BEIJING/SHANGHAI: Ayurveda, India’s traditional system of health and wellbeing, is increasingly finding new avenues for international dialogue, with Indian Ayurvedic physician and educator Dr. Dhanwantari Jha recently conducting special programmes at the Consulate General of India in Shanghai and the Embassy of India in Beijing.
The two programmes, held within days of each other, highlighted the growing international interest in Ayurveda as a source of knowledge for contemporary challenges including mental wellbeing, healthy ageing, lifestyle-related disorders and preventive health.
At the Consulate General of India, Shanghai, on 11 August 2026, Dr.Dhanwanyarikumar Harinath Jha (M.B.B.S., B.A.M.S., M.D & PhD Ayurveda) delivered a special lecture on “Ayurveda & Mental Wellbeing.” The programme brought together participants from Shanghai as well as an international audience, including participants from Italy, Russia and Thailand, alongside distinguished diplomatic representatives.
The Shanghai session examined mental wellbeing through the Ayurvedic understanding of the relationship between body, mind, lifestyle and environment. Dr. Jha discussed the importance of daily routines, appropriate nutrition, healthy sleep, stress management, mindfulness and rejuvenation as components of a balanced life.
The programme also emphasised a practical dimension of Ayurveda—moving beyond the treatment of illness towards the preservation of health and psychological resilience.
Shri Pratik Mathur, Consul General of India in Shanghai, reaffirmed his support for the global promotion of Ayurveda and, in recognition of Dr. Dhanwantari Jha’s outstanding contributions towards spreading Ayurveda internationally, felicitated him in the presence of Ms. Tachaphorn Suntrajarn, Consul General of Thailand in Shanghai, and Mr. Dmitrii Lukiantsev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Shanghai, as seen in the picture.
The Shanghai engagement was followed by another significant programme in Beijing on 13 August 2026, hosted at the Embassy of India, Beijing, where Dr. Jha spoke on “Healthy Ageing Through Ayurveda – Ancient Wisdom for Modern Longevity.” The Beijing programme explored one of the most pressing questions facing societies around the world: how to increase not merely lifespan, but also healthspan—the years of life lived with independence, vitality and quality.
Dr. Jha presented the Ayurvedic concept of Rasayana, or rejuvenation, together with the importance of nutrition and healthy digestion, joint and musculoskeletal health, cognitive wellbeing, sleep, immunity, lifestyle and inner wellbeing.
Rather than viewing ageing exclusively as a process associated with disease, the Ayurvedic approach presented during the programme emphasised preparation for healthy ageing through appropriate lifestyle and preventive practices throughout life.
The Beijing programme also demonstrated the potential of traditional knowledge to contribute to contemporary international conversations on health and wellbeing. A recent report on the event noted Dr. Jha’s emphasis on Rasayana, nutrition, joint health, brain health, sleep, immunity, beauty from within and an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
From traditional knowledge to international dialogue
For Dr. Jha, the significance of these programmes extends beyond individual lectures.
A third-generation Ayurvedic physician with training in both modern medicine and Ayurveda, Dr. Jha has been involved in international Ayurveda education for several years. His professional profile describes his work as combining modern medical training with Ayurveda and notes his continuing role as an international Ayurveda educator and consultant.
His engagement with China is also part of a longer journey. Dr. Jha and Dr. Nidhi Jha have been involved in Ayurveda education and workshops in China since 2019, including seminars, training programmes and consultations in several Chinese cities. Ayurved Nidhi has previously documented their activities in China, including a three-day Ayurveda and Yoga seminar in Chengdu that attracted around 260 participants, a ten-day Ayurveda course in Huizhou and consultation programmes in Beijing and Shanghai. Ayurved Nidhi, an institute accredited by RAV–ATAB under the Ministry of AYUSH, has been imparting authentic Ayurveda education globally since 2017 through online and offline programmes across France, Italy, Norway and Europe, and has trained students from Japan, China, the USA, Austria, Slovakia, Latvia, Russia, Canada, the UK and several other countries in India and internationally.
The recent Shanghai and Beijing programmes therefore represent another step in an evolving India–China exchange centred on traditional knowledge, education and wellbeing.
Ayurveda as a bridge between cultures
The growing interest in Ayurveda outside India presents an opportunity to build cultural bridges while encouraging responsible dialogue between traditional knowledge and contemporary health needs.
Speaking to international audiences, Dr. Jha has consistently emphasised that the global propagation of Ayurveda should not simply mean transferring an ancient Indian system from one country to another. Instead, it should involve making traditional knowledge understandable, practical and relevant within different cultural contexts.
This approach places Ayurveda within a broader conversation about preventive health, healthy lifestyles and human wellbeing.
The diplomatic settings of the two recent programmes were particularly significant. Presenting Ayurveda at India’s diplomatic missions in Shanghai and Beijing provided a platform where traditional Indian knowledge could be introduced not only as a medical tradition, but also as part of India’s wider cultural and intellectual heritage.
India–China: a new conversation through traditional medicine
India and China possess two of the world’s major ancient traditions of health knowledge—Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Programmes such as these create opportunities for greater understanding between practitioners, educators, students and wellness communities.
The recent events also point towards the potential of Ayurveda education to become an important component of international cultural exchange.
For India, the globalisation of Ayurveda is increasingly moving beyond demonstrations of individual therapies. It is becoming a conversation about preventive health, healthy ageing, lifestyle, education and the preservation of traditional knowledge in a rapidly changing world.
For China and international audiences, the growing exposure to Ayurveda provides an opportunity to explore another perspective on health and wellbeing rooted in India’s classical knowledge traditions.
A continuing journey
The Shanghai and Beijing programmes mark another chapter in Dr. Dhanwantari Jha’s continuing international work to introduce authentic Ayurveda to global audiences.
His message is ultimately centred on a simple principle: health should not begin only when disease appears. It should be cultivated through food, lifestyle, sleep, mental balance, appropriate activity and a harmonious relationship with one’s environment.
As the world’s population ages and lifestyle-related health challenges continue to grow, ancient systems such as Ayurveda are increasingly being invited into contemporary conversations—not as replacements for modern healthcare, but as knowledge traditions capable of contributing perspectives on prevention, wellbeing and healthy living.
From India to China, and from France and Europe to the USA and beyond, Ayurveda is emerging as a global language of health, knowledge and cultural exchange, connecting ancient Indian wisdom with the wellbeing aspirations of the modern world.
“From India’s ancient wisdom to global wellbeing, Ayurveda can become a bridge connecting traditional knowledge with the health needs of the modern world.”— Dr. Dhanwantari Jha
