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Intangible Cultural Heritage Preservation Healthy Living

Release Date:

2023-06-12 21:36

The defining characteristic of intangible cultural heritage is that it takes culture as its core and manifests itself through practices and ways of life that remain closely tied to the production and daily lives of the broad masses; it is the living embodiment and ongoing transmission of collective identity, aesthetic sensibilities, and practical wisdom.

As an important component of China’s outstanding traditional culture, intangible cultural heritage in the field of traditional medicine not only maintains its continuity and ongoing vitality in contemporary society through its practicality and efficacy, but also, rooted in the very soil of life, establishes a firm foothold across time and space while continually deepening and expanding. The transmission of such intangible heritage is not a static, frozen process; rather, it is a dynamic, living one.

What is development? What does it mean to be vibrant and alive? At its core, it is a people-centered philosophy of life that champions and pursues healthy living.

The “Plain Questions: The Great Treatise on the Supreme Truth” states: “The great order of Heaven and Earth is the universal correspondence between Heaven and humanity.” This underscores that the universe is a vast cosmos, and that the natural laws governing it are those which all beings—including humans—must abide by. The primary premise of a human-centered approach is to take culture as its foundation: to understand the very source and operating principles of human life, to conform to the principles of yin and yang, to harmonize with the methods of numerology and divination, and to act in accordance with established laws.

Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches the understanding of human beings and the processes of birth, aging, illness, and death from the holistic perspective of heaven, earth, and humanity. In contrast to much of modern medicine—which tends to focus solely on the functions of individual organs while neglecting systemic integration; to treat the disease while disregarding the person who is ill; and to emphasize localized relationships within the body while overlooking the interconnectedness between humans and nature—TCM places greater emphasis on a holistic view, syndrome differentiation, and a humanistic outlook. It begins with etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, syndrome differentiation, treatment, and prevention, stressing the unity of the internal and external, as well as the harmonious integration of mind and body. As the classic text “Plain Questions: The Great Treatise on Regulating the Spirit in Accordance with the Four Seasons” states: “Do not treat the disease after it has arisen; treat it before it arises. Do not address disorder after it has taken hold; address it before it takes hold.”

Prevent disease before it arises; once illness has set in, prevent its progression. Prevention is superior to treatment; treatment is the last resort. Therefore, the ultimate mission of intangible cultural heritage in the field of traditional medicine lies in nurturing, harmonizing, and preventing—namely, in thoroughly understanding the root causes of disease, identifying its specific manifestations, and employing dietary therapy to address them. Only when dietary therapy proves ineffective should medication be considered.

However, the attainment of health is a mutual endeavor, and the primary agent must always be the individual seeking health—not the physician. A healthy lifestyle is something we must actively pursue; traditional Chinese medicine serves as the guiding framework, with physicians playing a leading role, while each of us who aspires to good health is the one who puts this vision into practice. Yet the greatest challenge in the transmission of intangible cultural heritage related to traditional medicine lies in how to mobilize the public’s intrinsic motivation and how to ensure that health is achieved before illness even arises.

In short, the future of intangible cultural heritage in traditional medicine lies in the widespread adoption of healthy lifestyles—a journey that is both long and arduous.

The national-level intangible cultural heritage “PingLe Guo’s Orthopedic Manipulation Technique” is rooted in the classics of traditional Chinese medicine, committed to the inheritance of traditional medicinal intangible cultural heritage, and driven by the mission of promoting healthy lifestyles. Through relentless exploration and unwavering dedication, it presses forward—through wind and rain—on its journey toward the future.

 

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