I. The Origin of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion
II. The Academic Accomplishments of Ancient
Acupuncture and Moxibustion
III. Modern Decline and New Life of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion
IV. Rejuvenation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in
People's Republic of China
V. The Dissemination of Acupuncture and Moxibustion to
the World
I. The Origin of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion are an important invention of the
Chinese nation which originated as early as in the clan commune
period of the primitive society. The activities of human beings
appeared in China about 1,700,000 years ago. It was about 100,000
years ago that China entered the clan commune period which lasted
till 4,000 years ago. In the ancient literature there were many
legends about the origin of acupuncture and moxibustion such as Fu
Xi's creation of the therapeutic techniques with stone needles, and
Huang Di's invention of acupuncture and moxibustion. The above
mentioned Fu Xi and Huang Di in legend actually are the
representatives of the clan commune of primitive society.
In the classics of two thousand years ago, it was frequently
cited that the acupuncture instruments were made of stone and were
named bian stone. For example, in Commentary on the Spring and
Autumn Annals, there is a paragraph in historical records for
550 BC saying: "Praise pleasant to hear that does an ill turn is
worse than advice unpleasant to hear that acts like a stone." Fu
Qian in the second century explained that "stone" here meant
bian stone. Quan Yuanqi who lived around the 5th-6th
centuries pointed out: "bian stone is an ancient appliance
for external treatment and was known by three names: 1. needle
stone; 2. bian stone; 3. arrow-headed stone. In fact, they
are the same thing. Because there was no iron casting in ancient
times, the needles were made of stone." This is correlated with the
fact that the stone instruments were extensively used in the
primitive society. Primitive period in China was divided into two
stages, the Old Stone Age (from remote antiquity to 10,000 years
ago) and the New Stone Age (from 10,000-40,000 years ago). In the
Old Stone Age the ancestors knew how to use stone knives and
scrapers to incise an abscess, drain pus and let blood out for
therapeutic purposes. With the accumulation of experiences the
indications of the treatment by bian stone were gradually
increased. In the New Stone Age because of the improvement in their
technique of stone manufacturing, the ancient people were able to
make bian stone as a special tool with more medical usage.
In China, a bian stone needle 4.5 cun long was
discovered in the New Stone Age ruins in Duolun County of Inner
Mongolia. At one end, it is oval shaped with a semicircular edge
used for incising boils and abscesses, and at other end, it is
pyramid shaped with a square base used for bloodletting. Two more
bian stones were discovered as funerary objects in a late
New Stone Age grave in Rizhao County of Shandong Province. They are
8.3 cm and 9.1 cm in length respectively, with three-edged and
cone-shaped ends used for bloodletting and regulating Qi
circulation. The discovered relics of bian stone have
provided powerful evidence that acupuncture originated early in the
primitive society.
According to the records of Chapter 12 of Plain
Questions: "The treatment with bian stone needle was
originated in the east coast of China where the inhabitants lived
on fishery, and moxibustion was originated in the north where the
people subsisted on animal husbandry. Because it was cold and windy
in the northern areas, people had to warm themselves by fire.
Living in camps and subsisting on milk, they easily suffered from
abdominal pain and distension by cold, suitable to be treated by
heat. Through long-term accumulation of experiences, moxibustion
therapy and hot compression were created."
II. The Academic
Accomplishments of Ancient Acupuncture and
Moxibustion
From the twenty-first century BC when China entered the slave
society to 476 BC, Chinese history went through the Xia, Shang and
Western Zhou dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Period. Three
thousand years ago in the Shang Dynasty the hieroglyphs of
acupuncture and moxibustion appeared in the inscriptions on bones
and tortoise shells. Because of the development of bronze casting
techniques there appeared bronze medical needles. But bian
stone was still as the main tool for treating diseases. During this
period the philosophical thinking of Yin-yang and five elements was
formed, and in the field of medicine the ancient physicians had a
preliminary understanding of pulse, blood, body fluid, Qi, Shen
(manifestations of vitality), essence, five sounds, five colors,
five flavors, six Qi, eight winds, etc., as well as the ideology of
relevant adaptation of the human body to natural environment. Thus
germinated the sprout of the basic theory of traditional Chinese
medicine.
