Traditional Chinese Medicine in China: A Guide for Visitors
By MedBridgeNZ — medical concierge and logistics coordination
Evidence last checked: 15 October 2026
You might come across traditional Chinese medicine in China while looking for help with persistent pain, comparing health checkups or choosing a quiet place to stay. Soon, the same words—acupuncture, Tuina, wellness—appear on hospital websites and resort menus. It can be hard to tell what you are actually booking.
Start with the visit you want: a medical consultation, a TCM discussion around a checkup, or a leisure experience. Those choices can sit within one trip, but they involve different people, preparation and expectations.
Three Ways to Explore Traditional Chinese Medicine in China
If you want to… | Start with… | The key booking question |
Discuss pain, an existing diagnosis or rehabilitation | A clinical appointment with the relevant hospital department | Who will assess you, and what records do they need? |
Add a TCM discussion to a health checkup | A consultation included in the package or booked separately | If you want new results discussed, will they be ready for the clinician? |
Rest, learn or explore TCM culture | A wellness stay, class or cultural activity | Who delivers the session, and is it recreational or a clinical service? |
For a medical visit, settle three practical details early: how you will communicate, what the written estimate includes, and which records you can take home. A clinic or coordination team can help work through these with you.
A Hospital Visit for Pain or Rehabilitation
When a health problem has dragged on, wanting another perspective is understandable. Tell the hospital what you hope to discuss—pain, an existing treatment plan or difficulty with everyday activities—so it can identify the relevant appointment and request your records.
In Shanghai, Yueyang Hospital’s international department lists Tuina, acupuncture and rehabilitation medicine among its specialties. Jiahui also offers TCM services, with English listed among the languages spoken by some clinicians. [1, 2]
Ask which department you will see and what the appointment covers. Stroke rehabilitation and postoperative recovery also need planning for care between appointments, not just a list of treatments.
[EDITORIAL INTERNAL LINK: A3 — TCM hospital appointments in Shanghai; add after verified publication.]
A TCM Consultation Around a Health Checkup
A TCM consultation may be arranged with your checkup provider or at another clinic. Jiahui, for example, offers both health management and TCM services; ask whether your particular package includes a consultation or requires a separate booking. [2, 3]
The timing depends on what you want to discuss. An existing concern may draw on records you already have. New checkup findings require the relevant reports to be ready and available to the clinician—even when both appointments are with one provider. A TCM consultation and the screening physician’s explanation of results are separate services to clarify when booking.
Our guide to adding a TCM consultation to a health checkup in China covers package choices, report timing and the handover between appointments.
A Wellness Stay or a Cultural Experience
If your aim is to unwind or try a movement class, the instructor, setting and teaching language may matter more to your choice than a hospital affiliation.
Medical and leisure services can use similar terminology. Sanya’s government medical guide lists acupuncture, rehabilitation and international services at Sanya Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Elsewhere, Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain in Sichuan lists Tai Chi and Tui Na among its wellness and spa offerings. [4, 5]
Tuina, a form of manual therapy, can appear in both settings. Ask who provides the session and whether it includes a clinical assessment. For a class, check the teaching language and accessibility; for a medical concern, ask about a clinical appointment rather than assuming a spa treatment will cover it.
[EDITORIAL INTERNAL LINK: C1 — hospital services, resorts and cultural experiences in Sanya; add after verified publication.]
Setting Realistic Expectations for Treatment and Classes
Once you know the kind of visit you want, consider what you hope it will achieve. Research suggests acupuncture may help certain chronic pain conditions and Tai Chi may help knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Herbal medicine needs a discussion of the specific prescription, its evidence and possible medicine interactions. Findings about individual treatments are not evidence for a whole TCM package. [6, 9, 13, 17]
Acupuncture: In research on chronic back pain and knee osteoarthritis pain, benefits have often been larger compared with no treatment than with sham, or simulated, acupuncture. [9] Guidelines also differ: WHO’s 2023 guideline conditionally supports considering needling therapies for chronic primary low back pain, based on low-certainty evidence; NICE advises against acupuncture for low back pain with or without sciatica. Ask a clinician how the relevant guidance fits your diagnosis and the rest of your care. [10, 11]
Ask about practitioner qualifications and sterile, single-use needles. Incorrectly delivered acupuncture can cause infection or serious injury. [9]
[EDITORIAL INTERNAL LINK: A1 — acupuncture for chronic pain: evidence and limits; add after verified publication.]
