Traditional Chinese medicine in China
Acupuncture and TCM in a Chinese public hospital, alongside the medical care you already have
For people with long-running pain, poor sleep, fatigue or menstrual problems who want to try TCM where it is part of everyday hospital care. At provincial public hospitals in China, routine acupuncture is priced at CNY 70 (≈ USD 10) a session, and a hospital outpatient consultation costs CNY 50–100 (≈ USD 7–15) depending on the physician’s grade. Not sure where to start? Tell us what is bothering you and we suggest a plan.
Routine acupuncture at a provincial public hospital, per session (Fujian price list, 2025)
CNY 70 (≈ USD 10)
Outpatient consultation at a Beijing public tertiary hospital, by physician grade (2019 reform)
CNY 50–100 (≈ USD 7–15)
TCM hospitals in China (NHC, 2024)
6,397
TCM visits in China in 2024 (NHC)
1.68 billion
Acupuncture, price per session (sources: cost guides and practitioner body, 2025–26; China: Fujian provincial price list, 2025)
| Where | Price per session | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| USA | USD 75–200 | Cost guide, 2025–26 |
| UK | GBP 20–80 | Practitioner body, current |
| Canada (Ontario) | CAD 115–145 | Cost guide, 2025 |
| Australia | AUD 60–120 | Cost guide, 2026 |
| China (provincial public hospital) | CNY 70 (≈ USD 10); 20–40% more with a senior physician | Provincial price list, 2025 |
How it is done in China
TCM is a hospital department, not a spa treatment
China has 6,397 TCM hospitals and 971,000 licensed TCM physicians (NHC, 2024), and large general hospitals have TCM departments too. A physician can combine acupuncture or electro-acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, gua sha, tui na massage and a herbal formula, usually as a course of several sessions rather than a single visit.
How TCM sees you
The same symptom can lead to different treatment
TCM describes the body in terms of yin and yang, qi and blood. A TCM physician asks about your sleep, digestion, energy and cycle, looks at your tongue and takes your pulse, then names your pattern or constitution. Two people with the same headache may be treated differently, so the plan starts from you rather than from the symptom.
Alongside medical care
In China, TCM is used together with conventional treatment
Results differ from person to person. TCM is used alongside medical care, not instead of it. Keep seeing your own doctor, bring your test results and medicines list, and tell both doctors what you take, because herbs can interact with prescription drugs.
Why China
Go where TCM is mainstream medicine
There were 1.68 billion TCM visits in China in 2024, 840 million of them at TCM hospitals. Public hospital prices are set by provincial price lists, so a course of treatment costs a fraction of paying per session at home, and the same trip can include a conventional checkup.
We handle the China part
An English-speaking coordinator from airport to aftercare
We book the hospital, meet you at the airport, arrange a hotel near the hospital, put an interpreter beside you at every appointment, help with WeChat and Alipay payment, translate your reports into English and stay in touch for follow-up after you fly home.
How it works
- 1
1. Tell us what is bothering you
Use the form on this page to describe your symptoms, how long you have had them and what you have already tried. You can send test results when we follow up.
- 2
2. Get a suggested plan and quote
We suggest a hospital, the kind of treatment to start with and how many days to plan for, with the fees itemised.
- 3
3. Treatment in China
A TCM physician reads your tongue and pulse, sets your plan and adjusts it as you go. A coordinator and interpreter are with you throughout, and you can add a conventional checkup.
- 4
4. Back home
You leave with your treatment notes and any herbal prescription translated into English, to share with your own doctor.
Common questions
How much does acupuncture cost in China?
Public hospital prices are set by provincial price lists. At Fujian’s provincial tertiary hospitals, routine acupuncture is CNY 70 (≈ USD 10) a session (2025), priced per session rather than per needle, with 20% more for an associate chief physician and 40% more for a chief physician. Local insurance covers it for insured residents. Foreign patients pay the full price, and international departments charge more.
What does a TCM consultation involve?
The physician asks about your main complaint and about sleep, appetite, digestion, energy and, for women, your cycle. They look at your tongue, take your pulse and then describe your pattern and suggest treatment and daily habits. At a Beijing public tertiary hospital the outpatient fee is CNY 50 (≈ USD 7) for an ordinary physician and up to CNY 100 (≈ USD 15) for a renowned expert. It guides TCM treatment and does not replace medical tests.
Is traditional Chinese medicine effective?
In China, TCM is part of everyday hospital care, used for pain, sleep, digestion, stress and women’s health, often over a course of acupuncture, tui na or herbs. A TCM physician treats your pattern rather than a single symptom, so two people with the same complaint may get different plans. Results differ from person to person, and TCM is used alongside medical care, not as a replacement for it.
How do you find a TCM doctor in China as a foreigner?
Large public hospitals have TCM departments, and China has 6,397 dedicated TCM hospitals (NHC, 2024). Physicians there are licensed, and you can choose by grade, from an ordinary physician to a chief physician. We book the appointment and an interpreter sits in on every consultation.
What is acupuncture treatment like in China?
It usually takes place in a hospital TCM or acupuncture department after a consultation. The physician chooses the points for your pattern and may add electro-acupuncture, moxibustion or cupping in the same session. Treatment is normally a series of sessions, and the physician adjusts the plan as you respond.
Questions patients ask
- Yin-Yang, Five Elements and Qi Explained: TCM for Beginners
A plain-English guide to yin and yang, the five elements, qi and meridians, how a TCM doctor in China uses them, how to start qigong, and what to read first.
- A TCM Wellness Week in China: Cost, Sessions and How It Feels
What a week of TCM in China looks like: daily acupuncture and tui na, what it costs compared with home, what the needles feel like, herbs, and insurance.
- TCM Therapies Explained: Acupuncture, Cupping, Gua Sha and More
What acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, tui na and qigong involve, how China combines them, and honest answers on dry needling and facial gua sha.
- TCM Tongue and Pulse Diagnosis: What Happens at a Consultation
What a TCM consultation in China involves, how doctors read your tongue and pulse, how accurate pulse reading is, and how to prepare for your first visit.
- TCM in China as a Foreigner: Hospitals, Doctors and Cost
How foreigners see a TCM doctor in China: which hospitals to use, how to judge a doctor, what public price lists show and how acupuncture and herbs work there.
- TCM for Sleep, Stress and Women's Health: What to Expect
How Chinese hospitals use acupuncture and TCM for stress, sleep, fatigue, fertility, IVF and endometriosis, how TCM reads each problem and how to use it safely.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: How It Works and How to Use It Safely
How Chinese herbal prescriptions are made and prepared, raw herbs vs granules vs pills, interactions and quality, pregnancy, and finding a qualified prescriber.
- Acupuncture for Chronic Back Pain and Migraine: What to Expect
How Chinese hospitals use acupuncture, cupping and qigong for chronic back pain, migraine, sciatica and nerve pain, how TCM reads pain and what patients say.
- Acupuncture Cost: US, UK, Canada, Australia and China Compared
Acupuncture prices per session in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and China, what a full course costs, how many sessions people need and how they are spaced.
- Does Acupuncture Work? An Honest Answer for Patients
Does acupuncture work? How it is used in Chinese hospitals, how TCM explains it, what patients report and how to judge your own response over a defined course.
USD amounts converted at about CNY 6.70 per USD (2026-10-07), for reference only. Foreign patients pay the full listed price.