Huizhou Medicine (Xīn'ān medicine) in the Ming-Ching Dynasty -The Confucian-Merchants-Doctors triad(triarchy) in the culture & structure

명(明)·청시대(淸時代)의 신안(新安)(휘주(徽州))의학(醫學)-유(儒)·상(商)·의(醫) 삼위일체(三位一體)의 문화구조(文化構造)

  • Received : 2009.12.02
  • Accepted : 2009.12.18
  • Published : 2009.12.30

Abstract

In this thesis, the emphasis is laid especially on the culture & structure of Huizhou Province, China as the prime mover of the specifically-regional Huizhou $X{\bar{i}}n^{\prime}{\bar{a}}n$ medicine. Huizhou was the home town & stronghold of Neo-coufucian masters Cheng-Zhu (Cheng brothers and Zhu-hsi)". The tradition of the region as "The arts province" resulted in the flourishing trend of nurturing prominent Confucian-doctors. The remarkable all round activities of Huizhou Merchants (新安商人 $X{\bar{i}}n^{\prime}{\bar{a}}nsh{\bar{a}}ngr{\acute{e}}n$), as the reigning power merchant at the period were the second mover of the Zeitgeist. Their nation-wide network all over China made it possible to gain valuable inlormation and access to news including the field of medicine in time. Some merchants actually have "abandoned their own jobs to become doctors of medicine". This Confucian-Merchant culture was one of intrinsic characteristics of Huizhou region, inducing "Pragmatic Scholarship". With the enlargement of the population of Confucian-tumed doctors and improvement of the societal status of doctors, the resultant occupational triad of local Confucian govemment officials, local $X{\bar{i}}n^{\prime}{\bar{a}}nsh{\bar{a}}ngr{\acute{e}}n$ merchants, and local doctors was established after the Middle-Ming Dynasty. Ultimately, the two prime movers of the concomitant development of medicine in the Province Huizhou in this study are concluded to be the synergy effects of the Neo-Confucian tradition and economic power of the prevalent Huizhou Merchants ($X{\bar{i}}n^{\prime}{\bar{a}}nsh{\bar{a}}ngr{\acute{e}}n$).

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