[Anesthesiology in People's Republic of China in the year 2001].

In June 2001, we joined the regional anesthesia & Pain Medicine Delegation to the People's Republic of China. We visited 10 large hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guiyang. We observed clinical anesthesia in operating theater and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in out-patient clinics. Acupuncture anesthesia was not popular and less frequently used for clinical anesthesia ranging 0 to 10%. Many surgical cases were done by Western medicine similar to Japan and USA. General anesthesia machines were imported from Germany and USA. All endo-tracheal tubes and catheters were made in China. But they lack the organization of anesthesia societies and system of specialization in the field of anesthesia.