This internship is available for acupuncture physicians, medical doctors, nurses, health care practitioners, massage therapists, students and qualified individuals. Spouses, friends and partners are encouraged to join for the beauty and inspiration of visiting China, and taking part in our sight-seeing, weekend adventures and courses in Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Chinese language, and more.

The internship will be hosted by the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in Hang Zhou, China, one of the world's top colleges of TCM. The Zhejiang Chinese Medical University has three affiliated hospitals and four outpatient clinics that see thousands of patients each day. There will be a ratio of one Chinese doctor for every three interns to ensure the maximum learning experience. Hang Zhou is located in one of the most beautiful and historic areas of China, and excursions will be offered to special nearby sights. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Traditional Chinese Medicine, have fun, eat great food, experience the Chinese culture and develop a deeper understanding of Chinese healing.

While in China you will be living in a three-star hotel in beautiful Hang Zhou. The rooms are double occupancy, with private attached bathroom, cable television, in-room international phone service, and air-conditioning. (Single rooms are available for a supplemental charge). Breakfast and dinner are included in the cost of the trip.

Because TCM is the primary form of medical care in China, members of our group will see more patients and observe a broader variety of conditions in a shorter period of time than is possible anywhere in America. There will be many opportunities that will enrich the practitioner's understanding, techniques and abilities.

Each day after breakfast the group will meet for a morning program in the hospitals and clinics affiliated with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Students will meet with Chinese doctors for clinical instruction and practice in Acupuncture, Massage, and Internal Medicine. There will be a ratio of one Chinese doctor for every three interns to ensure the maximum learning experience, and groups of interns will be formed according to level of experience and interest.

Clinic specialties can be offered in Gynecology, Acupuncture, Massage, Herbology, Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Orthopedics and Pediatrics. Please inquire with us regarding the specialities and we will contact China to insure internship availability.

In the past many participants have expressed that much of their clinical training in US schools has consisted of learning from their fellow students, but when they intern in China they have the opportunity to be trained by some of China's top physicians, and they come away from their Chinese internship having mastered TCM skills, techniques and clinical practices that will forever influence how they practice in the future.

Many people wonder when is the best time for them to participate in an overseas internship and the answer is now. No matter at what level a participant is, they are sure to have a rich learning experience. Past experience has shown everyone from the beginning student to the advanced practitioner profoundly benefits from this unique learning opportunity. Because teachers from East West College of Natural Medicine are also supervising their clinical experience in China, students from that college may document their experiences and apply up to 60 hours towards their undergraduate clinic hour requirements. Students from other college s may seek permission from their colleges to do the same. CEUs may also beavailable for qualified practitioners. Please inquire for more information about undergraduate clinic and CEU credits.

From noon to 1:30, we will eat at some of the wonderful neighborhood restaurants within walking distance of the clinics and hospitals. The afternoon schedule will include a variety of options, including continued clinic or hospital experience, a variety of lectures and classes about TCM, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, herbal study, Tui Na, Chinese Language etc. or for those who wish, they may spend time relaxing, sightseeing, shopping, hiking, biking, boating and exploring Hang Zhou.

Oftentimes friends and family members who do not have an interest in studying TCM also like to join our groups, and we can arrange special programs for these participants. In the past we have arranged many different types of unique activities and privately guided sightseeing opportunities for these special participants. Please inquire if you are interested in learning more about this option.

All participants will enjoy Hang Zhou, which is considered one of the most beautiful locations in all of China. The city is centered around the magnificent West Lake, and park area. There are tree-lined walkways with bridges, pavilians and shrines, and the Flower Harbor, an extraordinary botanical park, that forms an Asian fairyland around West Lake. Graceful willow trees dip their leaves into the lake, creating peaceful places where people come to relax, picnic, fish, play chess, exercise and sip tea.

In Hang Zhou, excursions will be offered to the Huquingyutang Herbal Museum and Pharmacy, a modern herbal factory, Ling Yin Monastery, Yu Fei Temple and Gardens, the Dragon Well Park, The Tiger Spring, West Lake, the Flower Arbor, Baochu Pagoda, the Ge Ling Daoist Monastery, the silk museum and market, and the tea gardens.

Optional excursions are also offered for all participants. From August 31 to September 3 a special trip to The Yellow Mountains (Huang Shan) will be offered. While in Huang Shan there will be the opportunity for trekking in the mountains where generations of artists, monks and poets have lived on retreat. We will explore the bamboo forests and ancient villages featured in the film "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and we will take a cable car high into the Qiyun Mountains (one of the four sacred Daoist mountains in China) to spend a day exploring the Daoist caves and temples and Chinese calligraphies carved out of the mountain's rock face and the fossilized footprints in the area.

Nestled in the Huang Shan valley is the town of Tunxi, whose main shopping street has been preserved since the ancient Song Dynasty. Here one can stroll, sight see and shop along the original cobbled streets amidst the antique architecture of traditional China. Other activities may include an evening boat cruise along the Xi'an River that features live music and opera performances.

