Shouhu Yisheng Files for IPO: AI-Powered Standardization Drives Rapid Expansion of Over 90 Pediatric Tuina Franchises in Two Years

Hours spent waiting in line, only minutes with the doctor—this may well reflect the current reality of pediatric healthcare in China. An even more pressing concern is that physicians often lack familiarity with children’s medical histories, routinely prescribe antibiotics, and prioritize rapid symptom resolution over appropriately measured treatment. Amid insufficient supply to meet pediatric healthcare demand, pediatric tuina (therapeutic massage) has gradually entered the child healthcare market in recent years.

As a specialized field within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), pediatric tuina was officially included in the “National Basic Public Health Services Program” in 2013. This marked the first time a TCM intervention was incorporated into public health services, and it remains one of only two TCM items included in the program, the other being TCM constitution identification for the elderly.

“We focus on the children’s health market and provide professional pediatric tuina training,” said Luo Linwei, co-founder of Shouhu Yisheng. “Promoting external therapies such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pediatric tuina is an effective approach to addressing difficulties and high costs in accessing pediatric care, as well as curbing antibiotic overuse. It also serves as a crucial means of laying the foundation for the physical and mental well-being of the next generation.”

Currently, many pediatric treatments address symptoms rather than root causes, and the misuse of antibiotics impairs children’s spleen and stomach development. As a professional institution specializing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) skills training and brand franchising, Shouhu Yisheng initiates its approach with pediatric tuina (massage) training. It supports the growth of franchise stores through health care product research and development, premium tuina technique training, clinical mentorship and internships, and internet-based operations.

Shouhu Yisheng has conducted market research on pediatric massage, revealing that the market is currently experiencing rapid growth. If the sector develops in a healthy manner, the annual market size for pediatric massage in China is estimated to reach approximately RMB 150 billion. However, in reality, there is a shortage of professional pediatric massage therapists, and those with a high level of expertise are particularly scarce.

The Shouhu Yisheng team comprises internet operations experts alongside specialists and professors from the Department of Clinical Tuina at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Established in March 2016, the company initially provided pediatric tuina training to clients including individuals seeking professional careers in pediatric tuina, medical institutions such as hospitals aiming to introduce traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services like pediatric tuina, and parents. Subsequently, Shouhu Yisheng developed an online platform for pediatric tuina training and, starting in November 2016, began supporting trainees who passed evaluations by experts from the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in establishing franchise outlets. Its initial revenue model relied on training fees and franchise fees.

Expert Training for Hand Care Throughout Life

In late 2017, the AI-assisted TCM pattern differentiation expert system developed by Shouhu Yisheng was launched. The AI-assisted pattern differentiation system primarily provides diagnostic support through two approaches: first, it identifies constitutional types and offers health management plans for sub-health conditions in healthy children via an online system based on the four TCM diagnostic methods (inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation); second, it collects and analyzes clinical symptoms of ill children to generate personalized TCM pattern differentiation results and conditioning regimens.

“The AI-assisted syndrome differentiation system is an expert system within the broader category of artificial intelligence, developed by leveraging top-tier expertise in Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) to emulate the diagnostic reasoning of TCM practitioners. Currently, this system assists technicians with a foundational background in performing TCM-based syndrome differentiation for pediatric patients, providing personalized intelligent health regimens; it also accumulates pediatric health data to establish a closed-loop information management system,” said Luo Linwei proudly during the interview.

“We initially just came to give it a try,” said a parent from Pixian, Sichuan Province. “Our two-year-old child was unable to speak or walk and frequently drooled. After visiting multiple hospitals, the child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy by various doctors, leaving our family overwhelmed and distressed.” Upon receiving this two-year-old patient, a massage therapist from Shouhu Yisheng conducted a thorough inquiry into the child’s medical history, symptoms, and medication usage. Leveraging AI-assisted diagnosis and consulting with experts from the Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the therapist proposed that the developmental delays might be attributed to spleen and stomach impairment caused by excessive antibiotic use. The therapist then administered pediatric tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) focused on regulating the spleen and stomach. “After ten days of treatment, the first word our child said was ‘thank you,’” the parent remarked with deep emotion.

The “Specifications for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Health Preservation and Healthcare Services (Trial),” issued by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in July 2018, states that personnel providing TCM health preservation and healthcare services must obtain vocational qualifications in TCM health preservation and healthcare, such as the Health Care Regulator certification, or have undergone relatively systematic professional training in TCM health preservation and healthcare. In fact, individuals with only a junior high school education are eligible to take the Health Care Regulator examination, thereby opening the door to those seeking to enter the health conditioning industry.

“At present, the key personnel at our technical guidance stores have all undergone clinical expert technical assessments conducted by the Department of Tuina (Chinese Massage) at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,” said Luo Linwei in an interview. “Most tuina training programs on the market still follow traditional models, which are characterized by long study periods and high costs. Trainees often continue to face numerous challenges, including difficulties in TCM syndrome differentiation, formulating treatment protocols, and performing hands-on procedures; they also lack ongoing guidance and are unable to effectively integrate high-quality health products with tuina therapy. Furthermore, the single-store operational model adopted by trainees after training fails to meet substantial user demand, leading to high staff turnover. Only after passing the technical assessment can trainees establish technical guidance stores and receive ongoing expert mentorship. Moving forward, we will leverage the information system of ‘Shouhu Yisheng’ (Hand Care for Life) and AI-assisted syndrome differentiation tools to effectively stratify practitioners, thereby building cohesive teams. This approach aims to address industry-wide issues such as the overreliance on individual practitioners rather than established brands, which has historically hindered business scalability.”

Expert Guidance for Lifelong Hand Care

Shouhu Yisheng has a clear roadmap for its future development. Currently, it supports franchise clinics through training and technical guidance, while expanding standardized company-owned stores to help them address challenges in clinical care and management. In this process, the company is accumulating big data on health conditioning to facilitate the later development of strong artificial intelligence, enabling effective technological iteration and product updates. It is also gradually expanding into specialized areas of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) healthcare, including postpartum rehabilitation, TCM cosmetology, TCM-based weight loss, and TCM wellness.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) requires reform and must be empowered by informatization and internet technologies. This transformation will standardize once closely guarded techniques and formalize individually operated practices. In response to broad market demand, TCM integrated with AI technology and advanced management models will demonstrate robust vitality. Shouhu Yisheng currently collaborates with multiple institutions, including Anyun'er, Ruikang Pharmacy, the Anzhou District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, the Yucheng District People's Hospital in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, and the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Chengbei District in Xining City, Qinghai Province. Beyond personnel training, it provides comprehensive solutions and operational platforms.

Currently, Shouhu Yisheng is seeking financing with a target amount of RMB 10 million, which will be used for the optimization and upgrading of franchise stores, promotion and training of pediatric massage, and further research and development of AI-based information systems.