Translation by Anne Chan
For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese have gained great wisdom in regards to controlling diseases and prolonging life.
The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor praises the ancient way of cultivating one’s state of well-being: “Those who knew the Way of Daoist practice in ancient times always kept their daily behavior following nature. They followed the principle of Yin and Yang and kept in conformity with its art of prophecy. They were able to modulate their life in harmony with nature’s seasonal changes to recuperate their essence and vital energy. Their food and drink were of a fixed quantity, their daily activities were all in regular times, and they never overworked. In this way, they could maintain both the body and the spirit’s substantiality, and were able to live to the old age of more than one hundred years.”
Many ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy pieces describe how people in the past cultivated a state of well-being in pursuit of good health and longevity.
A man is demonstrating the Eight Pieces of Brocade qigong. He is bending upward to reach his toes by his two hands to strengthen his kidney and waist. This is part of the illustrated album of the Eight Pieces of Brocade, which is part of a National Palace Painting Collection from the Qing Dynasty. Picture courtesy of the National Palace Museum.
The Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade) style of qigong, or ancient Chinese energy practices, shown in this painting, along with Taichi and Wuqinxi (Five-Animal exercises), are common forms of qigong exercises in ancient China. The Baduanjin is mentioned in several encyclopedias from the Southern Song Dynasty and is widely seen in works about lifestyle regimen in the Ming Dynasty. Composed of eight individual exercises, it includes both body movements and breathing methods. It distinguishes between two kinds of posture: standing and sitting. When standing, the two feet should be apart as wide as one’s shoulders.
The other posture requires cross-legged, upright sitting, with one’s tongue against the palate and mind focused on the “dantian” (lower abdomen). Each movement should be practiced repeatedly. It is worth noting that the traditional Chinese exercises vary from contemporary kinesiology, which emphasizes physical training. According to Wang Fuzhi’s commentaries on Yijing (“Classic of Changes”), movement and stillness are interwoven, and together they consist of the “principle of all changes.” While exercises improve one’s physical health, tranquility promotes one’s well-being and spiritual health.
Part of a Song Dynasty stone rubbing of Wang Xizhi’s manuscript of the Yellow Court Classic. The Yellow Court Classic is a Chinese Daoist meditation text. Public Domain.
Aside from physical health, the ancient Chinese also attached great importance to spiritual wellness, including the cultivation of spirit, interests, and virtues. The Yellow Court Classic, a Daoist meditation scripture, focuses on the absorption of qi (a vital force that must flow unimpeded through the body for health) and cooperation with the heavenly spirits. The calligraphy of The Yellow Court Classic explicates the five sense organs and the internal organs’ many functions: One can achieve longevity through sustaining one’s spirituality, practicing qigong, and filling one’s energy center.
The Classic was also popular among the literati. Wang Xizhi, a calligrapher from the Jin Dynasty, presented the full text of the scripture on stone tablets, which became a masterpiece cherished by all. Lu You, a poet from the Southern Song Dynasty, once praised the Classic in his work: “I only realized the secrets to longevity when my hair was turning gray—all are presented in the Yellow Court Classic.”
Brewing Medicine, Tang Yin (1470–1524), Ming Dynasty. Picture courtesy of the National Palace Museum.
Traditional Chinese medicine is unique in curing diseases. Medicines are made according to principles like “four properties and five flavors,” “ascending and descending,” “floating and sinking,” and the meridian tropism theory. The four properties of traditional Chinese medicine refer to coldness, heat, warmth, and coolness. Specifically, herbal medicines with warm and hot properties are prescribed for cold-related syndromes;cool and cold characteristics are prescribed for heat-related syndromes.
The herbal medicines are grouped under five primary flavors: acridness, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. Some medicines also possess light or astringent flavors. Each flavor serves different functions. For instance, acridness helps relieve stagnation and activates blood circulation.
The decoction of Chinese herbal medicines is also essential. The painting Decocting Herbal Medicine was illustrated by Tang Yin, a painter from the Ming Dynasty. He suffered from lung disease in his twilight years, and he expressed his gratitude to his doctor Lu Yue with this painting. In this piece, a doctor sits with his legs crossed. A young lad is decocting the medicine with a fan in his hand, and the medicine is boiling in the stove under the pines, deep in the mountains.
Moxibustion, Li Tang (ca. 1070-after 1150) Song Dynasty. Picture courtesy of the National Palace Museum.
Ancient Chinese people also cured diseases through massage, “Tui na,” along with moxibustion. The painting Moxibustion shows the details of this method. The patient in the painting is wincing in pain, and the itinerant doctor is conducting moxibustion on him. The doctor puts the medical equipment on his head and holds a moxa cone in his hand. He and his assistant are restraining the patient while the person on the far left cannot stand to watch.
One of the assistants is preparing a medicinal patch for the patient. The vivid and expressive painting shows the curing process in rural areas. Moxibustion can be used for many reasons, and it would feel warm, relaxing, and comfortable if it is applied correctly, even though it does look a bit scary.
Dried mugwort has been a popular herbal medicine for over 2,000 years. It can be used in cooking, expelling mosquitos, and performing moxibustion. As a proverb goes: “Three years worth of mugwort keep; a doctor you shan’t need to seek.”
As an ancient Chinese expression goes, “Man stands between heaven and earth.” It encapsulates the belief that healthy living is a balance of body, mind, and spirit, and a combination of yin and yang.
