Medicine Men

Dai Ming Xi, a thrid generation supplier of Chinese medicine. His store, Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, has been in business for more than 80 years. (Craig Ferguson)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history throughout the Chinese world and includes such practices as acupuncture, massage, herbal medicines and dietary therapy. Throughout Asia, TCM healers can easily be found and for many people, they are the first choice when illness strikes. In the Western world, the practice still exists under the “alternative therapies” label. Health is looked at in a holistic or whole body manner, and disease is indicative of an unbalanced state. While the oldest evidence of the practice of TCM dates back to the Shang Dynasty (14th-11th centuries BCE), the oldest received work is Huangdi Neijing or the Yellow Emperors Inner Canon from around the first century BCE. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) is believed to be the ancestor of all Chinese and the founder of Chinese civilization. Ceremonies paying respect to Huangdi take place during the Qingming Festival held in early April throughout Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and other Chinese-influenced communities.

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