In Ancient China, bureaucracy played a very significant role in terms of the development for science, medicine, and technology. Whereas in Europe, where research was largely conducted by individuals in relative isolation and later in monasteries, we see that in China, these were closely linked to the state through a system of civic service. Some impactful technologies they discovered included papermaking, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass.
While knowledge and technology may have seen a decline and became more fragmented immediately following the fall of the Roman Empire, having these systems administered by a central authority helped ensure they continued support, even with the rise and fall of dynasties across the history of China. Another benefit to this coordinated effect was though the standardization we see during this period, via official examinations and written language. One shortcoming of this uniformity could be the potential discouragement of ideas that may have been considered radially new, or anything breaking the conformity to tradition put forth by Confucian teachings.
Traditional Chinese medicine seemed concerned with proper maintenance of balance within the body; notions of Yin and Yang, and Chi. While Western medicine utilized concepts of anatomy and biology, or, the physical body, Chinese methods focused on correcting the flow of energy within it in order to heal illnesses.