From the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC) to the Qin
Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) and to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD
24), it was the establishing and strengthening stage of the feudal
system in China. With the introduction and application of iron
instruments, bian stone needles were replaced by metal
medical needles. This broadened the field of acupuncture practice,
bringing about a development of acupuncture by leaps and bounds. As
recorded in the book Miraculous Pivot, there were nine
kinds of metallic needles at that time with different shapes and
usage. They are named as nine needles, including the needles for
puncturing, surgical incision and massage as well. In 1968, in
Mancheng County, Hebei Province, an ancient tomb of the Western Han
Dynasty buried in 113 BC was excavated. Among the relics, there
were four golden needles and five decaying silver ones. These
discoveries demonstrate the original shapes of the ancient needles.
The doctors of this period treated diseases with multiple
techniques. For example, the famous doctor Qin Yueren (or named
Bian Que) who lived in about the fifth to fourth century BC, had a
good command of medical knowledge in various clinical branches; he
treated patients by needling, moxibustion, herbal decoction,
massage and hot compression. He rescued a critically ill prince by
acupuncture, and this story went down in history. Another famous
doctor Chunyu Yi of the second century BC was good at
acupuncture-moxibustion and herbal treatment. There is an account
of his case reports of twenty-five patients in the book
Historical Records, in which four cases were treated by
acupuncture and moxibustion. In the period of Warring States,
ancient doctors began to generalize and summarize medicine and
pharmacology, and writings on acupuncture and moxibustion appeared.
Two silk scrolls recording meridians and collaterals written in the
third century BC, were discovered in excavation of the No. 3 Han
Tomb at Mawangdui, Hunan Province, which reflected the earliest
outlook of the theory of meridians and collaterals. The book
The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor passed on to now
is a medical classic concerning the theory of traditional Chinese
medicine, with its authorship ascribed to the ancient Emperor
Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor). It includes two parts: Miraculous
Pivot, in another name Huangdi's Canon of
Acupuncture, and Plain Questions. On the basis of
previous literature, it takes the theories of Yin-yang, five
elements, zang-fu, meridians and collaterals, mentality and spirit,
Qi and blood, body fluid, five emotions and six exogeneous
pathogenic factors as the basic knowledge of traditional Chinese
medicine, and acupuncture and moxibustion as the main therapeutic
technique; it explained the physiology and pathology of the human
body, the principles of diagnosis, the prevention and treatment of
diseases from the perspective of atheism, holistic conception, the
viewpoint of development and change, and the relationship between
the human body and the natural environment. This laid a theoretical
foundation of Chinese medicine and pharmacology, including
acupuncture and moxibustion. During this period also appeared the
books The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Eighty-one
Difficulties and Essentials of Points,
Acupuncture and moxibustion, both related to the
fundamental theories of acupuncture and moxibustion, but the latter
book has been lost.
From the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) to Three Kingdoms
Period (220-265), another generalization and summarization of
traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology was made. Many famous
doctors paid great attention to the study of acupuncture and
moxibustion. For example, Hua Tuo who was the pioneer to apply
herbal anesthesia for surgical operations only selected one or two
points in acupuncture treatment and took much notice to the
propagation of needling sensation. He was ascribed the authorship
of Canon of Moxibustion and Acupuncture Preserved in
Pillow (lost). The outstanding medical doctor Zhang Zhongjing
also mentioned the methods of acupuncture, moxibustion, fire
needling, warm needling, etc. in his book Treatise on
Febriles. He stressed very much on combining acupuncture with
medicine herbs as well as applying the treatment according to the
differentiation of symptom complex. During this period the basic
theories of acupuncture and moxibustion had already been formed,
but the locations and names of acupuncture points were neither
unified nor systemized. A bamboo scroll of medicine of the Eastern
Han Dynasty which was excavated from Wuwei County in Gansu
Province, mistook Zusanli to be located "five cun below
the knee." Hua Tuo located Back-Shu points as "one cun bilaterally
along the spine," with a great difference in locations and names of
the points when compared with other books. Because the earliest
acupuncture books contained mistakes and differences, and had
missing information, the famous medical doctor Huangfu Mi compiled
the book Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
in 256-260 by collecting the materials of acupuncture and
moxibustion from the ancient books Plain Questions, Canon of
Acupuncture and Essential of Points, Acupuncture
and Moxibustion. The book consists of 12 volumes with 128
chapters, including 349 acupuncture points. He edited and arranged
the contents according to the following order: the theories of
Zang-Fu, Qi and Blood, channels and collaterals, acupuncture
points, the pulse diagnosis, manipulating techniques of acupuncture
and moxibustion, and their clinical application in various branches
of medicine. It is the earliest exclusive and systemized book on
acupuncture and moxibustion which has been one of the most
influential works in the history of acupuncture and
moxibustiom.