Tai Chi: A 2016 knee osteoarthritis trial found similar pain improvements with its Tai Chi and physical therapy programmes; the Tai Chi classes ran twice weekly for 12 weeks. [12] Across the wider research, programmes and study quality vary. [17] A holiday class can introduce a practice you might continue at home, rather than reproduce the sustained programme studied in a trial.
Chinese herbal medicine: Side effects and product quality need attention alongside possible interactions. Give the prescribing clinician your complete medicine and supplement list, including doses, and ask what the prescription contains and how to use it. [6, 13]
A useful question for a clinical appointment is: “For my condition, what improvement are we aiming for, and how will we assess it?” The answer should help you understand the proposed care, rather than leave you with a broad promise of better health.
What to Expect in a Chinese Hospital Consultation
A TCM consultation may involve discussing your symptoms and medical history alongside traditional assessments such as pulse-taking. Bring relevant reports, imaging and a list of medicines and supplements so the clinician can consider the information you already have. The assessment and treatments offered depend on the department and appointment. [2, 6, 7]
If the doctor uses a traditional “pattern” or “constitution” term, ask what it means for the proposed care and how it relates to your existing diagnosis. Traditional assessment has a different role from medical screening; it should not delay necessary investigation of symptoms. [6]
[EDITORIAL INTERNAL LINK: B2 — TCM constitution assessment and medical screening; add after verified publication.]
You may also see the term integrative care, meaning coordinated use of conventional and complementary approaches. [8] For a visitor, the useful question is how that coordination works: who can see your records, who explains the findings, and whom you contact afterwards. Booking two appointments alone does not answer those questions.
Adding a Visit to Your Trip—or Travelling Specifically for Care?
If you are already going to China, the main planning question is whether the appointment fits your dates, with time for any results or further discussion. If you are travelling specifically for care, start with a different question: what does this particular clinician or service add to your options at home?
Acupuncture is available in many countries. [9] Compare the proposed care, language support and follow-up alongside the full cost of travel, accommodation and assistance—not just the price of a session. Discuss how any continuing care would work after you return. A low appointment fee is only one part of that decision.
Stroke and Postoperative Rehabilitation Need a Separate Plan
For a family arranging rehabilitation, the hours between therapy sessions can matter as much as the appointments. Who will help with moving around, personal care or meals? Who is responsible if care needs change?
Stroke rehabilitation requires an appropriate clinical plan. NICE emphasises a specialist multidisciplinary team; a particular acupuncture or Tuina appointment cannot stand in for assessment of the person’s wider rehabilitation needs. [14]
Postoperative arrangements depend on the procedure and the treating team’s requirements. Discuss travel plans and continuity of care with the relevant clinicians before committing to the trip. [15]
The clinical teams should establish care needs and travel suitability. Family members and coordinators can then identify who will provide nursing or daily assistance, accommodation and transport. Those arrangements should cover the time between therapy appointments as well as the sessions themselves.
Before You Book, Agree What the Visit Will Include
Once you have chosen the type of visit, ask the clinic or coordination team to put the practical details in writing. Begin with the clinician or department, the exact location and what you are booked to discuss.
Plan for conversations and documents. You may need support at reception or during tests as well as in the consulting room. Ask which consultation notes and reports the clinic can provide in English, and which will need translation for your doctor at home. [2, 15]
Make the estimate readable. Separate consultation, tests and treatment from interpretation, documents, transport and accommodation. Some treatment costs may depend on the consultation; the estimate should make that uncertainty clear. Check coverage for planned overseas care with your insurer under your particular policy. [15]
Leave time for what follows the appointment. Reports and further discussions may fall on different dates from the visit itself. Where repeated treatment is proposed, timing should follow the medical team’s plan. Check current entry requirements for your passport, purpose and route before booking travel.
