Chinese Health Research

Under the social background of the Tang Dynasty, where Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and other multiculturalism coexisted as well as Hu and Han national fusion, Tang's health reflected the characteristics of the times. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism had their own characteristics in health theory, ways (methods) and purposes. The Confucian focused on raising the Confucian ethics, with benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, filial piety and high moral sense of social responsibility to achieve their own perfection. The purpose of Confucian health was to enter the official career, establish meritorious career and realize the value of life. Taoist emphasized self-cultivation, making the body part away from the lesion and aging. One way of Taoism keeping in good health was by means of outside force and objects. That was approach of Dan Ding school health; The second way resorted to their own essence, breath and spirit, which was the way of interior elixirs school; The third way was through the Taoist magical figures setting up an altar and praying Buddhist ceremony, which was adopted by Taoism charm school. The goal of keeping in good health was to make the body immortal. Supernatural being was their ultimate aim. The Buddhism keeping in good health underlined spiritual cultivation with the mercy heart to deliver us. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism debated on health but invoked each other. The Confucian keeping in good health drew on the Confucian ideology of Buddhism Mind health; The Taoism keeping in good health not only absorbed the Confucian moral health thought, associating virtue with becoming immortal, but also integrated the inwardness doctrine of Buddhism Zen, regarding the inwardness as the key to become immortal. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the late Tang Dynasty together valued the health of inwardness, representing the confluence of the three in health, which became the main theme of the times.Because of the race fusion of Hu and Han nationality as well as extensive exchanges between domestic and foreign national, Han's health manifested a dark color of Hu Hua and a certain degree of the exotic colors. Moreover, National minority's health was influenced by the Central Plains and was sinicized unceasingly. Han nationality in the Tang Dynasty paid great attention to the nutritional therapy, and already had a monograph about the nutritional therapy. Han nationality invented green fine meal with t herbal health value and used national minority's flax in this food manufacture. The people in Tang Dynasty had realized the care effect of tea. Drinking tea came into vogue in central plains. Many monographs about tea appeared. Buddhism and Taoism also considered the tea as a beverage which was helpful to their cultivation. Tea spread to the border of ethnic minorities where tea-horse trade appeared. Han also introduced extra-territorial health value of the barbarian ingredients, such as spinach, Huqin and learnt the production techniques of extraterritorial sucrose. Han nationality also enjoyed Hu Yue, Hu Wu, playing the polo in leisure entertainment while national minorities studied advanced production and lifestyle of the Central Plains. The people in Tang Dynasty placed great emphasis on medicinal health. While developing national medicine, they widely introduced foreigner's medicine outside the territory, the medical skill for themselves. Because Princess Wen-Cheng and Princess Jin-Cheng entered Tibet, they took away massive medical books. Tibet's medicine keeping in good health was influenced deeply by the Central Plains of the medical regimen.Although the Chinese keeping in good health had many absurd non-science ingredients, it didn't affect its contribution. The Chinese keeping in good health not only promoted medicine, chemistry in Tang Dynasty, but also enriched the literary production theme greatly.