During the Jin Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties
(265-581), the chaos was upheaved by wars. The physicians advocated
acupuncture and moxibustion therapy very much because of its
convenient use in times of turmoil, and the masses of Chinese
people also knew something about moxibustion therapy. The famous
doctor Ge Hong wrote the book to Prescriptions for
Emergencies to popularize medical knowledge, especially the
therapeutic methods of acupuncture and moxibustion. From the Jin
Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xu Xi's family were
expert in the art of healing for several generations, including Xu
Qiufu, Xu Wenbo and Xu Shuxiang, all well known in the history of
acupuncture and moxibustion. In this period there appeared more and
more monographs on acupuncture and moxibustion, and charts of
acupuncture points, such as Acupuncture Chart from Lateral and
Posterior Views and Diagrams of Meridians and Points.
During the Sui (581-618) and Tang dynasties (618-907), China was
undergoing the process of economical and cultural prosperity of the
feudal society. The science of acupuncture and moxibustion also had
great development. The famous physician Zhen Quan and his
contemporary Sun Simiao both had good command of the knowledge of
traditional Chinese medicine and made deep study on acupuncture and
moxibustion. The Tang government, in the years around 627-649,
ordered Zhen Quan and the others to revise the books and charts of
acupuncture and moxibustion. Sun Simiao compiled Prescritions
Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies (650-652), and A
Supplement to the Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold
(680-682)?in which a great deal of clinical experiences in
acupuncture treatment of varies schools were included. He also
designed and made Charts of Three Views, in which "the
twelve regular meridians and the eight extra meridians were
illustrated in various colors, and there were altogether 650
points." They are the earliest multicolored charts of meridians and
points, but have been lost. In addition, Yang Shangshan of Tang
Dynasty compiled Acupuncture Points in Internal Classic,
which revised the relevant contents of Internal Classic; Wang Tao
wrote the book The Medical Secrets of an Official, in
which a host of moxibustion methods of various schools were
recorded. During this period there appeared monographs on the
treatment of special diseases, for example, the book
Moxibustion Method for Consumptive Diseases written by Cui
Zhidi, in which moxibustion treatment of tuberculosis was
described. It has been found that the earliest block-printed
edition of acupuncture and moxibustion is A New Collection of
Moxibustion Therapy for Emergency, which appeared in the year
862, specially describing the moxibustion therapy for emergencies.
In the seventh century, acupuncture and moxibustion had already
become a special branch of medicine, and those specialized in this
field were entitled acupuncturists and moxibustionists. During the
Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Medical Bureau responsible for medical
education was divided into four departments of medical specialities
and one department of pharmacology. And the department of
acupuncture was also one of them, in which there were one professor
of acupuncture, one assistant professor, ten instructors, 20
technicians and 20 students. The acupuncture professor was in
charge of teaching the students the meridian-collaterals and
acupuncture points, pulse diagnosis, and manipulating methods of
needling.
