The death of a young Chinese actress who initially rejected chemotherapy in favour of traditional Chinese medicine has sparked a national debate.

Xu Ting, 26, was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer that affects the immune system, two months before passing away.

Against her family's objections, the actress decided to reject chemotherapy and radiology, saying that she had seen friends suffer from those treatments and was concerned about the cost, both financial and "to herself."

She explained that while traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) might not cure her, it was preferable to the horrors of chemotherapy.

"I know that chemotherapy is extremely painful, and is a process that can even speed up my death,” she said on Twitter-like micro-blogging site Weibo, adding that she didn’t want to "let chemotherapy torment me to the point where there’s no beauty and talent left."