Cooler temperatures combined with dust and grit whipped up by the wind made the mask wearing citizens of Nanjing look like paragons of common sense, so I made the cultural leap and bought a pack of masks in the supermarket. 

The morning hospital session was less busy so there was time to talk with Dr Hu. There were new techniques to be seen too, herbal medicine being injected into acupoints, a moxa box being placed on the abdomen of an elderly man with rectal cancer, and a treatment for psoriasis (a heat condition in traditional Chinese medicine) involving taking a small amount of blood from the patient and injecting it into three specific acupoints in the leg. The hierarchy of this procedure was fascinating. A nurse was summoned to take the blood. The syringe was handed to the doctor who then injected the points. No protective gloves used at any time.

We had a quick lunch in Costa Coffee (no it’s not very Chinese but the title My Delicious Life is real Chenglish).

The afternoon session was less satisfactory – very busy and everyone rushing to attend to the doctor. It is interesting how the personality of the doctor makes such a difference to the atmosphere of a clinic.

Dinner in the Golden Wheel complex was tasty, three of us had broccoli and mushrooms and one had a beef and noodle dish.

The evening Tui Na session comprised more hands on practical demonstrations which provided some welcome hilarity here and there when our techniques were assessed. Being taught with an interpreter introduces another dynamic into the teacher-class relationship – there is the chit chat between the teacher and the translator when one wonders what on earth they are saying about the foreigners.

The end of another full day and back to a welcome bed