Traditional Chinese Medicine in China: Hospitals & What to Expect

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM, 中医) is part of mainstream healthcare in mainland China, not a spa add-on. There are dedicated TCM hospitals in every city, TCM departments inside general hospitals, and licensed TCM doctors. Under China's TCM Law, TCM hospitals need government approval and a practising licence like any other hospital^[1]. For visitors the main questions are where to go, what the evidence says, and how to use herbs safely alongside your regular medicines.

How TCM is organised in Chinese hospitals

You will meet TCM in three settings:

• 中医院 (TCM hospital) — often named 中医医院 or 中医药大学附属医院 (affiliated hospital of a TCM university). These are full hospitals with wards, imaging and labs, plus TCM departments.
• 中医科 / 中西医结合科 (TCM or integrated medicine department) inside a general hospital.
• TCM clinics (中医诊所) — small outpatient practices. The TCM Law requires them to file with the county TCM authority and stay within their registered scope^[1].

Common department names:

What international visitors usually seek

• Acupuncture for back and neck pain, joint pain, headaches and migraine.
• Tuina, cupping (拔罐) and moxibustion (艾灸).
• Herbal consultations for chronic complaints such as digestive problems, fatigue or menstrual issues.
• Rehabilitation after injury or stroke, where TCM is combined with physiotherapy — see rehabilitation.

Treatment details, session prices and what to expect are on TCM therapies.

What the evidence says

Be realistic:

• Acupuncture may help several pain conditions, including back or neck pain, knee osteoarthritis and post-operative pain, according to NIH's NCCIH^[6]. A Cochrane review found acupuncture reduces migraine frequency compared with no acupuncture, with a small advantage over sham needling^[7]. For chronic low-back pain, Cochrane found it better than no treatment but not clinically better than sham for immediate pain relief^[8].
• Herbal medicine: NCCIH notes many studies of Chinese herbal products are of poor quality, so firm conclusions about effectiveness cannot be drawn^[9].
• The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 calls for integrating evidence-based traditional medicine into health systems and for better research — a framework, not an endorsement of specific therapies^[5].

TCM is best used for comfort, function and quality of life, alongside — not instead of — evidence-based treatment for serious illness.

National designations

The NHC set up the 国家中西医结合医学中心 (National Center for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine) at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing in July 2022^[2]; it opened in October 2022^[3]. In December 2024 the National Administration of TCM and the NHC issued setting standards for further integrated-medicine centres based at integrated (中西医结合) hospitals^[4]. TCM departments can also hold 国家临床重点专科 or TCM-administration key specialty status; hospitals list these on their introduction pages.

Strong cities

TCM is everywhere. In our directory the largest number of TCM providers are in Shanghai, followed by Beijing and Guangzhou; Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou and Nanjing also have major TCM university hospitals. Combining a TCM course with sightseeing works well in Chengdu and Hangzhou. Browse hospitals with TCM.

Two routes and price tiers

Ordinary TCM clinic (普通门诊) at a public hospital. Register with your passport and pay per visit; acupuncture and tuina are billed per session. Basic medical services in public hospitals follow government-guided prices that apply to all patients^[12]. Doctors rarely speak English, and herbal prescriptions come with Chinese instructions — bring a translator or app. See your first hospital visit without a Chinese ID.

International department, VIP (特需) clinic, or a private TCM clinic. English-speaking practitioners or interpreters, longer sessions and higher, self-set fees. As a published example of the gap between tiers, China-Japan Friendship Hospital lists ¥500 for a chief-physician consultation in its international department against ¥50 for an ordinary attending-physician appointment^[13]. Hotel and wellness "TCM therapies" are not medical care; check that the provider is a licensed medical institution.

Preparing

• A list of diagnoses, medicines and supplements, in English and Chinese.
• Recent test results and imaging if you are going for pain or a chronic condition.
• Tell the doctor if you take blood thinners, are pregnant, or have a pacemaker (relevant to electro-acupuncture).
• Plan a course: acupuncture and tuina are usually given as several sessions over one to three weeks.

Questions to ask

1. Is this a licensed medical institution, and is the practitioner a licensed TCM doctor?
2. How many sessions do you recommend, and how will we judge whether it is working?
3. Are needles single-use?
4. What exactly is in this herbal prescription? Can I have a written ingredient list?
5. Could any of these herbs interact with my medicines?
6. Can you give me the prescription as granules or a finished product rather than raw herbs to take home?

Risks and follow-up

• Acupuncture by trained practitioners with sterile needles has a good safety record; side effects are usually minor bruising or soreness, but poorly performed acupuncture can cause serious harm^[6].
• Herb–drug interactions matter most for medicines such as warfarin, digoxin and chemotherapy^[10].
• Contaminated products: some Chinese herbal products have been found with heavy metals, undeclared drugs or misidentified herbs^[9]. Buy from hospital pharmacies, not street markets.
• Taking herbs home: some items, such as whole ginseng roots, are CITES-controlled^[11]. Check your country's import rules; see medicines and prescriptions.
• Follow-up: tell your doctor at home what you took and for how long.

Next steps

• Browse hospitals with TCM and read TCM therapies.
• Write to a TCM department with the bilingual inquiry letter tool.
• Plan a course of treatment with travel in the AI planner.