The Trouble with Wang Xizhi: Illness and Healing in a Fourth-Century Chinese Correspondence

Containing many reports of his own illnesses and attempts at treatment, along with inquiries after the health of correspondents and acquaintances, the letters of Wang Xizhi (303-361) constitute the earliest sizeable corpus of personal health reports in Chinese literature and are thus a valuable source for the study of Chinese epistolary communication and medical history. This article explores the rhetorical strategies of Wang’s medical narratives and the role that writing about illness and healing may have played in the correspondents’ relationships and broader networks. Examining the medical ideas and terminology evident in Wang Xizhi’s letters, the article also seeks to illuminate a section of the multifaceted world of early medieval Chinese healing practices. By allowing us to get closer to the calligrapher’s body, Wang’s illness narratives further help us to heighten our awareness of the circumstances that shape the artistic process. Les lettres de Wang Xizhi (303-361) contiennent de nombreuses informations sur ses propres problèmes médicaux et sur ses façons de se traiter, ainsi que des questions adressées aux destinataires quant à leur santé et celle de leurs connaissances communes. Elles constituent ainsi le plus ancien corpus de taille conséquente au sein de la littérature chinoise traitant de l’histoire médicale d’individus ; elles ont donc une valeur importante comme source tant pour l’histoire épistolaire que médicale. Cet article explore les stratégies rhétoriques dans les récits qu’offre Wang au sujet de la santé, ainsi que le rôle que ses écrits sur les maladies et les guérisons ont pu jouer dans ses rapports sociaux avec ses correspondants et au-delà. En examinant les idées et la terminologie médicale exprimées dans les lettres de Wang Xizhi, cet article ambitionne aussi d’éclairer un pan du monde très varié des pratiques de guérison chinoises médiévales. Ses témoignages sur ses maladies, qui nous permettent d’approcher de près le grand calligraphe dans sa corporalité, nous rendent plus attentif aux conditions les plus physiques de sa production artistique.

Traditional Medicine vs. the Chinese Government

This presentation investigates China’s policy towards traditional Chinese healing practices. The Chinese government’s policies are highly influenced by “Western” philosophy and ideals that are not always compatible with older aspects of Chinese culture, such as healing practices. (The term “Western” is put in quotations because while it refers to a euro‐centric culture, the idea of“west” varies depending upon one’s position on the globe.) China’s attitude towards traditional healing is indicative of a greater problem faced by most of today’s nations: in a world dominated by “Western”language and philosophy, holistic principles and practices tend to not only be misunderstood but completely shunted aside. By examining modern Chinese attitudes toward non‐scientific healing, this project intends to expose the flaws in the underlying logic of modern biomedicine—flaws common to both China and the West. The research is divided into five main categories: the origin and nature of traditional healing and healing cults; traditional healing as a religion; traditional healing as a science; “Western” influence on Chinese government; and, government definition and designation of superstition and cults. These five topics combined create a comprehensive understanding of traditional healing practices as well an understanding of their current political state. Within these categories, problems surrounding freedom of belief will naturally arise. Accompanying these problems will be the issues concerning legitimacy of traditional healing, and how “legitimacy” itself is defined—and who defines it.

Functional Neuroimaging of Acupuncture

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing methodology, is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. However, the mechanism by which acupuncture exerts its effects is not yet fully understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a widely used technique to observe brain activity noninvasively. In this chapter, the authors first review the existing literature on the effects of acupuncture on brain activity and connectivity. The authors next discuss some basic issues in the study of acupuncture with fMRI, including deqi, baseline and control measures, acupuncture modalities, and experimental paradigms. At the end of the chapter, future research directions in the study of acupuncture with fMRI are suggested.

Chinese Medicine

This article leans towards practice-orientated accounts. The historical enterprise dignifies itself with the idea that it is possible to share something of the sensory and perceptive style of the originators of early Chinese healing practices to deepen our appreciation of their textual legacies. Indeed the ethnic and cultural boundaries of China itself are contested. This article discusses some observations about how the sensory modalities of Chinese medical thought speak powerfully to a modern global audience who frequently feel their own individual experience of health and sickness devalued in the processes of modern standardized medicine. With these methodological tools at our disposal, the door also opens into a rich inter regional cultural and material history, and a narrative not only concerned with internal ‘Chinese’ genealogical developments but also ready to tackle the transitions, transformations, and transmissions that happen to medical knowledge as it is exchanged between different peoples across physical domains as well as down through generations of healers.

Daoyin: Chinese Healing Exercises

Daoyin, the traditional Chinese practice of guiding (dao) the qi and stretching (yin) the body is the forerunner of qigong. Like other Asian forms of body cultivation, it uses a combination of mental awareness, controlled breathing, and slow physical movements to engage the person, develop health, and open ways to spiritual attainment. Unlike Yoga or Magical Movements, its worldview focuses on the concept of qi or vital energy, the material aspect of the dao and foundation of human life, and its patterning according to Yin-Yang and the five phases. The practice of daoyin is first documented in medical manuscripts of about 200 BCE, where simple movements and dose correlation to symptoms are the norm. Later Daoist developments involve movement sequences, subtler breathing instructions, and spiritual connections through visualisations and prayers. Daoists also created an integrated system, where daoyin in combination with general rules of moderation and guidelines for healthy living forms the foundation of advanced immortality practice. They moreover systematised the breathing practices into various levels of holding, guiding, and enhancing qi as breath. Overall, the differences from other Asian practices dominate, and the way daoyin envisions and transforms the body is uniquely Chinese.