As an expat in Beijing, you will inevitably visit a hospital in the Chinese capital city for one reason or another. It can be an intimidating prospect, regardless of whether you have been living in the city for a few years or are a total newbie. You will have some questions about visiting a hospital in Beijing, and we hope to answer all of them for you in this guide.

From cheap local clinics to fancy private hospitals, and from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to high-tech laser cosmetic surgeries, China has it all because medicine is big business in the country. And if you live in Beijing, you have many options to choose from when dealing with any medical emergency or elective procedure.

Cultural Note

In many countries, it’s common practice for people to go to a local general practitioner’s (GP) clinic for simple medical issues and go to a big hospital only for serious medical conditions or emergencies.

In China, there are small clinics in most residential areas, but in general, Chinese people prefer to go to a hospital for any ailments they may have. So don’t be shocked when, for example, a colleague tells you to visit a hospital to get treatment for a common cold or a mild case of food poisoning.