach to understand discourse connections, their complexity, dynamism, and social influence. The framework of cultural discourse analysis includes language subjects, content/form/social relationships, media, purpose/effect, and cultural historical relationships. Based on this theory, this paper focuses on the discourse subject, content and cultural factors in TCM reports of the Belt and Road Network.

3 Research Design

Introduced the research design, including corpus sources, sample selection, and research questions. The corpus was selected from the China Belt and Road Network, which collected 29 reports from 2013 to 2023, selected 27 reports with the title of "traditional Chinese medicine", and finally selected the first 20 as samples. The research questions include: 1) the subject of discourse dissemination, analyzing the sources of reports, authors, and their identities; 2) Content of discourse dissemination, analysis of reporting themes and expression methods; 3) Exploring the cultural characteristics reflected in external communication discourse within the social and cultural context.

4 research findings

The external dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture has unique dissemination subjects, media, content, and channels. The main sources of news reports on traditional Chinese medicine culture on the China Belt and Road Network are Xinhua Network, Xinhua News Agency, China's domestic branch and other mainstream media, which are mainly reprinted and have a single channel. The report authors include three foreign journalists, mainly writing related reports on the dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture abroad. The paraphrased content involves Chinese and foreign officials, experts and scholars, ordinary people, as well as corporate associations, showcasing diverse voices and public opinions from all sectors of society. In news reports, officials, experts, scholars, and ordinary people are the "main force" in the dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture, and their professionalism ensures the authority of the information and the correctness of the transmission of information and intentions. News reporters often use positive vocabulary, such as "help", "treatment", "treating", "feeling better", "healthcare", "cure", etc., reflecting their positive attitude towards the important role of traditional Chinese medicine in treating patients. International academic exchanges and activities are an important part of the dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture to the outside world, but there are relatively few related reports. Winning various international awards and patents for traditional Chinese medicine is an important way to spread the culture of traditional Chinese medicine and enhance its international reputation. Traditional Chinese medicine cultural education conveys correct information about traditional Chinese medicine culture through language symbols and intuitive images. The Chinese medicine culture news discourse of the China Belt and Road Network partly reflects its cultural characteristics such as high power distance, collectivism, low uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and combination of hardness and softness, which mostly conforms to the positioning of Hofstad and other scholars on Chinese culture.

5 Strategies and Suggestions for the External Dissemination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture

Discussed the strategies and suggestions for the external dissemination of Chinese medicine culture under the "the Belt and Road" initiative. Three suggestions were put forward: 1 Expand sources of information and broaden channels of dissemination, such as utilizing platforms like WeChat and Weibo, to enhance the relevance and timeliness of information; 2. Enrich the report with details, make the content more relevant to daily life, increase entertainment and visual stimulation, and attract more ordinary people to participate in recording and spreading traditional Chinese medicine culture; 3. Promote precise communication, flexibly transform communication methods based on the cultural attributes and language habits of the jointly built country, improve the uncertainty avoidance of traditional Chinese medicine culture's external communication discourse, increase clear explanations of traditional Chinese medicine knowledge and philosophical background, report more cases of curing foreign patients, and resonate with individual perspectives. At the same time, it is pointed out that the discourse of the external dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine culture has characteristics such as high power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, collectivism, and a balance of rigidity and flexibility. These characteristics may be related to Chinese cultural traditions, but they may also bring a sense of distance and misunderstanding to audiences from different cultural backgrounds.

6 Conclusion

This paper analyzes the discourse subject, content and social and cultural context of the external dissemination of Chinese medicine culture in the Belt and Road Network of China. Officials, experts, and scholars lead the dissemination through official channels, covering overseas medical centers, international conferences, awards, patents, and education and training. There are problems with dissemination such as a single source of information and insufficient content. It is suggested to innovate communication methods, carry out publicity activities according to local conditions, promote communication in precise language, rich content and diversified ways, break down barriers, promote extensive contact between the "the Belt and Road" countries and Chinese traditional culture, and deepen the world's understanding of China.