| In 2004, this was a factory to produce traditional Chinese medicine shown in the previous picture (repeated below). In 2008, it is a brand new building with a related purpose. It is the Tong Ren Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital 同仁堂中医医院.
In 2010, it might be anything. Things change daily in Beijing. It is likely that it will stay. The government is supporting traditional medicine as a cheaper alternative to Western medicine. For many ailments, it is quite effective. The doctors do not try to treat everything; they refer patients to Western medicine hospitals when the case calls for it. They also prescribe a whole range of Western medicines as well as traditional herbal cures. I visited a large traditional medicine hospital and research center in Wuhan. The administrator there said that they could treat many chronic problems for a tenth of the cost.
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