Bai currently has 11 interns and when she arrives at 8 in the morning, a crowd of patients is already waiting for her. Her two consulting rooms can accommodate up to 20 people. Surrounded by a group of interns, Bai takes measurements of a patient's skull to find the right acupuncture points. Before inserting needles in his or her head, she asks her students to touch the points and instructs them how to use the needle correctly in terms of pressure, angle and depth.

Bai often uses the Socratic method in teaching - she tests her students by asking them to explain what effect inserting a needle into a particular acupuncture point will have. If the answer is correct, the teacher's face lights up with a smile. "Well done!" she says.

Indonesian doctor Foe Tai Ling studies acupuncture and other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine in Beijing. [China Daily]

Ryu Eun Sang, 36, is the most experienced of Bai's foreign interns. After obtaining a PhD in acupuncture, he opened a clinic in Seoul, South Korea, but closed it in 2006 to come to Beijing. He became Bai's student in March.

"I never expected to stay in China for so long," Ryu says.

"If I just wanted to learn some treatment methods, I could have returned to my country much earlier. What I really wanted to learn from Dr Bai is her drive to continue to expand her knowledge, no matter what age."

Despite her full schedule at the hospital, Bai makes time to do research as well as study English. "She is capable of curing many difficult and complicated cases, but unlike other doctors of her age, she is not satisfied and keeps learning. That is what I like the most about her," Ryu says.

Byong Hoon Lee, 30, an Australian of Korean descent, became one of Bai's students two months ago. Lee's pockets are always stuffed; he carries an acupuncture textbook in English in one pocket and a small notebook in another.

"Dr Bai has found some acupuncture points that are not mentioned in my textbook, so I write them down for further study, which is very helpful," Lee says.

For all the foreign interns, the most difficult part of studying acupuncture is the Chinese language.

"Even though I have no problem communicating in Chinese, I don't always catch every word when taking notes," says Ling. "The underlying principles of TCM are also too deep and complicated for me to understand."

Coba Carrion, meanwhile, is not sure Ecuadorians will accept acupuncture. "It will require a lot of explanation but I am confident of its powers," he says.

Ryu is about to return home and open a new TCM clinic in Seoul but adds: "What I really want is to have a Chinese acupuncture license to work as a doctor in Beijing." So far, no foreigner has been licensed as an acupuncturist in China.

(China Daily December 16, 2008)