In the Five Dynasties (907-960), Liao Dynasty (916-1125), Song
Dynasty (960-1279), Kin Dynasty (1115-1234) and Yuan Dynasty
(1206-1368), the extensive application of printing technique
greatly promoted the accumulation of medical literature and speeded
up the dissemination and development of Chinese medicine and
pharmacology. Supported by the Northern Song government, the famous
acupuncturist Wang Weiyi revised the locations of the acupuncture
points and their related meridians, and made a supplement to the
indications of acupuncture points. In 1026, he wrote the book
Illustrated Manual on the Points for Acupuncture and
Moxibustion on a New Bronze Figure, which was block printed
and published by the government. In 1027, two bronze figures
designed by the Wang Weiyi were manufactured, with the internal
organs set inside and the meridians and points engraved on the
surface for visual teaching and examination. These achievements and
measures promoted the unification of the theoretical knowledge of
acupuncture points and meridians. The famous acupuncturist Wang
Zhizhong of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote book Canon on the
Origin of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, in which he said stress
on practical experiences including folk experiences, exerting a
great influence on later generations. The famous doctor Hua Shou of
the Yuan Dynasty did textual research on the pathways of meridians
and collaterals as well as their relationship with acupuncture
points. In 1341 he wrote the book Exposition of the Fourteen
Meridians, which further development the theory of meridians
and acupuncture and moxibustion. Some of them laid emphasis on the
theory and technique of a particular aspect. So different branches
of acupuncture and moxibustion were formed. For example, the
publication of Canon of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for
Children's Diseases (lost), Moxibustion Method for
Emergencies, The Secret of Moxibudtion for Abscess and Ulcer
and so on, showed the deep development of acupuncture and
moxibustion into various branches of the clinic. Xi Hong of the
early Southern Song Dynasty, who was from a famous acupuncture
family, particularly stressed the manipulating technique of
acupuncture. And his contemporary Dou Cai wrote a book entitled
Bian Que's Medical Experiences, in which he highly praised
the scorching moxibustion, and even gave a general anesthesia to
avoid pain while applying scorching moxibustion. At the same time,
Yang Jie and Zhang Ji observed autopsies, and advocated selecting
acupuncture points in the light of anatomical knowledge. He Ruoyu
and Dou Hanqin of the Kin and Yuan dynasty suggested that the
acupuncture points should be selected according to
ziwuliuzhu (Chinese two-hour time on the basis of Heavenly
Stems and Earthly Branches).
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) acupuncture and moxibustion were
work up to a climax that many problems studied deeper and broader.
There were more famous doctors specialized in this field. Chen Hui
of the early stage of Ming Dynasty, Ling Yun of the middle stage,
and Yang Jizhou of the later stage, all were known far and wide in
China, and exerted a tremendous influence upon the development of
acupuncture and moxibustion. The main accomplishments in the Ming
Dynasty were: 1. Extensive collection and revision of the
literature of acupuncture and moxibustion, e.g. the chapter of
acupuncture and moxibustion in the book Prescriptions for
Universal Relief (1406), A Complete Collection of
Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Xu Feng in the fifteenth
century, An Exemplary Collection of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion by Gao Wu in 1529, Compendium of
Acupuncture in 1601 based on Yang Jizhou's work, Six
Volumes on Acupuncture Prescriptions by Wu Kun in 1618, and
An Illustrated Supplement to Systematic Compilation of the
Internal Classic by Zhang Jiebin in 1624, etc. All these works
were the summarization of the literature of acupuncture and
moxibustion through the ages. 2. Studies on the manipulation
methods of acupuncture. On the basis of single manipulation of
acupuncture, more than twenty kinds of compound manipulation were
developed, and an academic contention was carried out about
different manipulation methods. Questions and Answers
Concerning Acupuncture and moxibustion by Wang Ji in 1530 was
the representative work of that academic dispute. 3. Development of
warm moxibustion with moxa stick from burning moxibustion with moxa
cone. 4. Sorting out the previous records of acupuncture sites
located away from the Fourteen Meridians and formation of a new
category of extra points.
From the establishment of the Qing Dynasty to the Opium War
(1644-1840), the medical doctors regarded herbal medication as
superior to acupuncture, therefore acupuncture and moxibustion
gradually turned to a failure. In the eighteenth century Wu Qian
and his collaborators compiled the book Golden Mirror of
Medicine by the imperial order. In this book the chapter
"Essential of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Verse" took the
practical form of rhymed verse with illustrations. Li Xuechuan
compiled The Source of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (1817),
in which selection of acupuncture points according to the
differentiation of syndromes was emphasized, acupuncture and herbal
medication were equally stressed, and the 361 points on the
Fourteen Meridians were systematically listed. Besides these books,
there were many publications, but none of them were influential. In
1822, the authorities of the Qing Dynasty declared an order to
abolish permanently the acupuncture-moxibustion department from the
Imperial Medical College because "acupuncture and moxibustion are
not suitable to be applied to the Emperor."
