Almost 100 medical students at the University of Coimbra in Portugal are taking an introductory class in Chinese traditional medicine class put on by the Confucius Institute, Ponto Final reports.

The Macau newspaper quotes University of Coimbra Vice-rector Joaquim Ramos de Carvalho as saying there is “enormous curiosity” among the students about Chinese traditional medicine.

The report says the top 15 students in the class this year will spend two weeks at the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Mr Carvalho said his university was considering opening the class to the general public.