Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences: A National Leading TCM Hospital in Beijing

Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, was established on December 19, 1955, together with the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was the first large-scale traditional Chinese medicine hospital built by the Central People’s Government after the founding of New China, with an important mission to promote the clinical development, research, and modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.

At the beginning of its establishment, renowned physicians from different regions gathered at Xiyuan Hospital. The hospital developed strong early advantages in internal medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, and acupuncture, and gradually became home to many respected TCM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine experts.

Xiyuan Hospital is a Grade III Class A comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine hospital and a national demonstration TCM hospital. It is also an affiliated hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and serves as its First Clinical Institute of Medicine and Pharmacology.

In recent years, the hospital has been approved for several important national platforms, including the National Clinical Research Center for TCM Cardiovascular Diseases, a national engineering research center, a national regional medical center, a guided construction unit for a national medical center in the field of TCM, a national TCM inheritance and innovation center, a national TCM clinical teaching and training demonstration center, and an international science and technology cooperation base.

Xiyuan Hospital has built a complete clinical specialty system and follows the development model of “specialty, disease focus, expert team, and specialized medicine.” The hospital has 35 clinical departments, 8 medical technology departments, 21 inpatient wards, 800 planned beds, and 760 open beds.

The hospital has 5 national clinical key specialties, including cardiovascular medicine, spleen and stomach disease, hematology, pulmonary disease, and geriatric medicine. It also has 14 key specialties of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 14 national TCM advantage specialties, and 12 Beijing TCM key specialties under the 14th Five-Year Plan.

The cardiovascular department of Xiyuan Hospital was established in 1960 and is one of the earliest TCM cardiovascular disease specialties in China. The hematology department was founded in 1962 and has become both a national clinical key specialty and a key discipline of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

For difficult and complex diseases, multi-system disorders, and multi-organ conditions, the hospital has opened 11 one-stop multidisciplinary clinics. These clinics provide integrated assessment and optimized treatment planning by combining TCM thinking, modern diagnostic tools, and multidisciplinary medical resources.

Xiyuan Hospital has a strong medical talent system. The hospital currently has 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 National TCM Masters, 1 National Famous TCM Doctor, 1 chief scientist of the Qihuang Project, 9 Qihuang or Young Qihuang Scholars, and 12 Capital Famous TCM Doctors.

The hospital also has 20 national senior TCM academic experience inheritance instructors and 36 experts receiving special government allowances from the State Council. It has 61 doctoral supervisors and 181 master’s supervisors, supporting both clinical practice and academic development.

The hospital is equipped with modern large-scale medical equipment, including GE Infinia-Hawkeye dual-head ECT, 128-slice and 16-slice spiral CT, 1.5T dual-gradient MRI, digital radiography systems, and fully automated biochemical analyzers. These facilities support diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical research across multiple departments.

Xiyuan Hospital is also the affiliated unit of several academic organizations, including hospital management, integrative medicine, blood circulation and stasis research, cardiovascular medicine, geriatric medicine, and medicated diet research societies. This academic network supports the hospital’s role in TCM modernization and clinical research development.

Xiyuan Hospital has long coordinated clinical care with scientific research and is regarded as one of the most productive research institutions in China’s traditional Chinese medicine field. Over the past decades, the hospital has undertaken more than 1,000 national-level projects, including national “973” and “863” programs, key research and development projects, major science and technology projects, National Natural Science Foundation projects, and international cooperation programs.

The hospital has independently developed and transferred more than 70 new medicines and received more than 300 awards at different levels. The research on blood stasis syndrome and activating blood circulation, led by academicians Chen Keji and Li Lianda, received the First Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2003, making Xiyuan Hospital the first institution in the TCM field to receive this distinction.

Xiyuan Hospital is an important birthplace of integrated Chinese-Western medical education. In 1955, it was entrusted by the Ministry of Health to organize China’s first national “Western Medicine Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine” training program. It has held 25 sessions and trained more than 1,000 academic backbone professionals in integrative medicine.

The hospital has also pioneered graduate education in traditional Chinese medicine and has three first-level postdoctoral research stations in TCM, integrated Chinese-Western medicine, and Chinese materia medica. Each year, it trains more than 160 graduate students for the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Xiyuan Hospital is a national international science and technology cooperation base, a national TCM remote medical healthcare base, and a Beijing TCM cultural tourism demonstration base. In 2023, the Xiyuan Hospital Jining Hospital project became part of China’s fifth batch of national regional medical centers. In March 2024, the new campus of Xiyuan Hospital Jining Hospital opened with a total investment of 3.23 billion RMB and 1,300 beds.

Through the introduction of advanced disciplines and management teams, Xiyuan Hospital supports regional TCM medical capacity improvement and promotes the transfer of management experience and medical technology. The hospital continues to serve as a leading institution in TCM modernization and international exchange.

"Xiyuan Hospital carries the mission of promoting traditional Chinese medicine, serving society, and advancing modern, innovative, and intelligent TCM healthcare."