I used to be eager about healthcare in historical China, not essentially by way of “Conventional Chinese language Drugs”, or “TCM”, however extra how superior the general healthcare was in older instances. I believed I ought to do some digging to search out extra about this topic and fortuitously I came upon some very fascinating articles protecting the Han dynasti, the identical time because the Huangdi Neijing and the Suwen, which is an important of the historic texts on Chinese language drugs. So I learn extra about this time period, and was stunned by my findings. I wager you may’t even think about how superior China was at the moment.
I’ll reveal extra of my findings, however first I feel I ought to clarify extra about why this period is essential. The Han-dynasty stretches from 202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD, and preceded by the quick lived Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) beginning with the reign of the individual we right here name “the Yellow Emperor,” or Qin Shi Huangdi.
This era, with these two dynasties particularly, had been crucial for the way forward for complete China. Huangdi means “Yellow Ruler” in Chinese language, or “emperor”. This was the primary emperor of China, who united the nation. Amongst different issues, he standardized the Chinese language characters, items of weight and measure, constructed roads, and began to unite guard towers collectively into what as we speak is named the Nice Wall.
His personal time and the next dynasty was a time of growth and science. Loads of ideas and science from that point affect Chinese language individuals even as we speak, particularly with regards to attitudes to meals, train and normal well being. A lot of the philosophy of Chinese language drugs and “inside train” as what’s as we speak known as qigong and neigong stems from this time as nicely.
So why is all this essential? Nicely, as a result of the philosophy round Tai Chi Chuan is influenced by this time period as nicely. Loads of ideas, phrases and concepts are discovered in several sorts of apply and concepts of neigong, qigong and Tai Chi can be discovered within the Huangdi Suwen.
However it’s extra to this, and it’s right here the place the remainder of the story suits in. You see, science, drugs and healthcare, had been all rather more superior on this time than what most individuals right here perceive. What known as TCM as we speak is simply part of a a lot greater image. There was certainly a few of the conventional Chinese language drugs and the identical sort of philosophy we nonetheless discover as we speak in TCM, the foundations of TCM. However on the similar time, the scientific method and strategies we will discover in Western drugs and healthcare had been additionally prevalent.
Already within the Han dynasty, there weren’t solely hospitals, however additionally they had cell instructing and analysis items, and well being stations. That they had a complicated understanding of anesthesia, and aseptic methods had been additionally fairly superior for his or her time. This additionally made surgical procedures doable. Surgical procedures 2000 years in the past? Actually? Sure, that they had medical surgeons performing surgical procedures like cesarean sections, dental extractions, and even the elimination of tumors. They recorded the sufferers and maintained detailed medical information for sufferers.
Additionally they develop subtle diagnostic methods and so they used dietary remedy amongst different issues. However with regards to diagnostic methods, natural medicines and weight-reduction plan, the so known as “Chinese language conventional drugs” is current as nicely.
The truth is, again in these instances, “western” sort of drugs and “conventional Chinese language drugs” weren’t separated. All of it existed as an entire. There was a scientific understanding and a holistic method collectively on the similar time.
So what is sweet to know is that the separation right into a “western drugs” on one hand and a “conventional Chinese language drugs” alternatively, is in truth a comparatively trendy, new “factor”. Initially, they had been components of the identical complete and it was by no means supposed they’d be separated like this.
So what does this imply for us learning Tai Chi and related “stuff”? Nicely, it signifies that the philosophy and ideas we use in our personal apply had been by no means meant to exist in a vacuum or as an autonomous system of thought. As an alternative, this terminology, or what we name “philosophy”, was meant for use along with, and as instruments for, a scientific method. And for a lot of tons of of years in the past, it was utilized in science.
A lot of the phrases we use and discover in Tai Chi and in conventional Chinese language philosophy, are as we speak in China, utilized in widespread on a regular basis language. There’s nothing mystical about “qi” or “Yin and Yang”. The truth is, a lot of the Chinese language lecturers I’ve had, met, or spoke with, had been by no means a lot for the mystification round Tai Chi and related arts. As an alternative, they thought that it could be higher for us within the west to make use of our personal phrases and names from personal languages. And so they all thought {that a} trendy, scientific method was the most effective and essentially the most right strategy to method Tai Chi Chuan.
So if we unravel historical past, philosophy, language and totally different previous phrases, we will see that the best way of expressing issues is likely to be totally different, however the that means is nowhere close to nonsensical abstractions, however as a substitute it’s fairly at all times one thing sensible and commonsensical. In my very own humble opinion, that is additionally the right method and angle in the direction of Tai Chi apply usually.
We must always be capable of perceive methods to clarify what we do in our personal language and with easy phrases. We must always be capable of switch our information in a sensible method so it may be understood. We must always method the artwork in a scientific method and keep away from every thing that’s arduous to grasp and mystification. This received’t make Tai Chi Chuan extra shallow or water it down. As an alternative the artwork will grow to be extra approachable so it is going to be simpler for newcomers to keep away from errors and taking detours. In any case, Tai Chi Chuan is a sensible apply, you study it not by intellectualizing it, however via doing.