Hu Qing Yu Tang: Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Have you ever known about the traditional Chinese medicine (Zhongyao 中药)? Are you curious about how the Chinese people cure their illnesses and strengthen their body in the old days and even today?

If you have any interest in Chinese medicine or health care, the Hu Qing Yu Tang is right for you! Founded in 1874 by Hu Xueyan (a notable businessman in China during the late Qing Dynasty), Hu Qing Yu Tang is a traditional pharmacy that has always enjoyed a high reputation for over 140 years for its reliable quality of medicines and pharmacy on a large scale. It operated on the principles of Taiping Huimin and the Bureau Agents (太平惠民和剂局方). It made more than four hundred types of drugs by collecting secret prescriptions, proven recipes and combining clinical practice. Hu Qing Yu Tang is reputed as “Medicine King in the South of Yangtze River” and as well known as "Tongrentang (同仁堂)" in Beijing. Entering Hu Qing Yu Tang, travelers will feel like entering a living classroom of traditional Chinese medicine to both have a good understanding of Chinese medicine and have a look at the hundred-year-old exquisite architecture with unique design, ingenious layout and antique furnishings.

Located on the famous Hefang Street, Hu Qing Yu Tang is a must-visit spot when you take a leisure stroll along this hustle and bustle street.

Hangzhou has top 4 featured museums and Hu Qing Yu Tang Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the only for Chinese medicine. The other three are China Silk Museum, China National Tea Museum and the Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum. Opened in 1987, Hu Qing Yu Tang is a professional place as well as a window to know celebrities in Chinese medicine history, the origin of medicine, the development of pharmaceutics, the exchanges of China and foreign countries in medicine and the contributions of Zhejiang Province in the development of medicine.

Have a General Idea about Chinese Medicine

Getting up to the second floor of this museum, travelers can have a general understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, which is a valuable medical science originating from more than 2500 years of Chinese medical practice, playing an important role in safeguarding people's health. Furthermore, travelers can also know some classic Chinese medical works, like Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon（黄帝内经）, the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders (伤寒杂病论) and the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Casket（金匮要略）, as well as know some historical physicians, like Zhang Zhongjing （张仲景）, Hua Tuo （华佗）, Sun Simiao （孙思邈）, Li Shizhen (李时珍), etc.

Know History & Development of Hu Qing Yu Tang

On the second floor, travelers can see the old cultural materials presenting the origin and development of Hu Qing Yu Tang. Established in 1874, it is famous not only for its architecture and culture remaining for the world, but also for the development traces recorded by words.

Recognize Different Kinds of Chinese Medicines

On the first floor of the museum, there are numerous kinds of traditional Chinese medicine that you can have a basic understanding of the common medical materials to know their appearance and use, also differentiate high quality and low quality. In the courtyard, you can have a look at many plants for medical use.

Appreciate Traditional Pharmaceutical Process

The experienced pharmaceutical workers welcome you to come and appreciate their performance, like pelleting drugs by hand, slicing medical materials into very thin pieces, etc.

Hu Qing Yu Tang Pharmacy is the place for people to try the pharmaceutical tools. It is like the living classroom to give an excellent lesson about Chinese medicine.

Know Objective about Hu Qing Yu Tang

There are some plaques and many carvings to decorate in this old and well-designed building. Among them, the most famous plaque is “Refraining from Cheating”. When Hu Xue Yan first founded Hu Qing Yu Tang, he personally inscribed “Refraining from Cheating” to tell his staff “the medicine is crucial for people' life, and no cheating when do business with customers”. Another famous plaque is “True Quality with No Compromising Price”, telling customers that they never cheat them and all the medicines are sold based on the qualified price. And also, the plaque “Art of Humaneness” shows Hu Qing Yu Tang is running for the benefit of the people. After more than 140 years' business, Hu Qing Yu Tang has been always keeping these objectives, assured customers to buy any medicines.

