Acupuncture And Imagination

This thesis focuses on the image of China represented in French society from the perspective of acupuncture.It consists of four chapters. Chapter one begins by introducing the motivation and the academic reasons for choosing this topic to be a research subject, and retraces the history on this subject, point out theoretical back ground and its academic and applied significance and introduces the paper's narrative structure.Based on those theoretical researches, the second chapter of the thesis tries to outline the representation of China in France through a historical perspective. On one side, in the introduction books about acupuncture, china remains the image of being religious, wise and atemporal. However, at the same time, we can also find the cliches and stereotyped expression about China in those materials. And those representations about China are not necessarily being romantic and mysterious, sometimes; it appears very ridiculous, even with some prejudice and distortion.After the historical account, Chapter three begins the main part of the thesis: acupuncture in France. But first, the author provides somehistorical background of the development of traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, in modern China. Then, from the books and articles about acupuncture, the author tries to outline the main aspect of the representation of China in France.Hence, in the fourth Chapter, the conclusion and reflection, the author sums up the whole thesis from three perspectives: the relation between orientalism and the representation of china; between science and orientalism, and western influence on the agenda of China.