A Study On Chinese Mugwort Cultural Heritage In China

Artemisia argyi,is often called "mugwort" in the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine but may be also referred to by the more specific name "Chinese mugwort".The perennial application of Chinese mugwort and moxibustion to medical treatment formed Chinese mugwort culture,a cultural expression of the deep-rooted interdiscipline by Chinese medicine,folklore,dietetics,sociology,agriculture and other disciplines,and hence the Chinese mugwort cultural heritage,an integration of Chinese mugwort-related and moxibustion-related folklore,medicine,food,health care and other cultural heritage,which covers ideas,personality,books,technology,and appliances.Cultural heritage has a major impact on people's living and production,and therefore a comprehensive analysis and research on Chinese mugwort and Chinese mugwort cultural heritage provides an important reference for many historical phenomena of Chinese ancient medicine and society.The historical characteristics of Chinese mugwort culture lies in the plant Chinese mugwort.On the basis of systematical investigation in Chinese classical literature concerning Chinese mugwort and further exploration into its ancient and modern terms and references,in combination with descriptions and illustrations in ancient literature,to reveal its historical appearance,two dozens of different terms,namely,bingtai,aihao,qiai,huangcao,yicao,zhicao,and so on,are teased out.Analysis of Chinese mugwort composition and its roles of effectiveness in different period concretizes the important relationship between Chinese mugwort and its extending role and Chinese mugwort culture.All these contribute to a deep understanding of the role of Chinese mugwort and historical connotation of Chinese mugwort culture.Moxibustion as an effective combination of Chinese mugwort and fire,is the core of the Chinese mugwort cultural heritage and the most representative carrier of Chinese mugwort culture.A study on ancient literature shows moxibustion and its culture can be divided into four periods,namely,origin and development,climax,stabilization and wane,and revival.As early as the Three Kingdoms period,Cao Xi wrote China's first moxibustion monograph "Cao's Moxibustion Method".Rapid development of moxibustion appeared during the period from Jin Dynasties to Tang Dynasty,with some masters and representative works.Moxibustion was prevalent in Tang and Song Dynasties,when the emergence of a large number of moxibustion masters and monographs,specialization and popularization of moxibustion served as the main indicator reached its climax.Moxibustion continue to develop during Ming and Qing Dynasties,though not so fast compared with in Tang and Song Dynasties.Moxibustion gradually declined from flourishing during the time from late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.The cause of the active transmission of Chengjiang School,an acupuncture school of historic importance since 1930s,was explored through a case study on the hardship in the preservation and transmission of moxibustion with its focus on the inheritors,representative books and key results achieved.Historical characteristics is outlined through the comprehensive analysis of the historical context of moxibustion culture.Moxibustion combines the trinity" of disease cure,disease detection,and disease-free regimen,and features in "four-way integration" of fending off the cold evil,filling yuan yang,meridian,and modifying vital qi moxibustion,and thus is respected by the ancient Chinese people for an eternity.An investigation into each period's important moxibustion inheritors,their magnum opus,important thoughts,and external communication and influence is of profound historical significance in exploring the role of moxibustion in the Chinese medical rehabilitation,acupuncture academic development and the construction of modern acupuncture theory system and in promoting social development.In addition to medical treatment,Chinese mugwort was used by the ancient people in diet or dietetic therapy due its characteristics of innocuity,warming spleen and stomach for dispelling cold,eliminating dampness and other medicinal properties.By combing through ancient literature,an investigation into the development and heritage of Chinese mugwort tea,Chinese mugwort juice,and Chinese mugwort wine indicates that Chinese mugwort tea can not only relieve asthma and cough,eliminate phlegm,stop bleeding,coagulate blood,sedate,resist allergy,but also prevent colds and tumor,protect liver and gallbladder,and play a role in adjutant therapy for cardiovascular protection.On this basis,a further exploration into classification and transmission of edible Chinese mugwort in Chinese history tells that the Chinese mugwort was an ordinary foodstuff for ancient Chinese people.Furthermore,the current application of mugwort tea,mugwort juice,mugwort wine demonstrates the similarities and differences in mugwort diet culture between China,Japan and South Korea.A folk culture centering around Chinese mugwort is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and mugwort-linked Dragon Boat Festival.A research on history of hanging on Dragon Boat Festival and an investigation into ancient and modern hanging Chinese mugwort practices and their efficacy,which wards off,suppresses evil encroaching,and treats disease,affirm Chinese mugwort folk culture and bathing with Chinese mugwort to be important parts of Chinese culture.At the same time,it promotes the birth of literary works,which takes Chinese mugwort as theme and has valuable folk culture.Chinese mugwort-related literary works and the origin of surname "Ai" are core contents of research.By means of interdisciplinary analysis of sociology,history,botany,culture,and ethnology,the cultural status of Chinese mugwort culture in Chinese history can be explored,the function of Chinese mugwort culture in China the historical and cultural development can be found,and the essence of Chinese culture connotation can be understood better.Analysis of medicine as food in "fresh Chinese mugwort into meal",research on Chinese mugwort bath folklore,discrimination of different ways of writing the word "Ai",serve as effective complements to Chinese mugwort culture.So,research on characteristic of Chinese mugwort such vulgar,food,medicine and moxibustion is not only a core of true reflection of the whole Chinese mugwort culture,but also a more comprehensive and a true reflection of the use of Chinese mugwort in the history of ancient Chinese society,which forms the basis of the effective use of this valuable resource.There exist regional differences in the distribution Chinese mugwort folk cultural resources.Different regions have their own local folk characteristics,with unique cultural endowments.In addition,incompatibilities,and even contradictions and conflicts exist between different attributes from the view of internal components of Chinese mugwort culture.These Chinese mugwort cultural resources,or rather,the geographical imbalance in the distribution of Chinese mugwort folk culture and the internal contradictions of cultural resources,will result in obstacles to the development and the realization of capitalization turn.To remove these obstacles and to achieve integration between cultural resources so as to maximize the overall advantages of Chinese mugwort folk culture resources,reasonable arrangements,combinations,blending and integration of Chinese mugwort folk culture should be made,following the principle of optimization,highlighting the cultural resources integrity,and taking into account the regional and cultural resources.Optimal value of cultural resources will be achieved by combination of different cultural content and the best aspect of the cultural form.Development models for cultural industries most suitable to local conditions with local characteristics should be explored to keep China's own unique characteristics of Chinese mugwort folk culture and still consistent with the overall system Chinese mugwort folk culture.Finally,facing the current situation of insufficient protection of Chinese mugwort cultural heritage,and by comparing the similarities and differences between China,Japan and the Korea in Chinese mugwort utilization and preservationof Chinese mugwort cultural heritage,four suggestions about Chinese mugwort cultural heritage protection are proposed:firstly,the policy of continuous preservation;secondly,the protection of traditional Chinese medicine school;thirdly,Chinese mugwort cultural heritage protection;fourthly,Chinese mugwort and Chinese mugwort patent protection.Based on the above four suggestions,Chinese mugwort culture preservation system can be built,internationalization of Chinese mugwort cultural development of planting and processing industry can be put forward.Some good examples should be set consciously to encourage more enterprises engaged in the research on Chinese mugwort and related products so as to create famous Chinese mugwort culture brands,more actively contact Chinese mugwort culture with international standards,build a high quality internationalization platform,and promote the development of Chinese mugwort products and industries.