China's Top Departments: TCM Clinic at Guangdong Clifford Hospital

If you have ever been curious about authentic Traditional Chinese Medicine — herbal formulas, acupuncture, moxibustion — delivered inside a modern, JCI-accredited hospital rather than a standalone herbal shop, the Clifford TCM Clinic (祈福国医馆, "Qifu Guoyiguan") at Guangdong Clifford Hospital in Guangzhou offers exactly that combination: renowned veteran TCM physicians practicing on the platform of China's first large general Grade 3A hospital to pass international JCI accreditation, with an International Medical Department that helps cross-border patients combine modern medical examinations with TCM conditioning under one roof.

Overview

The Clifford TCM Clinic (祈福国医馆, "Qifu Guoyiguan") is a key part of Guangdong Clifford Hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) specialty section (listed alongside the Department of Preventive Treatment), and is featured on the hospital's official homepage as one of the hospital's specially established ("特设") units. The clinic adopts an integrated model that combines TCM consultation and treatment, health rehabilitation, and wellness guidance, offering patients whole-chain TCM health services that cover the treatment phase, recovery phase and everyday health maintenance.

According to a China News Service (Guangdong) report, the Clifford TCM Clinic in Panyu, Guangzhou held a grand reopening, with more than 20 TCM experts providing free public consultations for three consecutive days. Many residents came to seek medical advice and experienced TCM therapies such as moxibustion, auricular (ear) seed pressing, and warm-channeling scraping (guasha). The clinic also houses a dedicated TCM Culture Exhibition Hall, displaying more than 600 specimens of Chinese medicinal materials (mainly Lingnan-region herbs), TCM diagnostic instruments, herbal processing tools and classical medical texts.

For Hong Kong, Macao and international patients, the clinic can draw on the hospital's international JCI-standard management system and its International Medical Department, integrating modern medical examinations with TCM conditioning within the same hospital — well suited to cross-border care, chronic-condition management and TCM wellness needs.

Standing and Accreditations

• Positioning: According to Peng Linji, Chairman of Clifford Group and founder of Clifford Hospital, the hospital builds on years of experience in TCM discipline development and talent training, and pursues a green, integrated treatment system combining Chinese medicine, Western medicine and naturopathy. It vigorously develops TCM external therapies and a "famous department, famous physicians, famous medicines" project, recruits renowned veteran TCM doctors, and trains TCM talent through a mentorship ("师承") model.
• Strategic context: Amid Guangdong Province's development of a National Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone for TCM, the hospital built the Clifford TCM Clinic to a high standard, aiming to create a "TCM highland" and a platform that brings together renowned TCM masters nationwide — a model for inheriting, innovating and revitalising TCM.
• Hospital-level background (for international readers): The hospital is China's first large general Grade-A Tertiary hospital accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) (integrative Chinese-Western medicine; Hong Kong-invested; founded in 2001 by Professor Peng Linji of Clifford Group). It is a National Good Clinical Practice (GCP) base, a Guangdong provincial teaching hospital for higher medical education, a Guangdong Famous TCM Hospital, a designated institution under the Greater Bay Area "Hong Kong/Macao Medicine and Device Connect" scheme, a Hong Kong "Elderly Health Care Voucher" pilot institution, and China's first private hospital to receive SHARC international accreditation; in January 2026 it became the first private hospital in China to pass international hospital review accreditation.
• Note: As of this update, the hospital's official website does not publish a standalone "key specialty" designation for the Clifford TCM Clinic; this guide states matters factually and does not exaggerate.

Core Strengths and Features

• A gathering of renowned veteran TCM physicians: The clinic brings together figures such as Lai Xinsheng (a member of the 5th national batch of TCM experts and a Guangdong Famous TCM Physician), Li Yiming (expert of a National Renowned Veteran TCM Inheritance Studio and an instructor for the 6th national batch of inheritance work), Cao Guimin (Guangdong Famous TCM Physician), Wang Chengxi (Hunan Famous TCM Physician) and Xu Chenghe (Vice President of the Guangdong Zhongjing Theory Specialised Committee), among other veteran TCM physicians.
• Mentorship-based talent training: Trains TCM talent through a "mentorship" model under a "famous department, famous physicians, famous medicines" project.
• Integration with Western medicine and naturopathy: Building on the hospital's integrative model and "green integrated treatment system", the clinic is an important vehicle for its TCM and TCM external-therapy services.
• TCM external therapies: Includes moxibustion, auricular seed pressing, warm-channeling scraping, and other characteristic therapies.
• Whole-chain health services: Combines TCM consultation, health rehabilitation and wellness guidance across the treatment, recovery and everyday-maintenance phases.
• TCM culture: The in-house TCM Culture Exhibition Hall displays 600+ specimens of Chinese medicinal materials (mainly Lingnan herbs), therapeutic instruments, processing tools and classic texts — combining clinical care with cultural display.

Expert Team

• Lai Xinsheng — Member of the 5th national batch of TCM experts; Guangdong Famous TCM Physician. Third-party biographical material further describes him as a professor, chief physician and doctoral/postdoctoral supervisor at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, former dean of its College of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, and an academic leader in acupuncture-tuina; skilled in acupuncture and combined acupuncture-herbal treatment of allergic diseases (asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, etc.) and brain disorders (stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dementia, cerebral palsy, etc.), with experience in pain syndromes and infertility.
• Li Yiming — Expert of a National Renowned Veteran TCM Inheritance Studio; instructor for the 6th national batch of veteran TCM experts' academic-experience inheritance work.
• Cao Guimin — Guangdong Famous TCM Physician.
• Wang Chengxi — Hunan Famous TCM Physician.
• Xu Chenghe — Vice President of the Guangdong Zhongjing Theory Specialised Committee.
• Note: The above reflects publicly available information on the clinic's experts; the current roster and consultation schedules are subject to the hospital's official announcements.

Suitable Conditions

The following reflects the clinic's publicly stated service directions to help readers understand its scope; specific services and on-duty experts are subject to the hospital's official announcements.

• TCM internal medicine and complex diseases: individualised TCM care based on syndrome differentiation.
• Allergic diseases: e.g. asthma, rhinitis, urticaria.
• Brain and neurological disorders: e.g. stroke and sequelae, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dementia (based on experts' publicly stated specialties).
• Pain syndromes: neck, shoulder, lower-back and leg pain, etc.
• Gynaecological conditions and infertility and other complex conditions: TCM conditioning.
• Classical formula ("Jingfang" / Zhongjing theory) applications: pattern-based prescribing.
• Health rehabilitation and wellness guidance: TCM conditioning and wellness guidance across treatment, recovery and daily-maintenance phases.
• Sub-health and chronic-condition management: aligned with the hospital's "prevent before illness, prevent progression, prevent relapse" philosophy.

Hospital Information

• Name: Guangdong Clifford Hospital (Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Clifford Hospital; Jinan University Affiliated Clifford Hospital)
• Positioning: China's first large general Grade-A Tertiary hospital accredited by JCI; a designated institution under the Greater Bay Area "Hong Kong/Macao Medicine and Device Connect" scheme; a National GCP base
• Address: No. 1 & No. 3 Hongfu Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
• Tel: (020) 84518222
• Website: www.clifford-hospital.org
• International Medical Department: Email [email protected] ｜ Overseas hotline +86 400 900 3823 ｜ WhatsApp +86 188 1411 5985

For a quick overview, see the Clifford TCM Clinic department page.

Curious about integrating TCM into your care? Contact Medora for a free, personalized consultation. We'll review your condition, connect you with the right TCM specialist, and coordinate your entire care journey — from appointment booking and medical record translation to post-treatment follow-up.