Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM is gaining popularity through an increasingly complete clinic network in Beijing. Grassroots level hospital like Sanlitun Community Health Center has become an easy choice for people to get to know and experience traditional Chinese medicine. Among all TCM diagnosis and treatment services, acupuncture and decoction projects are the most popular. 

Renaat Morel is Belgian, but has worked in the Chinese capital for many years. He's a frequent visitor to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chaoyang's Sanlitun Community Health Service Center. 

RENAAT MOREL Belgian businessman living in Beijing "I have a small problem on my hip, and we know the doctor, so I asked her one time what's the problem, she said, yes, but it's not this part, you can walk normal, so it must be something in your back, and we will do acupuncture in your back and we will see. So, it's very convenient."

Sanlitun Community Health Service Center is one of the pilot projects of Chaoyang District's International Service Base for TCM. The center has a professional team of outpatient doctors providing services to foreigners who have received professional training and can communicate with foreign guests in English. 

ZHANG RUI Director, Health Commission of Chaoyang District "We are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for our foreign patients where they can enjoy high-quality traditional medicine services. That includes providing convenient payment channels for patients using foreign currency, setting up bilingual clinics and hosting activities to promote TCM knowledge to the international community living and working in Chaoyang District."

Since 2012, Chaoyang District has implemented the talent training project for the inheritance of TCM. At the same time, it has established TCM medical alliances in accordance with regional characteristics and close urban medical group cooperation, and promoted the construction of a TCM health service system that integrates preventive care, disease treatment and rehabilitation, and elderly care – providing more convenient, efficient and high-quality medical services. 

ZHANG RUI Director, Health Commission of Chaoyang District "We have set up 385 experts' studios and masters' workstations at the grassroots level through which we have trained more than 600 TCM talents. Currently, we have around 2200 TCM doctors at the grassroots level, accounting for 45% of the total in Chaoyang District."

In the future, Chaoyang District will continue to focus on the work of expanding high-quality TCM resources into the grassroots level through its extensive medical network so that more patients can gain access to TCM services close to their home.