China has entered this year's Toufu on July 15, the first phase of Sanfu, the hottest days of the year. Over 800 medical institutions in Beijing have started offering "Sanfutie," or Sanfu medicinal patch, a bandage made of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believe that receiving Sanfutie during the hottest summer days is effective for coughs, asthma and arthritis and it is a good solution for winter ills in summer. At the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 115 patients in the respiratory department received Sanfutie treatments within an hour, and the pediatrics department also ushered in many children for respiratory disease patch treatment.Photos: Chen Tao/GT