Shanghai, November 2, 2026 — Two delegations from a 2026 Belt and Road programme that trains Western-trained doctors in traditional Chinese medicine recently visited Longhua Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Most of the visitors were medical school professors and Western-trained physicians from countries along the Belt and Road, the hospital said.

The visits were designed as teaching in real clinical settings, with cultural immersion and two-way dialogue, so that overseas practitioners could understand TCM’s diagnostic system and strengths in a professional way, rather than only as a cultural display.

Teaching in the wards

The first group, of more than 20 overseas medical experts, visited the hospital’s dermatology department, TCM surgery department and International Medical Center. In the clinical departments, staff introduced herbal steaming, wet herbal compresses and other external treatments, as well as hospital-made plasters, ointments and medicated powders, and explained how these methods are used in practice. The visitors watched the care of inpatients with eczema and shingles, observed demonstrations of fire-needling and bian-lian, a traditional external technique, and discussed pattern differentiation, how results are assessed, and how Chinese and Western medicine can work together.

A door for overseas patients

At the International Medical Center, the visitors were briefed on the hospital’s characteristic TCM care and its international medical services for overseas patients. The hospital said the center’s modern setting, and its layout incorporating elements of TCM culture, left a clear impression.

A second group of more than 40 people then spent time at the same center for a more immersive introduction to Shanghai-style TCM. After a briefing on the hospital, the center and the core ideas of treating the body as a whole and basing care on pattern differentiation, they identified herbs used in medicinal teas, tried a short, supervised acupuncture session, learned the layout of ear acupoints and received ear seeds, and marked their home countries on a “One Needle Connecting the World” map. They also toured the hospital’s fine Chinese pharmacy and heard how traditional formulas are prepared and compounded.

From technique to clinical thinking

Drawing on strengths such as the Gu school of surgery, a Shanghai-style TCM specialty, the hospital said it will continue to offer immersive clinical teaching for medical staff from Belt and Road countries. The aim, it said, is to move the international communication of TCM from demonstrations of technique toward an exchange of clinical thinking, and to help train practitioners who understand both Chinese and Western medicine and have an international outlook.

The hospital added that it will keep using its Shanghai-style TCM strengths to deepen international education and exchange, and to contribute to a “Healthy Silk Road.”

For readers comparing hospitals and specialties in Shanghai, directories such as Find Chinese Doctors and DialysisChina can help map options across public and specialty care before a visit.

Editor: Chen Qing @ ShanghaiDoctor.cn

If you need any help with medical care in Shanghai/China, be free to let us know at Chenqing@ShanghaiDoctor.cn.

Source: Translated and adapted from Longhua Hospital, longhua.net.