W e don’t do that!” was the amused reply one of the interpreters gave me as I explained my specialty of orthodontics to him. I was disappointed, but I later learned that orthodontics is indeed practiced in China. When I joined this group of Chinese-American dentists on a study tour to China, I was driven more by my great desire to see China, the land of my ancestors, than China, the land of new orthodontic techniques. As my contribution to the discussions we hoped to have with the dentists in the People’s Republic of China, however, I gathered some cases treated with face-bows. The records, including models, occupied a corner of my one suitcase. Photographs of several Oriental patients were included in this sampling. We were greeted by officials of the China Travel Service in Canton, and there we finally received the official itinerary. We were asked what we would like to see in particular, and, since we were a group of dentists, we indicated that we would like to include dental clinics and schools in our itinerary wherever possible. We also learned that the basic travel plan had been determined in advance and that it was not subject to change. The School for the Deaf-Mute must be a showcase school. Here, children with hearing problems lived, studied, and received daily acupuncture therapy. Their report of cure or improvement was very high. They also informed us that an American ear, nose, and throat physician who visited earlier was sending them a machine to enable them to evaluate their progress more accurately. Here, our group had one of our long discussions with a physician and a teacher about acupuncture, their method of sterilizing the needles, and their concern with economy. Sterilization was with alcohol-soaked sponges. There was no concern about infection which, they said, they did not encounter with their procedure. There was, therefore, no reason to consider disposable, individually packaged needles as suggested by one of our dentists. “Wasteful” was the reaction. In our travels in the People’s Republic of China, we learned that full dentures cost 20 yuan in the city and about 10 yuan in the country or commune. One of our guides earned 60 yuan per month, and a dentist earned from 100 to 125 yuan: It was said that Chou En Lai received 350 yuan and Chairman. Mao received 400 yuan. An apprentice at a factory might earn 40 yuan, with 75