The TRT pharmacists at work during the olden times.
This is one of the paintings at the stairway inside the Tong Reng Tang building.
From the Temple of Heaven, we were ushered to Tong Reng Tang (TRT), a Chinese pharmacy practicing traditional medicine, or something. The guide said TRT served at the Imperial Palace and just by checking your pulse, the doctors would know your ailment. Sounds like quack? I don't know. To each his own. You'll never know. Just keep an open mind.
I was quite apprehensive of this tour to TRT, a compulsory inclusion in our tour package since I've read negative feed backs about it in forums. Like, you'll be forced to buy something from them, they'll make suspicious diagnosis about you, they'll tell misdiagnosis, etc., etc. However, when we reached there, and we were the only ones since it was late already, the atmosphere was chill. The doctor, who's quite a looker at his age (he's in his early 40s, I guess), and his interpreter-assistant, made diagnosis for each one of us.
The doctor looked earnest, maintaining eye contact while he divulged his individual assessment. In Chinese, he asked me if I get tired, and I said, everybody gets tired. He then told me that by tired, he meant if I easily get tired. And I said no. In fact, I don't tire easily and among most of my friends, I have the best stamina for walking, shopping, travelling, etc. I realized that if you just answer what he asks of you, the doctor will say no more. His responds based on your answer, like if you get into details, he'll tell you details. If you don't challenge the doctor, the diagnosis could actually be informative. I guess, some people who does not believe the system gets suspicious and defensive, that is perhaps why some gets irritated. If you're not interested, the doctor wouldn't push the topic, at least, in our case, he didn't. I mean, we were interested in what he would say but not with what TRT would sell.
By the way, the doctor told me that I'm generally healthy. He said the same thing to my friends, that we're generally healthy with different questions whether they're concerned about their back, or something. When my friends told him that not really, only sometimes, the doctor just nodded and gave his positive diagnosis. On the other hand, I've read in some forums that the doctor would tell them that they have real problems with their organs, like kidney problems, etc. So, we were really happy that the diagnosis for us was really positive. Yay!
There's also a plus side to TRT; they offer free foot massage, and soaking your feet in warm water, especially in winter, is never a bad thing, right? Although it's not entirely free since you have to give some tip to the masseuse, which you must really do since they are eager to do their jobs. I had a back massage, by request, and I gave the masseuse 20 RMB (the guide said 20 RMB's just enough).
Over all, I found the experience really informative. It's not everyday that you get that kind of diagnosis, and you can tell it to your friends and family. Also, their rooms are nice, and their chairs, really comfortable. The staff are courteous and professional. I have no complaints. By the way, the TRT branch we went to is in a building with 3 or 4 floors. It's very clean, too.
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