A Return to Guangzhou: Clinical Placement and Anatomical Exploration at Nanfang Hospital

Kit Li

Last autumn, I had my first clinical placement at the Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou. Seven months later, I revisited Guangzhou for my second clinical placement, this time at the Acupuncture Department of Nanfang Hospital (NH) (1).

Founded in 1941 as the Rear Hospital of the Third Division of the New Fourth Army, NH has a long and distinguished history. In 2018, it was selected as a national pilot hospital for multidisciplinary tumour treatment. In 2004, the hospital transitioned from military to provincial management, aligning with its university, formerly the First Military Medical University, now known as Southern Medical University. Today, NH is recognised as one of the leading general hospitals in South China, with a strong emphasis on both medical service and education.

NH directly hosts, manages, and trains more than 2,500 full-time undergraduate students and over 1,000 full-time postgraduate students each year. The university also welcomes approximately 1,000 to 1,200 international students from more than 90 countries. Student accommodation is provided on campus, with over 8,000 students living in shared dormitories, typically with two or three students per room. Academic studies at NH and Southern Medical University focus primarily on medical and clinical disciplines, including Clinical Medicine, Advanced Clinical Technologies, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and postgraduate research fields.

During this trip, I also visited the anatomical museum affiliated with NH, officially known as the Southern Medical University Human Science Museum (2), located on the main university campus. The museum is particularly renowned for its world-class corrosion casting specimens, created by injecting coloured polymers into blood vessels to produce intricate, coral-like three-dimensional displays. One of its most treasured exhibits is a cardiovascular cast created in 1978, recognised as the first successful specimen of its kind in China.

The museum houses more than 2,200 specimens and also features a “Digital Human” dissection table, allowing virtual three-dimensional exploration of human anatomy, alongside a memorial area honouring body donors. Observing the real three-dimensional structures of nerves and blood vessels deepened my understanding of acupuncture points and needle insertion techniques.

As a scalp acupuncturist, I have always been fascinated by the structure of the spinal cord and its relationship with brain function. Exploring the intricate connections between the brain and the gut, and understanding how neurological pathways influence the body, continues to inspire my curiosity. These reflections remind me how extraordinary the human body truly is and how much there is still to discover through both modern medicine and TCM.

References:

1) Nanfang Hospital: https://www.smu.edu.cn/english/info/1026/1068.htm

2) Human Science Museum: 

https://www.smu.edu.cn/english/Campus_Life/Human_Science_Museum.htm