Chinese Medicine Traveller

We are very proud to add Hu Xi Shu's biography as he was a leader unlike any other. He had the courage to stand by his convictions for the sake of keeping the lineage of classical medicine alive. 101 years have passed since Dr. Hu Xi shu received his medical license (supported by his master Wang Xiao zheng and he has only shown excellence since then.

   

Dr. Hu xi shu was born on March 10th, 1898 in Dong Wu Qi village, a northern suburb of Shenyang city in Liaoning province. Between the years of 1915-1919 he attended Feng Tian no. 1 middle school. During his school years he enjoyed playing soccer, winter and summer, where he would sweat profusely and exhaust himself being immersed in the game. His language and culture teacher, Wang Xiang zheng, would often attend his matches, and afterwards would invite some of the students to his home to drink tea and learn medicine.

 

Master Wang Xiang zheng was from Laoting in Hebei province and was the youngest of his class to enroll in the imperial college where he had a chance to follow an imperial doctor and pass the highest imperial examination. During the 1911 revolution, he had fled back to Shenyang, and through the help of his friends got the position of a Chinese language and culture teacher. After hours, he maintained his medical practice and his reputation spread widely. He also taught the medical knowledge to Hu Xi shu and his friends. He was determined to teach them and pass the knowledge on in the goals of preserving Chinese medicine and preventing the knowledge from getting lost in time.

 

When teaching the Shang Han Lun Wang Xiang zheng stressed that it is separate from the zang fu theory, and encouraged integrating modern science with traditional teachings. Wang Xiang zheng promoted and respected the viewpoints of Tang Rong chuan and Chen Xiu yuan. Master Wang taught the Shang Han Lun over the course of 2 years, and out of the 19 students in the class, Hu Xi shu excelled the most. In 1919, Hu Xi shu attended the Shenyang municipal public Chinese medicine examination and obtained his Chinese medicine doctor diploma. Master Wang was keen on paying for it, since he knew that Hu Xi shu would become a famous doctor in China and abroad, carrying forth his teaching for the rest of his life.

 

In 1919 Hu Xi shu took the entry exam and was admitted to the Beijing Tong Cai Commercial College (now known as Beijing Jiao Tong University). After his graduation, he worked as an English teacher in the Shenyang county middle school, Liaoyang county middle school and Liaoning provincial middle school from 1924 to 1927.

From 1928 to 1935, he served as the chief accountant of the Harbin Electric Power Company as well as the chief of business unit of the special municipal council. In 1936, when Japan invaded China, he refused to serve the Japanese, and fled to Beijing where he continued to practice medicine.

 

In the early days of China’s liberation, he invited Chen Shen wu and Xie Hai zhou to teach Chinese medicine with him. In 1952, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau approved the opening of the pilot program of the Chinese Medicine Academy in Beijing, where Professor Hu and his colleagues systematically taught the “Shang Han Lun “, “Jin Gui Yao Lue”, “Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing”, “Nei Jing” and “Wen Bing”. Professor Hu edited the textbooks himself, and has written teaching materials such as “Interpretation of the Shang Han Lun”, “A Brief Interpretation of Jin Gui Yao Lue”, “Notes and Commentary on Wen Bing Tiao Bian” and “Quotations from the Shang Han and Jin Gui”. Influenced by Master Wang Xiang zheng, Professor Hu continued teaching that the “Shang Han Lun” does not use the zang fu or channel theory. At the same time, through the study of classical texts such as “Nei Jing” and “Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing”, and referring to Chinese and foreign Chinese medical literature, he had put forward the concept of the six syndromes in the “Shang Han Lun” descending from the eight guiding principles and separate from the “Nei Jing” channels and collaterals theory.

 

In 1956, the People’s Medical Publishing House published a book titled “Pathophysiology” used by the Soviet Union higher education institutions. Influenced by Pavlov’s theory of neural response, Professor Hu proposed that “The essence of syndrome differentiation and treatment of Chinese medicine is based on the laws of the body’s natural reaction to disease and holds a holistic and adaptable treatment for various disorders”. Professor Hu Xi shu continued running his school until the establishment of the Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1956. Professor Hu trained students to maintain close relations with patients and filled the gaps in their Chinese medicine education.

 

In 1958, he transferred to the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and worked as a professor of internal medicine where he taught the “Shang Han Lun” and “Jin Gui Yao Lue” as well as served as an advisor to the academic committee of the affiliated Dong Zhi Men hospital.  

In 1965, professor Hu treated patients in Dong Zhi Men hospital in Beijing and would continue to teach a group of doctors during the weekends. All his life, Dr. Hu tirelessly taught the six syndrome approach and repeated the his famous quote “Liu jing lai zi Ba Gang - 六经来自八钢” meaning that the six syndromes come from the eight guiding principles, and he spent a lifetime explaining why the “Shang Han Za Bing Lun” theory is separate from the “Nei Jing” channel theory. In his later years he also taught the “Shang Han Lun” and “Jin Gui Yao Lue” to groups of foreign Japanese students which were recorded and taken back to Japan for safe keeping. In the late summer of 1983, Dr. Hu Xi shu fell gravely ill after receiving awful news about his son in Hong Kong and unfortunately lost the battle against his disease on May 1st, 1984.

 

Until today, Dr. Hu Xi shu is venerated for his excellent medical skills and his unique systemized way of understanding and applying Zhang Zhong jing’s works in clinic. He was a remarkable Jing fang master which has a continued following until today. Professor Liu Du zhou venerated Dr. Hu Xi shu with this quote: “Whenever I consult in the ward, a group of wise men gathers, there are many skillful hands, but only one person held his opinion against the vast majority. Not only was his pattern differentiation accurate, but also his prescriptions, containing just a few herbs, which had an extraordinary and unexpected curative effect. This is due to the diligent study of [Zhang] Zhong Jing's works.“