China's Top Departments: Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (Guangzhou)

For readers in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and worldwide: if you or a loved one is facing a head-and-neck tumor, hearing loss that may need a cochlear implant, chronic otitis media, sinus disease, vertigo, or another ear, nose and throat condition — the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital in Guangzhou is one of the most experienced and academically accomplished ENT centers in China.

About the Hospital

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (also known as the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University) is a large comprehensive tertiary (Class A) hospital integrating clinical care, teaching, research and preventive healthcare, and is a hospital directly affiliated with (and administered by) the National Health Commission of China. Founded in 1835, it is the first Western-medicine hospital in China and the birthplace of Western medicine and Western medical education in the country. The great revolutionary pioneer Dr. Sun Yat-sen studied medicine here under the name "Yixian." In the Fudan edition of the 2023 China Hospital Comprehensive Rankings, the hospital was rated Grade A+, one of only four A+ hospitals in Guangzhou.

The hospital has 7 national key disciplines (including Otorhinolaryngology) and 17 national key clinical specialties (including Otorhinolaryngology), plus 26 Guangdong provincial key clinical specialties. It holds qualifications for transplantation of four major organs (heart, lung, liver and kidney), entered the world's top 100 research hospitals in 2020, and has ranked among China's top 10 in the Nature Index for four consecutive years.

The hospital has more than 3,000 authorized beds and over 5,400 staff members, with annual patient visits exceeding 3.02 million and more than 100,000 surgical procedures per year. Its campuses are located in Guangzhou and eastern Guangdong:

• North Campus (main campus): No. 107 Yanjiang West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou (on the Pearl River, in the city center)
• South Campus: No. 33 Yingfeng Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou
• Huadu Campus: No. 11 Jinghu Avenue, Huadu District, Guangzhou
• Shenshan Campus (Shenshan Central Hospital): No. 1 Zhanqian Heng'er Road, Dongchong Town, Chengqu, Shanwei, Guangdong

Guangzhou is the transport hub of South China; it is easily reachable via Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (connecting to Hong Kong West Kowloon). The North Campus lies on the Pearl River in central Guangzhou, near Yide Lu Station on Metro Line 6, making it convenient for patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas.

About the Department

The Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital has deep roots: its origins trace back to the Boji Hospital period in 1914, making it one of the earliest eye, ear, nose and throat departments established in China. In 1947 it became an independent department — the birthplace of otorhinolaryngology in Guangdong Province. A dedicated ward was established in 1953, and in 1954 the ENT teaching and research group was founded, the first specialized teaching organization of its kind in Guangdong. After the 1970s the department gradually subdivided into otology, rhinology, laryngology and head-and-neck surgery, forming research directions centered on otology and on ENT/head-and-neck tumors.

Today the department is a National Key Clinical Specialty, a Ministry of Education National Key Discipline, and the Guangdong Branch of the National Clinical Research Center for Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases, as well as a Guangdong Provincial Key Clinical Specialty and a Guangdong Provincial High-Level Key Clinical Specialty. Its overall strength ranks among the top in China and leads South China.

It is the largest ENT diagnosis and treatment center in Guangdong Province in both scale and clinical volume: more than 120,000 outpatient visits per year, more than 7,000 inpatients per year, and nearly 6,000 surgeries per year; the proportion of Grade III/IV surgeries exceeds 84% and Grade IV surgeries account for nearly 35% — both ranking first in South China.

The department comprises four subspecialties: Otology, Vertigo (Neurotology), Rhinology, and Laryngology/Head-and-Neck Surgery. Its team includes 35 physicians, 58 nurses and 14 technicians; among them 10 professors/chief physicians and 12 associate chief physicians, with 10 doctoral supervisors and 16 master's supervisors. Of the physicians, 70% hold a doctoral degree and 9 have more than one year of overseas study experience.

The department also hosts the Sun Yat-sen University Institute of Hearing and Speech, and operates specialized platforms such as the Sun Yat-sen University Hearing and Vestibular Diagnosis and Treatment Center and a Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory. It is the chair institution of the ENT Physicians Branch of the Guangdong Medical Doctor Association.

Academic Standing

• Rankings and reputation (source: hospital official website):
  • 2009–2019: consistently ranked in the top 3 in South China in the Fudan hospital specialty rankings; received a national nomination in 2016
  • 2013–2019: consistently ranked 12th–20th nationwide in the China Hospital Science and Technology Metrics (STEM)
  • 2015: ranked 15th nationwide in the Peking University hospital specialty rankings
  • 2020: ranked 13th nationwide in the China Hospital Influence Rankings (specialty ranking)
• Platforms and qualifications: National Clinical Drug Trial Base; National Health Commission and Chinese Medical Doctor Association training center for laryngoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic techniques; lead institution for the Guangdong provincial project to improve ENT diagnostic and treatment services in county-level people's hospitals; host institution of the Sun Yat-sen University Institute of Hearing and Speech
• Research and teaching (source: Yuanjian feature interview, Guangming Online, 2026-06-25): a cumulative 38 National Natural Science Foundation of China grants, more than 310 SCI papers published, participation in the formulation of more than 20 expert consensus statements, editorship or co-authorship of multiple national-level planned textbooks, and more than 20 provincial teaching awards; as a doctoral and master's training site it has trained nearly 200 high-level specialists

