Holiday in Bozhou

About Bozhou

Bozhou is the undisputed capital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and hosts the largest herbal market in the world. The city in Anhui Province has over 1,800 years of history as a center for herbal trade and is the birthplace of Hua Tuo — the most famous doctor of ancient China, who was the first to use anesthetics and perform surgical procedures in the 2nd century. The Bozhou Chinese Medicine Market (Zhongyao Dacai Shichang) is an overwhelming experience: covering an area of over 200,000 square meters, thousands of vendors trade more than 2,600 different herbs, roots, barks, mushrooms, and animal products daily. The market opens at 5 AM, and the early wholesale trading among TCM experts is the most authentic moment — here, bargaining, smelling, touching, and expert evaluation take place. The underground city (Cao Cao Yundao) is Bozhou's architectural wonder: an 8-kilometer-long tunnel system from the time of the warlord Cao Cao (155-220 AD), the legendary ruler of the Wei Dynasty and one of the most colorful figures from the novel The Three Kingdoms. The tunnels were used for secret troop movements and are partially accessible today — an underground city with brick walls, drainage systems, and intersections. The Hua Tuo Memorial Park honors the father of Chinese surgery: Hua Tuo developed Mafeisan (an herbal anesthetic), performed abdominal surgeries, and invented the Five Animals Gymnastics (Wu Qin Xi) — a health exercise based on the movements of the tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and crane, which is still practiced today. The Flower Theater Ruins (Huaxi Lou) is a magnificent opera house from the Qing Dynasty with one of the most detailed brick carvings in China: hundreds of figures, dragons, and floral motifs cover the facade in a handcrafted masterpiece.