III. Modern Decline and
New Life of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Following the Opium War in 1840, China fell into a semi-feudal
and semi-colonial society. The Revolution of 1911 ended the rule of
the Qing Dynasty, but the broad masses of Chinese people were in
deep distress until the founding of People's Republic of China, and
acupuncture and moxibustion were also trampled upon. Introduction
of Western medicine to China should have been a good turn, but the
colonists used it as a medium for aggression. They claimed:
"Western medicine is vanguard of Christianity and Christianity is
the forerunner promoting the sale of goods." With such a purpose,
they denounced and depreciated Chinese traditional medicine, and
even defamed acupuncture and moxibustion as medical torture and
called the acupuncture needle a deadly needle. From 1914, the
reactionary government of China continuously yelled to ban
traditional medicine and adopted a series of measure to restrict
its development, resulting in a decline of Chinese traditional
medicine including acupuncture and moxibustion.
Because of the great need of the Chinese people for medical
care, acupuncture and moxibustion got its chance to spread among
the folk people. Many acuouncturists made unrelenting efforts to
protect and develop this great medical legacy by founding
acupuncture associations, publishing books and journals on
acupuncture, and launching correspondence courses to teach
acupuncture. Among those acupuncturists, Cheng Dan'an made a
particular contribution. At this period, in addition to inheriting
the traditional acupuncture and moxibustion, they made efforts on
explaining the theory of acupuncture and moxibustion with modern
science and technology. In 1899, Liu Zhongheng wrote a book
entitled Illustration of the Bronze Figure with Chinese and
Western Medicine, paving the way for studying acupuncture
through combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in
the history of acupuncture. In 1934 The Technique and
Principles of Electro-acupuncture and the Study of
Electro-acupuncture written by Tang Shicheng et al. started
the use of electro-acupuncture in China.
At this period, acupuncture and moxibustion gained its new life
in the revolutionary base area led by the Communist Party of China.
In October of 1944, after Chairman Mao Zedong made a speech on the
United Front of Cultural and educational workers in
Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, many medical doctors trained in
Western medicine began to learn and to do research work on
acupuncture and moxibustion, and to spread its use in the army of
the base area. In April 1945, an acupuncture clinic was opened in
the International Peace Hospital in the name of Dr. Norman Bethune
in Yan'an. This was the first time that acupuncture and moxibustion
entered into a comprehensive hospital. In 1947, the Health
Department of Jinan Military Area Command compiled and published
Practical Acupuncture and moxibstion. An acupuncture training
course was sponsored by the health school affiliated to the Health
Bureau of the People's Government in northern China in 1948. All
these efforts like the seeds spread over the liberated area, and
promoted the understanding of acupuncture and moxibustion for
Western medical doctors.
IV. Rejuvenation of
Acupuncture and Moxibustion in People's Republic of
China
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the
Chinese Government has paid great attention to inheriting and
developing the legacy of traditional Chinese medicine and
pharmacology. In 1950 Chairman Mao Zedong adopted an important
policy to unit the doctors of both Western and traditional schools;
in the same year, Zhu De wrote an inscription for the book New
Acupuncture, pointing out, "Chinese acupuncture treatment has
a history of thousands of years. It is not only simple and
economical, but also very effective for many kinds of diseases. So
this is science. I hope that the doctors of both Western and
traditional schools should unite for the further improvement of its
technique and science." Deng Xiaoping also inscribed in the book
Newly Compiled Acupuncture with the following statement:
"It is an important job for us to critically assimilate and
systematize our multifarious scientific legacies." With the support
and concern of the government leaders, authorities of different
levels took a series of measures to develop Chinese medicine. In
this way acupuncture and moxbustion were unprecedentedly
popularized and promoted.
