Research On The International Communication Of Acupuncture And Moxibustion In The Tang Dynasty

Objective: Acupuncture and moxibustion,as a discipline of technology,not only include the material(implement)contents,but also integrate the spiritual(cultural)contents with Yin-Yang and five-element theory as the main body.The dissemination of acupuncture and moxibustion not only spreads medical skills,but also spreads the underlying Chinese medical culture over the world;it also affects the nascence and development of medical systems of later ages,such as “oriental medicine”,“Hanfang medicine”,etc.In the Middle Ages when the land and water transportation was underdeveloped,the foreign exchange of the acupuncture and moxibustion in the Tang Dynasty achieved notable success,which provides the significant historical reference and cultural consideration for the outside communication of the traditional Chinese medicine today.The Tang Dynasty implemented literal foreign policies,prosperous cultural communication and relatively perfect medical education mechanism,which had laid an excellent foundation for the external communication of Tang Dynasty's acupuncture and moxibustion.Concerning the medical communication in the Tang Dynasty,historian circle has already made researches and obtained fruitful achievements regarding the medical communication between China and foreign countries in the Tang Dynasty;it is under history category and the discipline of Chinese medical history.At present,the researches on the acupuncture and moxibustion in the Tang Dynasty are mainly the integration data researches.There are few deep analyses on the question from the subject characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine by setting the question in the cultural horizon.Based on the former researches,the thesis carries out the profound analysis on the conditions and features of the foreign exchange of the acupuncture and moxibustion in Tang Dynasty,the comparison between eastward communication and westward advance,the comparison between the spread of the acupuncture and moxibustion and the traditional Chinese medicine,the actual value and significance of researches.Besides,the author also makes commends on the “origin of the acupuncture and moxibustion in India”.Methods: Firstly,starting with the related ancient books and records on the medical international communication in the Tang Dynasty based on the official historical books and making a comprehensive research on the prefaces and postscripts of medical books,biographies,laws and decrees,etc by philological research methods.This thesis makes an in-depth and systematic study of the spread of Tang Dynasty's acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan,Korea Peninsula and the Western Regions through philological methods like bibliology,exegetics,etc.Secondly,it combines history and culture,places historical materials in the backgrounds of times environment,social culture,geographical scenarios,religious philosophy,then analyses and compares the research target.Results: The concepts in TCM acupuncture and moxibustion,such as the “acupuncture point” and “meridians” have distinct and unique theoretical and practical basis.Its cultural charm takes root in the soil of Chinese civilization deeply.A large number of literatures and cultural relics effectively verify that the acupuncture and moxibustion is the great contribution of Chinese civilization to medicinal civilization of the world.The development of Silk Road including Maritime Silk Road and the progress of acupuncture and moxibustion are the main cause of the prosperity of the international communication of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Tang Dynasty;it is the “centripetal force” of the culture of Tang Dynasty that inspires foreign envoys to visit China;highly-developed cultural self-confidence is the powerful incentive that motivates Tang Dynasty's envoys to travel afar to spread Chinese medical culture,and the booming of Tang Dynasty's culture is the inner cause of the prosperity of the international communication of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Tang Dynasty;based on the needing of culture,Tang Dynasty's acupuncture and moxibustion were spread mainly in Chinese culture circle and medicine ancient medical books are the medium;Tang Dynasty's international communication of acupuncture and moxibustion has a deep influence to the Song Dynasty,and has important reference and enlightenment significance to the international spread of traditional Chinese medicine in modern times.Conclusion: In summary,the international communication of acupuncture and moxibustion has achieved fruitful achievement in the Tang Dynasty.Seen from the scale,content and effect of communication,Japan and Korean Peninsula are the country and area receiving the widest exchange and deepest influence.Compared with the foreign exchange of traditional Chinese medicine,the outside communication of acupuncture and moxibustion is more convenient and has greater impact.The advantages of acupuncture and moxibustion get more obvious especially in modern western countries.With the rapid development of The Belt and Road,this research provides historical basis for the foreign communication of TCM therapy.The “Going Out” of TCM therapy culture should pay attention to “Technology First” and draw on the experience of “Culture First” in the Tang Dynasty.Setting the Chinese excellent traditional culture like Confucianism as the important support for the foreign exchange of acupuncture and moxibustion can not only promote the external communication of TCM therapy culture but also accelerate the external export of Chinese culture.