Tang Shulan is president of Shulan College of Chinese Medicine, in Manchester, the United Kingdom, and president of the China-UK Center of Chinese Medicine. Since 1993, the year she founded the college, Tang has dedicated herself to both the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the promotion of TCM education and culture in the UK, and around the world.
TCM Bond
Tang, a native of Liyang, in east China's Jiangsu Province, began developing her love for TCM as a child.
"On summer days, my father usually added herba eupatorii leaves (a kind of herb) to the tea, which helped us dispel dampness in our bodies, and relieve summer heat. In autumn, my grandmother would put chrysanthemums on the table to decorate our house. I raised rabbits as pets, and I often cut grass in the field to feed them, so I could observe the growth and changes of plants in different seasons," Tang recalls. "Plants left a deep, and nice, impression on me. As such, I developed an interest in Chinese medicinal herbs, and I was determined to study TCM when I grew up."
In 1979, Tang was admitted to the TCM Department of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. "I felt like I was stepping through the gate of a dream at that time," Tang says, with a smile.
While at the university, she not only systematically studied the basic theories of TCM, but also deepened her understanding of TCM knowledge, through practice. In 1984, after she graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in medicine, Tang enrolled at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, where she studied pharmaceutical formulation under renowned TCM master Wang Mianzhi (1923-2009).
Tang maintained a calm, and serious, attitude toward learning. In 1987, she graduated with a master's degree in medicine.
Onto Global Stage
Tang moved to the UK in 1991. Initially, she worked in a clinic, where more than a dozen therapies — including osteopathy, aromatherapy massage and Western herbal medicines — were applied to treat patients.
The patients were predominantly foreigners, for whom TCM was an unfamiliar field. Many of the patients were skeptical of TCM, and therefore unwilling to accept the therapies.
Over time, the patients began to understand, and trust, TCM. The number of patients who sought TCM treatments from Tang eventually surpassed those seeking other therapies. "As long as you can treat their illnesses effectively, they are willing to come to you. TCM proved to be effective, and earned the trust of locals," Tang says.
By 1993, Tang had so many patients requesting she treat them with TCM remedies that she decided to establish her own clinic, Shulan Clinic, and Shulan College of Chinese Medicine, in Manchester.
At its inception, the college was small, and it generated limited economic benefits. Nevertheless, Tang was willing to teach her students, many of whom were seeking TCM to change careers. Some of her students were full-time mothers, who wanted to pursue personal development after their children had grown up. Others had been Tang's patients, and they were eager to learn TCM treatments.
Tang says, through the years, her perseverance has been driven by her passion for TCM. She wants to share the TCM philosophy with as many people as possible. Her students have motivated her to continue running the college.
"Sometimes, I was too tired to teach. But when I saw my students, and their enthusiasm for TCM, I couldn't give up. They were older than me, and they came from far away to learn from me. I thought, no matter how tired I was, I probably wasn't as tired as them. So, I persevered," Tang recalls. She even compiled a textbook for her students.
Tang has earned a reputation for her benevolent heart, exquisite medical skills and high-quality TCM classes. She has conducted in-depth research, and she has accumulated rich clinical experience in the disciplines of internal medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, dermatological diseases, diabetes and various difficult, and complex, diseases. Tang has also compiled several books on TCM therapy.
"Many patients would visit me with cakes, candies, flowers and crafts, all of which they made, during Spring Festival, and other festivals. I feel pleased, and fulfilled, when I see their smiling faces, and when I receive their heartfelt thanks," Tang says.
Asif Kashmiri, one of Tang's patients, once wrote on social media his gratitude to Tang for her treatments. "Professor Shulan treated the root of my problem with acupuncture and medicine. My health improved drastically over a few months. Professor Shulan is very professional, very caring and will get down to the root of the problem. I highly recommend Professor Shulan to everyone," he wrote.
Tang recently met Sigyta Hart, one of her first students, during an international TCM conference. Hart is now an acupuncturist. After the conference, Hart sent Tang a letter of thanks for having organized the conference, and for compiling a book, Understanding, Managing, and Treating Female Infertility with Chinese Medicine.
"It was so fabulous to meet your doctors, from China, and to hear their groundbreaking research, as well as your lecture on diabetes," Hart wrote. "Thank you for your stunning reference book about fertility. It should be on every person's shelf if they wish to work with treating infertility and women's health. It will be used for many years to come by so many practitioners. What a wonderful gift to expanding our knowledge in this very important area of Chinese medicine."
Cultural Promoter
During the 1990s, a school of acupuncture, in London, invited Tang to establish a Chinese herbal medicine department, and to teach courses in Chinese medicinal herbs.
Instead of using the Latin or English names, Tang preferred to use Chinese pinyin when referring to the Chinese medicinal herbs.
"Studying TCM was about remembering the properties and effects of the medicines. Long Latin names were not conducive to memory. The same goes for Chinese medicinal formula. It is essential to know the original Chinese names, which are more authentic and carry deeper meanings," Tang says.
As a result, many non-Chinese students of TCM in the UK, and Europe, still use the authentic Chinese pronunciation when they discuss herbal remedies and pharmaceutical formulas.
Many of Tang's students have learned Chinese, so they can read classical TCM works, such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, written by Zhang Zhongjing during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).
Tang has been unwavering in her efforts to promote TCM culture. "The China Hall of Manchester Museum officially opened in 2023. The bronze acupuncture statue, donated by our college, along with my photo and profile, are featured in the Care and Healing section. This initiative has brought TCM closer to the hearts of the local community," Tang says.
Tang, who is a literary enthusiast, organized overseas TCM practitioners to write poems and/or essays related to TCM. The works have not only helped readers appreciate the wisdom of TCM, through literary immersion, but have enabled them to unconsciously absorb TCM knowledge. Tang even wrote a song, Forever by Your Side, to promote TCM. She also helped choreograph a dance to the song.
"TCM serves as an important bridge in people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. For many foreigners, being successfully treated with TCM becomes a catalyst, which sparks a desire to understand Chinese culture, and to even visit China," Tang says.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the college has journeyed through more than 30 years. With emotion, Tang stresses her efforts have not been in vain, as many of her students have achieved success in their TCM careers, opened their own clinics and schools, and made their own efforts to pass on and promote TCM culture.
"It's an ongoing process of spreading knowledge," Tang says. "I see TCM like a ginkgo tree, constantly taking root, sprouting, blooming, and growing ever more lush and far-reaching." Tang says the college still has a long way to go, and she vows to do what she can to strengthen cooperation, with various domestic and international institutions and organizations, to promote higher education TCM programs overseas.
As she reflects on her decades of unwavering dedication to her medical practice, Tang expresses a desire to write a book about her experiences. "I believe every patient has a story worth telling," she says. "I want to document these stories, to showcase the cultures and local customs of China and the UK, while sharing TCM's health-preservation methods and philosophies."
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly October 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