In July 1951, the Experimental Institute of
Acupuncture-Moxobustion Therapy affiliated directly to the Ministry
of Public Health was set up. It became the Institute of Acupuncture
and Moxibustion attached to the Academy of Traditional Chinese
Medicine in 1955. Since then the research organizations of
traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology on provincial,
municipal and autonomous regional levels have been set up one after
the other, in which the research divisions of acupuncture and
moxibustion are included. In a few provinces and cities institutes
of acupuncture and moxibustion have also been established. There
are teaching and research groups of acupuncture and moxibustion in
every college of traditional Chinese medicine, and in some of the
colleges departments of acupuncture and moxibustion have been
founded. In many city hospitals, special clinical departments of
acupuncture and moxibustion have been set up. Acupuncture and
moxibustion have been carried out even in commune hospitals. Many
institutes and colleges of Western medicine have put it into the
teaching curriculum and taken it as a scientific research item.
To apply modern scientific knowledge to the research work on the
basis of exploring and inheriting the traditional acupuncture and
moxibustion is the prominent characteristic of the present research
on acupuncture and moxibustion. In the early 1950s, the main work
was to systematize the basic theory of acupuncture and moxibustion,
to observe its clinical indications, and to make a systematic
exposition of acupuncture and moxibustion with modern methods. From
the later stage of 1950s to the 1960s, the following were carried
out: deep study of the ancient literature, extensive summarization
of the clinical effect on various disease entities, propagation of
acupuncture anesthesia in clinical use, and experimental research
to observe the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion upon the
functions of each system and organ. From the 1970s up to now,
investigations have been done on the mechanism of acupuncture
anesthesia and acupuncture analgesia from the viewpoints of
operative surgery, anesthesiology, neuroanatomy, histochemistry,
analgesia physiology, biochemistry, psychology and medical
electronics, on the phenomena and nature of the meridians from the
viewpoint of propagated acupuncture sensation and other angles, and
on the relationship between acupuncture points and needling
sensation, between acupuncture points and zang-fu organs. Now the
accomplishments of acupuncture and moxibustion research gained in
China including sorting out of the ancient legacy, the clinical
effect and the theoretical research by modern scientific methods
are in the forefront of the world.
V. The Dissemination of
Acupuncture and Moxibustion to the World
In the sixth century, acupuncture and moxibustion were
introduced to Korea. The Emperor Liangwu sent medical doctors and
craftsmen to Baiji in AD 541. The Xinluo royal court of Korea in AD
693 gave the title of Acupuncture Professor to those who taught
acupuncture students. It was also in the sixth century that
acupuncture and moxibustion were passed on to Japan. The Chinese
Government presented the book Canon of Acupuncture to the
Mikado of Japan in AD 552. Zhi Cong of Wu County brought Charts
of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and other medical
books to Japan. In the seventh century, the Japanese government
sent many doctors to China to study Chinese medicine. In AD 702 the
Japanese government issued an Imperial Order to copy the medical
educational system of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and set a speciality
of acupuncture and moxibustion. Since the introduction of Chinese
acupuncture and moxibustion to Japan Korea, acupuncture and
moxibustion have been regarded as an important part of their
traditional medicine and handed down up to now. With the cultural
exchanges between China and foreign countries, acupuncture and
moxibustion were also disseminated to Southeast Asia and the
continent of India. In the sixth century, MiYun from Dun Huang of
Gansu Province introduced Hua Tuo's therapeutic methods and
prescriptions to Daochang State of north India. In the fourteenth
century, Chinese acupuncturists Zou Yin went to Viet Nam to treat
diseases for the Vietnamese nobles, and he was given the honor of
Magi Doctor. Acupuncture and moxibustion began to be introduced to
Europe in the sixteenth century. Later more and more people engaged
in the cause of acupuncture and moxibustion. France made an early
contribution to spreading this therapy through Europe.
?
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the
propagation of acupuncture and moxibustion to the world has been
speeded up. In the 1950s, China gave assistance to the Soviet Union
and other Eastern European countries in training acupuncturists.
Since 1975, at the request of the World Health Organization, the
International Acupuncture Training Courses have been run in
Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing, and acupuncturists have been trained
for many countries. Up to now, more than one hundred countries have
had acupuncturists, and in some countries teaching and scientific
research on acupuncture and moxibustion have been carried out with
good results. Since its founding in 1979, All-China Association of
Acupuncture and Moxibustion has strengthened the connections and
exchanges with the corresponding academic organizations of various
countries; and China will make greater contributions to
international development of acupuncture and
moxibustion.?
(Source: Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Foreign Languages Press,1987)