Overseas students flood in to study ancient Chinese therapies

Every Friday after work, Ayden Yerzhan visits a small clinic near his home where practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine offer a range of treatments, including one of his favorites, a therapeutic massage called tui na.

"The weekly tui na rejuvenates me from fatigue. In addition to my Friday visits, I always come to this clinic if I feel unwell, because the acupuncture treatment here relieves pain," said the 27-year-old from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city.

Ayden is able to receive the treatment thanks to the emergence of TCM clinics in Kazakhstan. TCM has an obvious effect on postoperative rehabilitation for some patients, and people in Kazakhstan also use it as a complementary approach to health.