Study On Chinese Medicine Business In Beijing During The Republic Of China

Beijing,as the political and cultural center of the Yuan,Ming and Qing dynasties and modern times,has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine.The political,economic and cultural center of China began to transfer from the south to the north after Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing.On the one hand,in the court's scheduling,the military and civilian migration moved from the southern region of Yangtze River to Beijing,on the other hand,endless stream of businessmen,artisans and official families spontaneously moved to Beijing,which includes a large number of medicine businessmen from the eastern Zhejiang,especially in Yinxian(formerly known as Ningbo Mansion),thus forming the pattern of capital medicine.In the Qing Dynasty,the expansion of agricultural reclamation made the wild medicine resources scarce,however,the demand for medicinal materials increased significantly.Starting from the Qianlong period,the flourishing cultivation of medicinal herbs provided the conditions for the medicine to enter the circulation market.At this point,there has been a block trading market for the medicinal production in the main producing areas of medicine,traders engaged in herbal medicine formed scale,thus the Beijing Chinese medicine industry was provided sufficient original herbs.To the period of Republic of China,Chinese medicine store has been all over the streets of Peiping.People were not going to hospital for medical treatment,but to the drugstore at that time.There were traditional Chinese medicine doctors,and even the four famous TCM Doctors in Peiping practicing at almost every drugstore.The drugstore operation mode of the time fully embodied the management mode of the traditional handicraft industry of the nation,and permeated the rich connotation of traditional culture in the course of business.During the Republic of China,Peiping Chinese medicine industry was divided into drugstore,medicine store and pharmacy according to its nature of the business,among those,pharmacy,depending on their size and product variety,can be subdivided into:pharmacy that concurrently engaged in decoction pieces dispensing and patent medicine producing and selling,compounded medicine store that specializing in a characteristic medicine,and the officinal that selling decoction pieces to the wholesale level.In addition,there were institutions to operate specific herbal medicine,such as:shop of Ginseng and velvet antler,donkey-hide gelatin,honey,and farmers engaged in the operation of fresh drugs.During the Republic of China,it has been established pharmacies in the various regions of Peiping City,mainly located at commercial distribution areas,such as Qianmen Street,Dashilan,Caishikou,Dongdan,Dongsi,Xidan,Xisi Arch and other places,while there were few large pharmacy in Guangqumen,Andingmen,Deshengmen and outside of Yongdingmen.Out of Chongwenmen was the intensive area regarding broker's storehouses,as merchants must pass through Chongguan,where the general taxation bureau was located.The main business of the officina is to spread the Pieces to drugstores,therefore,it was set up at out of Zhengyangmen and Xique Hutong,where was the most concentrated area of drugstores.The ginseng stores were located at Yangmeizhu Byway,Luoma Shi,Taner Hutong,Liulichang and Xiheyan.During the Republic of China,Peiping's Chinese medicine industry was relatively stable,the number of Chinese medicine business has remained at around 200.As Peiping was located in the inland,and long under the direct control of the feudal rulers,people's idea was relatively conservative,while the development degree of the Chinese medicine industry was second to none,western medicine in Peiping was far less popular than those in Shanghai,Guangdong and other port cities or emerging cities.Western medicine in the competition with the Chinese medicine industry did not have an advantage.During the period of the Republic of China,Peking's famous Chinese pharmacies were numerous,such as Tongrentang,Xiheniantang,Wanquantang,Qianzhitang,Qingrentang and Changchuntang,each of those with its own characteristics,and have made a brilliant business history with its pure selection of materials,highly sophisticated methods,discreetly detailed formula,symptomatic and effective treatment and evident credit.During the Republic of China,a relatively large and complete Chinese medicine pharmacy usually operated workshops after retail departments,also processed wholesale business.Clerks generally were set up more than forty or fifty people,which including manager,accountant,Daofang,Douzifang,Wanyaofang,fine department and others.Daofang,Douzifang and Wanyaofang were the most important departments in the Chinese medicine processing,Daofang taked responsibility for cutting materials,Wanyaofang was responsible for Chinese drugs pharmaceutics,such as bolus,powder,plaster,pellet and medicinal liquor,Douzifang mainly supplied decoction pieces.The work of three departments linked to each otherLarge Chinese pharmacies had strict standard and procedural requirements for every detail on the Chinese medicine