Horticultural healing: Herbal Garden (left) was created on the grounds surrounding the Museum of Medical Sciences to promote a better understanding of the medicinal value of herbal plants; Dr Edwin Yu (centre), Head of the museum's Herbal Garden Committee explains the unique qualities of some herbal plants being cultivated in the garden; Months before its official opening in July, the Herbal Garden (right) is already attracting traditional Chinese medicine students.

Efforts from the Government, academia and students will soon make Hong Kong a leading centre for traditional Chinese medicine research and practice, a renowned practitioner of both Western and Chinese medicine predicts.

Dr Edwin Yu, a pediatric specialist and Chinese medicine researcher, as well as university professor, spoke to news.gov.hk as he put the finishing touches to his latest project �V the Herbal Garden of the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences.

The patch of green is located just a stone's throw from the museum building - a two-storey century-old red-brick structure of classic Edwardian design. The whole set-up is brought into sharp relief as it is surrounded by highrises of a much more recent vintage.