We will also have the unique opportunity to meet the Qi Gong master Zhou Hong. Trained by Shao Lin monks, Zhou Hong can project Qi and possesses rare Qi Gong healing abilities. His healings have proved to be very effective at removing blockages in the qi and blood circulation. Together with his prescribed herbs, his treatments have proven to be effective in treating chronic disease and old injuries. His full body qi massage is also extraordinary.

En route from the Yellow Mountains we may raft on the beautiful Liu Xi Jiang River and really experience life in China's countryside.

Also nearby are the mysterious Neolithic grottoes. Visiting this ancient man-made cave complex is truly an awe-inspiring experience.

The additional cost of this optional trip is $485.

Another optional excursion is offered to Shanghai September 7 - 9
Situated on the Huang Po River with a population of over18.7 million people, Shanghai is a major seaport and China's largest commercial and financial center. Shanghai is a vigorous and energetic international city that welcomes people from all over the world to enjoy its special atmosphere. There is so much to see and do in this modern metropolis that also has a rich heritage of ancient Chinese culture.

Known as the Paris of the Orient, Shanghai is a shopper's paradise. Nanjing Road is considered to be the "No. 1 commercial street in China" where you will find over 600 shops visited by over 1.7 million people each day. If you like shopping, do not miss it! Huaihai Road is another shopping district for those with taste for high fashion, or you can explore Sichuan North Road, which appeals to the local residents. In addition, Xujiahui Shopping Center, Yuyuan Shopping City, and Jiali Sleepless City are thriving and popular destinations for those who want to buy something special as a memento of their visit.

Shanghai's restaurants are among the finest in China and besides regional dishes, there are also a wide variety of Chinese cuisines from Beijing, Yangzhou, Sichuan, and Guangzhou.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the modern symbol of Shanghai City. Standing beside the Huang Po River, it is the tallest TV tower in Asia and the third highest in the world. This unusual structure dominates the skyline and is a great attraction in Shang Hai.

The Yuyuan Garden is the largest of Shanghai's ancient gardens. It has six areas, each with its own style from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It includes The Grand Rockery, the Garden's most renowned sight.

The Shanghai Museum is a treasure house of ancient Chinese art and houses over 120,000 precious relics from China's 5,000-year-old history, including bronzes, pottery, paintings and calligraphies.

The Bund is a wide promenade on the east bank of the Huang Po River, where one can stroll along the riverside and enjoy the bracing air and fine sunshine as well as seeing the many activities along the river. At night bright lights add to the happy atmosphere.

We may also visit The Jade Buddha Temple, one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Shanghai, where many people come each day to worship and burn incense. The Jade Buddhas here were brought from Burma in the nineteenth century.

En route to Shanghai we will visit the nearby traditional water town of Zhujiajiao. Here we can slow down, and savor ancient China. In Zhujiajiao traditional houses huddle along flagstone roads and canals that wind through the quaint medieval town.

The additional cost of this optional trip is $370

Often participants want to combine their trip with other travel experiences in China or to other countries. We have years of creating unique travel experiences for our participants. Please let us know your travel dreams and let David Less Tours build a trip with a customized itinerary for you.

Dr. Anna Less Li Ac and PhD has been directing group-learning programs throughout Asia for the past 25 years. She is a nationally known teacher of Chinese Medicine, who is affiliated with the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, Florida. Anna has spent many years living and studying in China where she became the first westerner to receive her Ph.D. in Chinese Medicine from the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Anna speaks Chinese, and because she has an intimate relationship with the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University can arrange for special programs to suit participants' particular needs.

For many years Dr. Ye Debao has been a professor of Chinese Medicine at the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in Hang Zhou, and a chief physician of acupuncture in the Zhejiang Province Donghua Hospital. He received his first degree as a doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Tuina from the Shanghai University of TCM, and his Master's degree in acupuncture and Chinese Tuina, and his PhD in Internal Medicine of TCM from the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Dr. Ye has more than twenty years of clinical practice and teaching experience. His areas of specialty include chronic headache, migraine, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, pain syndromes, arthritis, spinal disorders and illnesses of the respiratory, and digestive systems. He is an internationally sought after teacher, who has taught in countries through out the world including Sweden, Italy, Brazil, Australia, the United States and China. In China his dramatically successful treatments were reported many times in newspapers and television programs. In 2005 the Zhejiang Provincial Newspaper, Today Morning Express, reported that Dr. Ye received an award recognizing him as one of the Provinces' 10 most influential TCM Doctors. In addition, Dr. Ye has presided over 10 nationally and provincially sponsored scientific research programs and his academic publishing achievements include books, DVDs, and academic papers on clinical acupuncture and herbal medicine. Recently he became the academic dean of East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, Florida.

This study tour is from August 26th through September 15th 2007. The cost is $2980 (optional weekends $485-Huang Shan $370-Shanghai) which includes pre-trip and arrival orientation, airport transfers, double occupancy accommodations, (single rooms are available for an additional fee of $675), breakfasts, dinners(does not include drinks), welcome banquet, medical translators, full tuition and certification from the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, graduation ceremony and banquet, and guided sightseeing in Hang Zhou. Not included is the international air flight(we can help you find cheap air tickets), visa, lunches, drinks and personal items. To register or for further inquiry, E-mail Tim at timothy@davidlesstours.com, or call the David Less Tours office (941)349-4484