China emerges as next global medical tourism hotspot

HAIKOU - Svetlana Shipetko and her two sons did not just come to south China’s tropical island of Hainan to escape the freezing Siberian weather.

Shipetko had an equally important goal to ease her lower back pain. Instead of prescribing painkillers, Shipetko’s Chinese doctor Tang Yi performed the traditional Chinese therapy of “tuina,” which literally means “push-and-pinch.” Every morning, Shipetko received the therapy at the Sanya Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, then spent the rest of the day bathing in the sun. “It is great,” she told Xinhua through an interpreter. “No pills, no injections, but I feel much better.” Shipetko is one of tens of thousands of Russians who flock to Hainan every year. The island province has received 800,000 Russian tourists in the past seven years. Almost 80 percent of them tried some form of traditional Chinese therapy during their stay either to treat a particular ailment or simply for wellness, health authorities said. Rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has in recent years gained popularity in a world dominated by modern Western medicine. Clinics have proliferated outside of China, but many face challenges such as getting herbs across the border or luring experienced professionals to work overseas. As a result, more foreigners are coming to China for TCM treatment or therapy. The boom is particularly felt in Sanya, where Russian-language advertisements for acupuncture pop up across the city.

(Xinhuanet.com)