Every weekday morning, a tall brunette laowai (foreigner) in a white coat moves among hospital patients, administering acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine.

She chats fluently in Mandarin Chinese, and even understands some Hangzhou dialect.

New patients stare in surprise at Susanne Fubian from Germany who is finishing up a five-year program of acupuncture study at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. She interns at the Zhejiang Hospital of TCM.

Older patients are accustomed to her caring ways and appreciate her professional treatment. They often chat and say good-bye to the woman who knows about plastering, scraping and numerous ancient therapies, even the use of leeches.

"Though she's a foreigner, her dedication and professional skills are above the average level of Chinese interns," says Xu Fu, her TCM tutor.

Fubian is one of around 4,900 foreigners studying in Hangzhou, especially in college. They represent 60 percent of the total number of foreign students, around 8,200, in Zhejiang Province, according to the Entry-Exit Administration of the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau.

Most of them study in Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, and the China Academy of Art. They mainly study international trade, medicine and Chinese language.