Recognition and confidence

In 2012, the Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica was merged into the Yunnan Bai Yao Group, a listed company that had 2.6 billion yuan in net profit in the third quarter last year, an increase of 10 percent compared with the same period in 2016. For Zhu, the merger will provide her team with better support in technology and funds to produce more medicines.

The institute has 10 research departments, including one specifically for natural medicine research. A systematic chain of research and development has been built with world-leading hardware.

In January last year, Premier Li Keqiang visited the Yunnan Bai Yao Group in the provincial capital Kunming. As the company's chief scientist, Zhu was the one to introduce The Illustration on Yunnan's Natural Medicines to the premier.

"The premier told us that natural medicines belong to ethnic groups and the world, so the healthcare industry should be promoted to be bigger and stronger. Originating in China, natural medicines should go globally," Zhu recalled. "I will make more concerted efforts in study and research to formulate higher-quality medicines and bring Yunnan's indigenous medicine to the rest of the world."

In October, Zhu attended the 19th CPC National Congress as a member of the Yunnan delegation, a recognition of her achievements in the field of ethnic medicine and this gave her confidence to continue her course.

"As a Party congress delegate, I also want to make contributions to local economic development by integrating my research with the poverty alleviation campaign," Zhu added.