Old Liu stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to China for this International Medical Exchange Conference. Seventeen countries are represented here, with a total of seventy-three delegates. You will discuss, compare, and explain your respective medical philosophies. You will also treat special patients together. All participants must be practicing physicians.
Now, we begin the first agenda item: diagnosing illnesses from photographs."
As he spoke, someone brought an envelope. Old Liu pointed to it. "This envelope contains photos of various conditions provided by each country. They cover internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, dermatology, ENT, dentistry, psychiatry, psychology, ophthalmology, rehabilitation, and general practice. Some photos show nothing obvious, but the back includes patient details. I will mix these photos in a large box. Delegates will draw one photo each for analysis. This serves as a written test.
Regarding selection, remember the number tags given during registration yesterday. Each tag has two parts: one in your hand, one in a separate box. I will draw a number tag. The delegate holding the matching tag will then draw a photo. You have ten minutes to diagnose and write your answer. We will match the number on the top right of your photo to find the correct answer in another box. The most complete and accurate diagnosis wins.
This individual event is worth one point, added to your team’s total score. Final rankings will be determined by the total score on the last day."
Old Liu looked at everyone again. "Do not worry about cheating. These materials and photos were compiled and supervised by authoritative doctors from your own countries. It is absolutely fair and just."
After Old Liu finished, reactions varied. Some were happy, others angry. Delegates from Country R and Country H were pleased. Their medical traditions originated from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Since TCM basics include observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking, they felt lucky. They believed they could use these methods to deduce answers.
Gu Jingtian looked slightly surprised. "Strange. Why did the International Medical Discussion Group agree to this plan? It clearly favors TCM."
Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly. "I have a strange feeling. This plan does not seem to favor TCM. It seems targeted at us."
"I feel the same way," Qu Zhong said.
Gu Jingtian pondered briefly. "Since they have made their move, we must counter it. Regardless, everyone must be careful."
"Understood." Although heavy-hearted, everyone nodded, becoming even more cautious.
"Does anyone have questions about the rules I just explained? Please ask now. If not, this agenda item begins officially."