processing technology,such as selecting,purifying,softening,slicing,steaming,frying,grilling,calcining.Section of pieces and tablets are based on the requirements of texture,shape,artillery,identification and aesthetic.In accordance with the cutting location of Chinese herbal medicine,it was divided into oblique slice and slices cut in transverse section.According to the shape of Chinese herbal medicine,it was divided into segments,section pieces and plate pieces.Pieces form and specifications included thin slices,thick slices,silver discs,butterfly films,wishful films,willow leaves,horseshoe pieces,bone tablets,dish fragrant tablets,fish fillet,the new loop,silk,cubic,inch section,and fixed specifications,nearly 1,000 varieties of operating pieces.Pharmacists printed special issues for bolus,powder,plaster and pellet,to facilitate the sick according to the medicine book,including wind phlegm,typhoid,plague,dry heat,dry fire,tonic,spleen and stomach,diarrhea,eyes,gynecology,phlegm cough,qi stagnation,sore,children,throat and mouth and other 15 doors,400-500 species.There was a collected edition of patent medicine sale in the pharmacies,which mainly come from the classic prescription.The raw herbal materials in the decoction pieces processing and bolus and powder producing were through the following three kinds of purchase:firstly from the temple medicine market in Qizhou(Hebei Anguo)for one year's storage in every winter and spring;secondly from crossing country to purchase authentic medicine,mainly valuable medicine such as ginseng,velvet and so on;thirdly from temporary supply of local trade association of drugs due to the high price.During the period of the Republic of China,the administrative regulations of Beiping were supplemented on the national and local levels.The focus of the management was on the qualifications examination of the drug dealers and quality examination of medicine on sale.In the custody of drug dealers,it was refined into two class to manage distinctively,including pharmaceutical business operators engaged in wholesale and retail of Chinese and Western medicines and drug Compounding,and retail drug dealers in the placement of sheds,household sales,consignment and ambulant sales.In the supervision of drugs,it was refined into two class to manage distinctively,including the proprietaries based on ancient prescription,and others that should be issued the license after examination.On the management of ancient prescription medicine,it was refined into the pharmacists inside and outside of the drug Association,formed a strict management network.It was remained the management concept that predicate the legal status by issuing the license after review and test,supervisory control by health inspection,process administrative coercive measures through fines,confiscation of drugs,suspension of business and revocation of licenses.At the same time,in the implementation of these laws and regulations,due to the lack of audit police officers,the lack of professional knowledge of technical personnel and poor equipment,the hierarchy and bureaucratic system left by feudal society,the lack of financial support for health administration and other factors,the pharmaceutical laws and regulations were superficial and failed to achieve the desired results,it was difficult to play a role in the promotion and change of medicine.The constant license fees and test fees have become an important source of operating funds in health administrative agencies and a heavy burden of Chinese medicine practitioners.Taxes obtained from industry and commerce were an important part of the income of the rulers.It provided convenience for the rulers to facilitate the supervision and levy taxes and fees in the method of the establishment of trade association and gathering practitioners.During the Republic of China,Peiping State Pharmaceutical Industry Association took acommunicated part in the pharmaceutical managementWith the introduction of Western modern civilization and the grandscale input of Western medicine,the traditional Chinese medicine industry has been criticized to the precarious situation.In order to maintain the survival of Chinese medicine,people have begun to explore the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine.Firstly from the innovation on personnel training methods,Peiping Chinese medicine institute,which was the first school of Chinese medicine,was founded by the Peking City Pharmaceutical Association.Secondly,the Chinese medicine practitioners carried out a scientific approach to the study of Sinopharm.For example,Liu Hanchen,who was the manager of Tongjitang pharmacy,founded the "domestic drug research agency."Thirdly,continuing the foreign research in Chinese medicine that has been published,and engaging in manufacturing.For example,Zhao Juhuang opened Peiping branch of New Asiatic Pharmaceutical Factory to produce ephedrine.Fourthly,processing a scientific improvement on traditional Chinese medicine formulations based on the imitation of Western medicine.For example,the decoction based on the imitation of Western medicine in Yinyi Pharmacy had the same efficiency with Western medicine tincture.