Before leaving, agree how you will receive any outstanding documents and whom to contact with clinical questions. Keep original records with their translations. Our English medical reports and DICOM checklist covers reports and original imaging files; the hospital visit guide covers arrival preparations. [15]
[EDITORIAL INTERNAL LINK: B3 — prescription records and destination-country rules; add after verified publication.]
A short brief to send with your enquiry
I’m considering [a hospital consultation / a TCM consultation around a checkup / a wellness activity] in [city] during [dates]. I would like to [discuss this health question / try this activity]. I need [language support, accessibility or help from a companion]. Please confirm who would provide the service, what the estimate includes, what I should bring and which records I can receive afterwards. If new checkup results are needed, when should I book the consultation?
Use the parts relevant to your visit. A cultural activity and a medical consultation will need different information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreigners visit a TCM hospital in China?
Yes. Some hospitals publish international-patient services, including Yueyang in Shanghai. Confirm the department and location for the service you want, together with identification requirements and language arrangements. [1]
Is integrative medicine the same as TCM?
No. TCM refers to a traditional medical system and its methods; integrative care describes coordinated use of conventional and complementary approaches. Having both available at one hospital does not, by itself, explain how your care will be coordinated. [6, 8]
Can I combine a health checkup with a TCM consultation?
It may be possible through one provider or separate appointments. If you want new checkup findings considered, confirm when the relevant results will be available and how the clinician will receive them. Our checkup-and-TCM guide covers package choices and timing.
Is a wellness retreat the same as medical rehabilitation?
No. Accommodation, classes and relaxation treatments are different from a rehabilitation programme. If you need rehabilitation, ask who assesses you, who provides treatment and whether any required nursing or daily assistance is included.
Do I need to travel to China for acupuncture?
No. Acupuncture is available in many countries. [9] Choose based on the clinician, proposed care, practical support and follow-up. The research cited here evaluates treatments, not whether travelling to China improves their results.
How MedBridgeNZ Can Help Plan Your Visit
If you are considering a hospital visit or a TCM consultation in China, share your preferred city, dates, language needs and the question you hope to discuss. MedBridgeNZ can help clarify appointment arrangements and costs with the provider, organise records and translation, and coordinate transport and accommodation around confirmed appointments. We can also help request provider-issued records and coordinate further communication with the treating team. [16]
MedBridgeNZ is a medical concierge provider. We do not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Clinical assessment, treatment decisions and follow-up care remain with the medical team.
References
Shanghai Municipal Government. Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Affiliated to Shanghai University of TCM. International department directory; source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health.
Jiahui Health. Traditional Chinese Medicine. Services and clinician language listings.
Jiahui Health. Health Management Center.
The People’s Government of Sanya City. Sanya Medical Care Guide.
Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain. Wellness & Spa. Provider listing used to identify activities, not as evidence of medical effectiveness.
NCCIH. Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know. Updated April 2019.
Shanghai Municipal Government / City News Service. All about Western & TCM health checks in Shanghai. Used for the description of traditional assessment methods.
NCCIH. Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name?. Updated April 2021.
WHO. Chronic primary low back pain guideline: recommendation table. 2023; NCBI Bookshelf official hosting.
NICE. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management — NG59 recommendations.
Wang C, et al. Comparative Effectiveness of Tai Chi Versus Physical Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2016;165(2):77–86. DOI: 10.7326/M15-2143.
NICE. Stroke rehabilitation in adults — NG236 recommendations. 2023.
CDC Yellow Book. Medical Tourism. 23 April 2025.
MedBridgeNZ. Services. Company information on administrative and logistical support.
NCCIH. Tai Chi: What You Need To Know. Used for the overview of research on knee osteoarthritis, including pain, physical function and evidence limitations.