Watch Pharmacist Making Up the Prescriptions

In the pharmacy, there are many medicinal materials, like cordyceps sinensis, American ginseng, ginseng, cubilose, snow lotus, Chinese angelica, gastrodia elata, codonopsis pilosula, etc. presented on the counter. Here, you can have a close look at the experienced pharmacists making up the prescriptions and get a little knowledge about what to do for daily health care to strengthen their body.

Appreciate Exquisite Carvings and Antique Architecture

The shape of Hu Qing Yu Tang is like a crane perched at the foot of Wushan Hill, which means “longevity”. While the pharmacy is the well-preserved late Qing Dynasty architectural complex which is in the style of Hui. The hall of the pharmacy is grand and elegant, built with camphor wood decorated with exquisite carvings. The painting of Hu Xue Yan is hanging in the middle of the hall with couplet on both sides. The whole building gives you a sense of calmness, mystery and spirituality.

Hu Xueyan (胡雪岩, 1823~1885), also known as Hu Guangyong, was a notable red-topped hat businessman in China during the late Qing Dynasty.

Born in 1823 in Jixi County, Anhui Province, and moved to Hangzhou at 14 years old. At the beginning, he was apprenticed to a private bank, which would later become the foundation of his Fukang Bank. In his life, he was active in banking, Chinese medicine, shipping, and real estate. Hu Xueyan is most notable for being the only person of the merchant class in the Qing Dynasty to be awarded a red-topped hat, a rank indicating an officer of second grade. Though he finally failed for bankruptcy in 1884, his best-known contribution that still stands to the present is the medicinal hall - Hu Qing Yu Tang, where he insisted on uncompromising quality in medicine, ethical treatment of customers and cheap healthcare. Hu died of depression at the age of 62.

Hu Qing Yu Tang is located at the center of Hefang Street which is very easy to find when strolling along this street. It is adjacent to many tourist spots, like Hangzhou Museum, Southern Song Dynasty Street, Drum Tower, Former Residence of Hu Xueyan and “Heavenly Wind over Wushan Hill”. It is:

• about 1 km from West Lake, 15 mins' walk from the Willows Park
• about 6.5 km from Lingyin Temple, 30 mins by car
• about 7.5 km from Hangzhou East Railway Station, 25 mins by car
• about 1.5 km from Hangzhou Railway Station, 15 mins by car
• about 18.5 km from Hangzhou West Railway Station, 45 mins by car
• about 14 km from Hangzhou South Railway Station, 40 mins by car

Independent Travel:

• Taxis or private vehicles are avaible. Travelers can also take metro line 1 to get off at Anding Road Metro Station and walk about 1.5 km to Hu Qing Yu Tang, or take metro line 7 to get off at Wushan Square Metro Station and walk about 1km to get there; Besides, many city buses make stops not far from the museum.

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1. Free Presentation in the Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Hu Qing Yu Tang has its own staff to give free explanations about the museum of traditional Chinese museum. It offers both Chinese and English presentations. If you are interested in the explanation, you can visit at the right time.

2. Taste Healthy Herb Tea for Free

In the pharmacy, Hu Qing Yu Qing offers every customer to enjoy seasonal healthy herb tea for free. You can get it with plastic cup they provided and enjoy it on the bench.

Usually, visitors spend 2 days around to enjoy a classic Hangzhou tour to visit the West Lake Scenic Area, including the amazing West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Tea Plantations, etc. If you want an in-depth Hangzhou tour, you can also pay another half day or so to visit Xixi National Wetland Park, one day around to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, or one day or so to Thousand Islands Lake, etc. Check all Hangzhou Tours >>

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Besides, compared with just travelling Hangzhou, most of the visitors prefer to travel the metropolis Shanghai, Suzhou Gardens and Hangzhou Lakes in One Go! Such an amazing tour will take 5~6 days.

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Some visitors also ride a high speed train to Huangshan to visit the world-famous Yellow Mountain. A Hangzhou Huangshan tour needs about 5 days around.

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