The Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum in Xining's northern biotech district is a substantial institution dedicated to the history and practice of Tibetan medicine — a sophisticated medical tradition with over 3,000 years of documented practice and a pharmacopoeia of more than 2,000 substances drawn from plants, minerals, and animals of the Tibetan plateau.
The museum covers the origins of Tibetan medicine, its key texts (including the Four Tantras, the foundational medical text), the preparation of traditional medicines, and the relationship between medical practice and Buddhist philosophy. The display of medical instruments, thangka illustrations of anatomy and diagnosis, and specimens from the Tibetan materia medica is excellent. The building is modern and well designed. Admission is around 80 yuan; opening hours vary seasonally.