Biography of Wang Shuhe cover

Biography of Wang Shuhe

Rating 3.2
Word count
472K words
Chapters
67
ISBN
9787520501361

Tags

Summary

Wang Shuhe (201–280), courtesy name Xi, was born in Dushan Village, Guoli Town, Zoucheng City, Shandong Province, in the sixth year of the Jian'an era under Emperor Xian of Han. He studied under the renowned physician Zhang Zhongjing and witnessed the compilation of Zhang's Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases. Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, held him in high regard and made an exception by promoting him to Director of the Imperial Medical Academy. With Cao Rui's support, Wang Shuhe overcame immense hardships to gather most of the surviving scattered manuscripts of the Treatise from among the people, compiling them into the Treatise on Cold Damage and the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chest, which were printed and handed down to later generations. For this, Wang Shuhe is honored as the Patriarch of Chinese Pulse Studies and a monumental figure in the history of Chinese medicine. To recreate this history and bring Wang Shuhe's extraordinary life back to light, the author consulted extensive materials and interviewed specialists researching Wang Shuhe, sketching the major events of the eighty years from his birth to his death and describing his legendary journey from an ordinary commoner to Director of the Imperial Medical Academy of Wei.

Editor's review

This book employs a biographical approach to reconstruct the life of Wang Shuhe, a physician of the late Eastern Han. It recounts how a commoner from a village in Zoucheng studied under Zhang Zhongjing, witnessed the compilation of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, and ultimately rose to Director of the Imperial Medical Academy of Wei, where he led the effort to recover and compile medical texts. Drawing on historical research and field visits, the author weaves scattered biographical clues into a coherent narrative, presenting both the era's backdrop of frequent epidemics and the dispersal of classical texts during the Han–Wei transition, and highlighting Wang Shuhe's pivotal role in organizing Zhang Zhongjing's surviving works and establishing the pulse-diagnosis tradition. The writing balances scholarly rigor with readability: readers interested in the transmission of Chinese medical classics will gain a clear historical framework, while those researching local culture and traditional medical history may use it as an introductory reference. It is best read by comparing the biographical narrative with general knowledge of Chinese medical literature, and literary passages should not be equated with strict historical verification.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • General readers interested in the history of Chinese medicine and the lives of ancient physicians
  • Students of Chinese medical literature who need background on the transmission of the Treatise on Cold Damage
  • Readers concerned with Shandong's local history, culture, and notable figures
  • Readers who enjoy historical biographies built on a framework of historical sources

Not a good fit for

  • Clinical practitioners seeking direct instruction in Chinese medical diagnostics and prescription techniques
  • Professional researchers expecting strict scholarly verification and item-by-item annotation
  • Readers who prefer strongly fictionalized, fast-paced narratives

Reading tips

  1. Begin with the table of contents and afterword to understand the author's source scope and narrative boundaries before entering the main text.
  2. Mark passages concerning the reconstruction of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases and pulse studies as you read, for easy reference.
  3. Read alongside a concise history of Chinese medicine or introductory works on Zhang Zhongjing for smoother comprehension.
  4. Maintain discernment toward literary scene-setting and focus on the figures' experiences and the transmission of medical texts.

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一章
  3. 第二章
  4. 第三章
  5. 第四章
  6. 第五章
  7. 第六章
  8. 第七章
  9. 第八章
  10. 第九章
  11. 第十章
  12. 第十一章
  13. 第十二章
  14. 第十三章
  15. 第十四章
  16. 第十五章
  17. 第十六章
  18. 第十七章
  19. 第十八章
  20. 第十九章
  21. 第二十章
  22. 第二十一章
  23. 第二十二章
  24. 第二十三章
  25. 第二十四章
  26. 第二十五章
  27. 第二十六章
  28. 第二十七章
  29. 第二十八章
  30. 第二十九章
  31. 第三十章
  32. 第三十一章
  33. 第三十二章
  34. 第三十三章
  35. 第三十四章
  36. 第三十五章
  37. 第三十六章
  38. 第三十七章
  39. 第三十八章
  40. 第三十九章
  41. 第四十章
  42. 第四十一章
  43. 第四十二章
  44. 第四十三章
  45. 第四十四章
  46. 第四十五章
  47. 第四十六章
  48. 第四十七章
  49. 第四十八章
  50. 第四十九章
  51. 第五十章
  52. 第五十一章
  53. 第五十二章
  54. 第五十三章
  55. 第五十四章
  56. 第五十五章
  57. 第五十六章
  58. 第五十七章
  59. 第五十八章
  60. 第五十九章
  61. 第六十章
  62. 第六十一章
  63. 第六十二章
  64. 第六十三章
  65. 第六十四章
  66. 第六十五章
  67. 后记

FAQ

Is this book a strict work of historical scholarship?
It is not an academic monograph centered on textual criticism and annotation, but a biographical work written on the basis of documentary research and interviews. The author has organized Wang Shuhe's life and historical context, but the narrative includes literary reconstruction. Readers may treat it as an introductory work for understanding Wang Shuhe and the transmission of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, and consult specialized medical-history literature when making specific historical judgments.
Can I understand Wang Shuhe's story without knowing Chinese medicine?
Yes. The main thread is the figure's journey from commoner to Director of the Imperial Medical Academy and his work in compiling medical texts; specialized medical knowledge is not a prerequisite. When encountering titles such as the Treatise on Cold Damage or the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chest, or concepts of pulse studies, the context is enough to grasp the general meaning; for deeper study, consult concise histories of Chinese medicine for background.
What contributions of Wang Shuhe does the book mainly discuss?
According to the source material, the focus includes his study under Zhang Zhongjing, his witnessing of the compilation of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, and, with Emperor Ming of Wei's support, his gathering of scattered manuscripts among the people and their organization into the Treatise on Cold Damage and the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chest, printed and handed down. The book also recounts his tenure as Director of the Imperial Medical Academy and mentions his later reputation as the Patriarch of Chinese Pulse Studies and an important figure in the history of Chinese medicine.

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About the author

韩进林 Author

Han Jinlin is an author about whom little public information is available. Only one work by this author is currently listed: the biography Wang Shuhe Zhuan. Judging from its title and category, the book belongs to general biography and concerns Wang Shuhe, a well-known physician of the Wei and Jin periods, remembered for organizing the Treatise on Cold Damage and for his writings on pulse studies. As the author's birth and death dates, place of origin, education, and career are not clearly recorded, no speculation about his life is offered here. On the basis of the available information, Han Jinlin's writing centers on tracing the life of a historical figure and on the transmission of medical culture, tending to rely on historical sources and to organize the narrative around the subject's medical contributions, writings, and historical setting, so that readers may understand Wang Shuhe's place in the history of Chinese medicine. Readers seeking an introductory account of a Wei-Jin medical figure may find useful leads here, while further information about the author awaits additional public sources.

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