Core Technologies

1. Head-and-neck robotic surgery — Overcomes the limitations of traditional open surgery (large trauma, poor visualization, difficult exposure) to achieve millimeter-level precision tumor removal; neck incisions are smaller or hidden, hospital stays after surgery are markedly shortened, and the facial deformity and functional impairment that traditional surgery may cause are avoided
2. Integrated visualized diagnosis-and-treatment system for Eustachian tube dysfunction (a department signature) — For middle-ear inflammation and Eustachian tube dysfunction that tend to recur after conventional medication or puncture treatment, the department uses advanced techniques such as Eustachian tube balloon dilation, visualized Eustachian tuboscopy, and Eustachian tube atomization/insufflation to restore Eustachian tube function at its source, relieving patients of ear fullness, hearing loss and recurrence after middle-ear surgery
3. Cochlear implantation and auditory implantation — Provides hearing reconstruction for patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss; a key technological focus of the department
4. Lateral skull base surgery — Leading position in South China
5. Comprehensive treatment of microtia — Leading position in South China
6. Middle-ear hearing reconstruction (otologic microsurgery / endoscopic ear surgery) — Leading position in South China
7. Advanced equipment and complexity — Including CO₂ lasers and 3D exoscopes; the proportion of Grade IV surgeries has risen year by year, reaching 38.15% in 2024, strongly supporting the diagnosis and treatment of complex and severe cases
8. Subspecialty service directions:
   • Otology: otitis media, middle-ear cholesteatoma, otosclerosis, external/middle-ear malformations, facial nerve disorders, tinnitus and hearing loss, temporal bone and lateral skull base lesions; offers otologic microsurgery, endoscopic ear surgery and auditory implantation
   • Vertigo (Neurotology): diagnosis, vestibular function assessment and treatment of vertigo/vestibular disorders
   • Rhinology: sinusitis, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum, epistaxis, sinonasal tumors, allergic rhinitis, and pediatric snoring (adenoid/tonsil hypertrophy)
   • Laryngology / Head-and-Neck Surgery: pharyngeal and head-and-neck tumors (laryngeal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, head-and-neck masses), snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSAHS), and vocal cord disorders; offers laryngoscopy, laryngeal microsurgery and head-and-neck oncologic surgery

Expert Team

• Prof. Zheng Yiqing (郑亿庆) — Professor, chief physician and doctoral supervisor; Honored Physician of Sun Yat-sen University and recipient of the Guangdong Physicians Award. A graduate of the Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, he trained at the University of Minnesota Medical School in the United States. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of complex ENT diseases, particularly auditory implantation, Eustachian tube disorders, otitis media, external/middle-ear malformations, facial nerve disorders, otosclerosis and temporal bone conditions
• Prof. Zhang Zhigang (张志钢) — Chief physician and doctoral supervisor; visiting scholar at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Deputy Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology; Head of the Otology Group of the Guangdong ENT Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Vice Chairman of the ENT Branch of the Guangdong Health Management Association; Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Branch of the Chinese Society of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery; Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong ENT–Head and Neck Surgery Branch of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering
• Prof. Chen Suijun (陈穗俊) — Vice President of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Deputy Director of the ENT Department, and Director of the Otology Division; MD; Outstanding Young Medical Talent of Guangdong Province and "Guangzhou Capable Young and Middle-Aged Doctor." He serves as Standing Committee Member and Head of the Otology Group of the Otorhinolaryngology Branch of the Guangdong Medical Association, Standing Committee Member of the ENT Physicians Branch of the Guangdong Medical Doctor Association, and Vice Chair of the Pediatric Hearing Care Committee of the Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Association

Note: The titles and academic appointments above are based on the hospital's official website and authoritative public sources; please refer to the hospital's latest official announcements for information on other specialists and administrative leaders.

Suitable Conditions

• Patients with head-and-neck tumors (laryngeal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, head-and-neck masses) requiring surgery or multidisciplinary treatment
• Patients with otitis media, middle-ear cholesteatoma or otosclerosis requiring otologic microsurgery/endoscopic ear surgery
• Patients with external/middle-ear malformations or microtia requiring comprehensive correction
• Patients with severe-to-profound or sensorineural hearing loss requiring cochlear/auditory implantation
• Patients with Eustachian tube dysfunction (ear fullness, hearing loss, recurrence after middle-ear surgery)
• Patients with tinnitus, hearing loss or vertigo/vestibular disorders
• Patients with sinusitis, nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum or sinonasal tumors
• Patients with pediatric snoring (adenoid/tonsil hypertrophy) or adult snoring/obstructive sleep apnea (OSAHS)
• Patients with vocal cord disorders (vocal cord polyps, nodules, leukoplakia, etc.)
• Patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and international patients seeking minimally invasive, precise, function-preserving ENT and head-and-neck care

Address and Contact

• North Campus (main campus): No. 107 Yanjiang West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
• South Campus: No. 33 Yingfeng Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou
• Huadu Campus: No. 11 Jinghu Avenue, Huadu District, Guangzhou
• Shenshan Campus (Shenshan Central Hospital): No. 1 Zhanqian Heng'er Road, Dongchong Town, Chengqu, Shanwei, Guangdong
• Main switchboard: 020-81332199
• Official website: https://www.gzsys.org.cn

For related reading, see our spotlights on nasopharyngeal carcinoma at SYSUCC and cataract surgery at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center.

This information is compiled from the official website of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and public reports. It is for reference only; the hospital's latest official information shall prevail.