The Department of Gastroenterology of Xijing Hospital was founded in 1954. In 1978 the department was enrolled as the Master Degree education base by the National Education Committee and Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. It was set as the Center of Gastroenterology of PLA by the General Logistic Department in 1985. The department was enrolled as the Doctor Degree education base in 1986 and as the Postdoctoral training station in 1993. In 1995 and 1997 respectively, the PLA Institute of Digestive Disease and Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology was set in this department by the PLA General Logistic Department. In 1998, the Department Of gastroenterology was set as one of the National Clinical Pharmacology Base by the Ministry Of Health. 1999 the department was approved by the National Education Ministry for Professorship of Cheung Kong Scholars Program. In 2000, the PLA Institute of Digestive Disease was entitled as the exclusive key laboratory by the Health Department of the General Logistic Department. The research team was selected as the first group of 'Excellent Research Group of Scientific Innovation' by the National Natural Science Foundation Committee. In 2002, the GI department was entitled 'State Key Discipline' by the Ministry of Education. In 2004, a State Kay Laboratory of Cancer Biology was established in the department. So far, the GI department of Xijing Hospital is the only department hosting the Academician and Chairman of Chinese Society of Gastroenterology.   

The Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases consists both internal medicine departments and surgical departments, and is a clinical, research and teaching facility. It hosts 370 beds, a 1500m² endoscopy centre, a 3300 m² laboratory. The hospital is a 19-floor building containing wards, outpatient unit, emergency unit, operation room, ICU, endoscopy unit, inventional therapy unit, clinical examination unit and laboratories. The total construction area of the building is 33,000 m², which ranks the top across the world as a Gastroenterology center, over 20,000 endoscopic examinations and 1000 interventional treatments. The expected annual outpatient number exceeds 150,000, inpatient over 6000 and gross income beyond 100 million RMB.

The featured treatment or diagnostic methods of the hospital include early gastric cancer diagnosis, endoscopy treatment of biliary & pancreatic disease and stricture of GI tract, vascular intervention, ultrasound invention, artificial liver support system for acute/chronic liver failure. The research of the hospital was directed at gastric cancer treatment. Achievement involves identification of novel gastric cancer antigens MGAgs, establishment of monoclonal antibody, cloning of the encoding gene and developing early gastric cancer diagnostic method, which gained great attention by the international peer researchers. In the last 11 consecutive years, the hospital was granted 1000,000 RMB research fund each year, with the maximal annual fund grant over 10,000,000. In the last 5 years, the hospital presided 48 state level or military research projects including Prominent Youth research Project, Key Research Project of National Natural Science Foundation, 973 projects and 863 projects. The total research funds exceeded 25.46 million RMB, with average fund 909,000 RMB/person, which ranks the top in the Gastroenterology discipline in China. The hospital has publishes over 110 papers in international research journals including top journals such as Lancet. The total IF was 214.6, which ranks the first in SCI journal publication across the country. Especially that the publication of Nature journal paper filled the blank in Chinese Gastroenterology discipline.

The hospital was awarded 1 second class Reward of Natianal Science and Technology Progress and 1 3^rd class Reward of Natianal Science and Technology Progress, 1 third National Technology Invention award, 2 Military Technology Progress Awards, and 2 first Technology Progress Awards of Shaaxi Province. 4 patents have been issued to the hospital. In 2008, the first National Science and Technology Progress Reward was awarded to the hospital.

The staff of the hospital is consisted of a group of the young and learned people. 20 of them have experience of oversea education or research. Over 90% of them have doctor degree. 3 of them have been entitled Professorship of Cheung Kong Scholars Program. 3 of them have been granted national distinguished youth funds. 2 of them have been granted with the PLA distinguished youth foundation. 1 of the staff was elected as of the 10 Distinguished youth of Shaaxi Province. The hospital has won 1 Chinese Young Scientist Award, 1 'Qiushi Engineering Award' . 1 of the staff has been entitled as 'Excellent Communist Party Member' by the Chinese MOP. The hospital has 1 scientific golden star, 1 silver star, 3 new stars and distinguished teacher honored by the general logistic department of PLA. The hospital personnel hosted 12 academic posts including Chairman of the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology. 2 of the were standing committee member of the Asia-Pacific Society of Gastroenterology, 1 is the member of the editorial board of J Dig Dis and associate chief editor of Chinese Journal of Gastroenterology. 1 has chaired 2 international conferences. The hospital has 3 Young Scholar Award winners at 8^th, 10^th 12^th World Conference of Digestive Disease and 1 winner of he Young Scholar Prize of Asia-Pacific Society of Gastroenterology. At the 3^rd Chinese Society of Gastroenterology conference of Young Scholars, the participants from the hospital wined 5 out of 10 first awards. In 2008, academician Pof Daiming Fan was elected the standing Member of Asia-Pacific Association of Gastroenterology and Chairman of Internal Affair Committee. Meanwhile, Prof Kaichun Wu was elected the standing Member of Asia-Pacific Association of Gastroenterology and Chairman of the Award Committee.