Too much of a good thing, as they say, is bad. China is supposed to have the world's highest rate of antibiotics abuse and the problem, apart from killing an estimated 80,000 a year, is leading to an increased resistance of bacteria to drugs, resulting in a rising number of recessive syphilis cases, among others. An ambitious two-year project has now been launched to train over 30,000 medical staff across China in the responsible use of antibiotics.
According to a TIME article in 2005, China's "tendency to overprescribe antibiotics can be traced back to its traditional medical beliefs". So the next time a Chinese doctor offers to put you on a drip for a minor ailment, stand up for yourself and say no.

This week in Shanghaiist


They might also want to educate the pharmacists that sell antibiotics over the counter like tic tacs, without any prescriptions!
I think a significant part of the problem is hospitals that are looking to make money by selling medications. I am not so sure that "traditional medical beliefs" explains it because it chalks up the whole problem to ignorance.