The School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) traces its roots back to 1982, when the Department of Acupuncture and Tuina was first established. In 2000 it merged with the Acupuncture Department of Beijing College of Acupuncture and Orthopedics, becoming BUCM’s Acupuncture School, and in 2009 it was renamed the School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina.
Guided by masters such as Yang Jiashan and Zhang Ji and through the efforts of generations of faculty and students, the school has made outstanding achievements over the past four decades in education, research, clinical training and social service.
The discipline of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina at BUCM is recognized as a national key discipline and part of China’s “Double First-Class Initiative.” The program has been honored as both a national and Beijing municipal first-class specialty. Its Practical Teaching Center is a national demonstration center for experimental teaching, and its core subfields — Acupuncture, Tuina and Qigong Therapy — are designated as key disciplines by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The school is also noted for excellence in teaching innovation. Its MOOC program “Introduction to Acupuncture and Moxibustion” was among the first national high-quality online courses, and its VR-based simulation projects have been recognized at the national and municipal levels.
The school currently has over 1,500 full-time undergraduates enrolled across four programs and more than 200 graduate students. It has 73 staff members, including 52 full-time faculty, of whom 21 are professors, 15 are associate professors and 16 lecturers. Forty-five hold doctoral degrees, and the faculty includes 12 doctoral supervisors and 36 master’s supervisors. Distinguished faculty members include two State Council special allowance experts, one recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, three Beijing Famous TCM Practitioners, two Beijing Teaching Masters, and three Beijing Science and Technology New Stars.
Research strength continues to grow. In 2019, funding exceeded 40 million yuan ($5.6 million), a milestone that has since been sustained through major national projects, including a national key R&D program and a major research program under the National Natural Science Foundation. In the past three years, the faculty members of the school have published more than 60 papers indexed by SCI and EI.
The school is also known for its student-centered culture. Volunteer teams such as Dandelion and Fragrant Apricot Grove have become long-standing service brands, while initiatives like the Mentorship for Character Development model provide innovative approaches to student guidance. In the past three years, graduate employment rate has remained above 98.5 percent.
With its unique advantages in international exchange, the school provides platforms for academic dialogue and clinical training. Signature initiatives include bilingual teaching, workshops on international acupuncture techniques and seminars on clinical applications, strengthening its role as a bridge for sharing TCM expertise worldwide.
