Abstract:
Guided by an intercultural communication and multimodal research framework, this study meticulously maps the intellectual trajectory of overseas Dunhuang medical research since the late nineteenth century. Encompassing scholarship from Europe, North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, it analyzes the distinctive regional characteristics and scholarly contributions of these studies.The findings reveal three core features of overseas Dunhuang medicine research: first, it centers on textual morphological analysis, textual exegesis, and image visuals studies, forming a multimodal research approach characterized by intertextual corroboration; second, it constructs an interdisciplinary research framework; third, it highlights the nature of civilizational dialogue between Eastern and Western medicine. The multimodal research on overseas Dunhuang medicine has propelled the international communication of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) culture to achieve a threefold advancement in terms of content, approaches, and perspectives. It offers the following insights for the international communication of TCM culture: remolding the TCM discourse system and international image based on multimodal theory, constructing a multidimensional interpretation system for TCM culture, deepening value resonance and emotional identification with TCM culture, and exploring a communication model that integrates local roots with a global perspective.