Health Information

The “Inheriting with Care, Sharing Intangible Cultural Heritage” joint exhibition on traditional Chinese medicine culture is currently being meticulously prepared.

Release Date:

2023-08-10 20:32

 

“China’s fine traditional culture is the spiritual lifeline of the Chinese nation, an important source for cultivating socialist core values, and a solid foundation that enables us to stand firm amidst the vigorous exchanges among world cultures. Enhancing cultural awareness and cultural confidence is inherently essential to bolstering our confidence in our path, our theory, and our system.”

 

— Xi Jinping

 

In order to implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on strengthening the protection of historical and cultural heritage, to uphold the cultural responsibility and cultural awareness of intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and to support the development of Luoyang City as a national-level “Heluo Cultural Ecological Protection Pilot Zone,” Guo Jiayi, the eighth-generation inheritor of the national-level intangible cultural heritage “Pingle Guo’s Orthopedic Manipulation Technique,” has remained committed to upholding traditional principles while embracing innovation and taking proactive steps. In collaboration with the World Heritage Site of the Longmen Grottoes and the renowned calligraphy academic group “Ruyue Yaji,” she plans to host, during the 2023 Heluo Cultural Tourism Festival, a joint exhibition on traditional Chinese medicine culture entitled “Effective Inheritance: Sharing Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

 

01

Why is this exhibition being held?

 

“The PingLe Guo School of Orthopedic Manipulation,” as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in the field of traditional medicine in the Heluo region, is entrusted with the mission of integrating other intangible cultural heritage elements of traditional medicine from the Heluo area and thereby preserving and promoting the rich tradition of Chinese medicine.

 

To inherit and carry forward this legacy, the first step is to integrate traditional Chinese medicine culture into everyday life and embrace the spirit of our times. Prescriptions serve as a vessel for traditional Chinese medicine culture, closely intertwined with everyday life, easily accepted and readily disseminated, making them the ideal entry point for introducing this cultural heritage to the general public.

 

“Inheriting with the Right Method”—here, “method” refers both to a systematic approach and to a therapeutic formula—represents an innovative exploration by Guo Jiayi of the PingLe Guo School of Orthopedics in the pursuit of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and promoting traditional Chinese medicine culture.

 

02

What is the main focus of this exhibition?

 

Renowned masters compose celebrated prescriptions. “Celebrated prescriptions” refer to the classic formulas and medicines that have exerted a profound influence throughout the history of the Heluo region, while “renowned masters” denote eminent calligraphers.

 

The exhibition features the highly representative “Medicinal Formula Cave at the Longmen Grottoes,” which, both in terms of its historical period and the profound influence of the formula itself, can rightfully be regarded as the starting point for the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicinal formulas in the Heluo region.

 

The presentation of the prescriptions is also an important component of the exhibition.

 

How should it be presented?

 

Chief Planner Cheng Yufei said: “ The PingLe Guo School of Orthopedics has creatively integrated the art of calligraphy with medicinal prescriptions, inviting renowned calligraphers and scholarly groups to convene in a formal gathering known as “Yueya Ji.” Together, they undertake a second round of creative reinterpretation of the exhibition’s prescriptions, with no restrictions on script style, format, or materials. The aim is to pursue artistic beauty and diversified dissemination, while striving for an exhibition format that is both time-honored and contemporary—thus propelling the exhibition’s innovation into multiple dimensions. For calligraphy itself, this approach likewise represents a form of upholding tradition while fostering innovation. ”

 

With proper methods of inheritance, the exhibition of medicinal formulas is merely the beginning—a strategic entry point. The true focus—and the ultimate significance of the exhibition—lies in the “series of initiatives to promote traditional Chinese medicine culture” that it has sparked, as well as in the diverse ways in which this cultural heritage has entered and profoundly influenced the lives of contemporary people.

 

03

What are the highlights of this exhibition?

This exhibition is supported by the Heluo Cultural Ecology Protection and Development Center, co-organized by the Longmen Grottoes Research Institute, Henan Provincial Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital (Henan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital), and Ruyue Yaji, and undertaken by the Luoyang Heluo National Medicine Culture Research Institute. It represents a concerted effort by multiple cultural institutions in the Heluo region to assume cultural responsibility and demonstrate cultural awareness in advancing the development of traditional Chinese medicine culture in the area. It represents a dream collaboration of cultures, fostering urban cohesion and emotional resonance, and marks an innovative synergy within the cultural sphere that carries profound contemporary significance.

 

The exhibition is spearheaded by Guo Jiayi, the eighth-generation inheritor of the national-level intangible cultural heritage “Pingle Guo’s Orthopedic Manipulation Technique,” and exemplifies the creative transformation and innovative development of the traditional Chinese medicine intangible cultural heritage of the Heluo region.

 

The exhibition takes its starting point at the Yafang Cave of the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, symbolizing the profound historical heritage and contemporary elegance of the Heluo region’s cultural brand.

 

The works on display were collectively created by “Ruyue Yaji,” a prestigious academic group of calligraphy masters, embodying the scholarly ethos of the Heluo region—its calligraphers’ willingness to shoulder social responsibility and pool their wisdom and efforts for the advancement of culture.

 

“Intangible Cultural Heritage for All”: Intangible cultural heritage belongs to the people and, as such, should be shared by the people. And “shared by the people” is not merely a hollow slogan—it is a concrete guiding principle and a practical approach. The medicinal formulas featured in this exhibition have been carefully selected by the Guo Jiayi team of the Pingle Guo School of Orthopedics following extensive collation and research, with a focus on those that are both valuable and practical for contemporary use. Through this exhibition, these formulas can be genuinely incorporated into everyday life, thereby truly realizing the principle of “intangible cultural heritage belonging to the people and shared by the people.”

 

04

What vision do we hold for this exhibition?

 

Systematically collate the historical classics of Heluo Traditional Chinese Medicine culture, conduct rigorous verification, revision, supplementation, and dissemination, thereby ensuring the empirical preservation of this cultural heritage and preventing it from being lost to the passage of time.

 

Promote the widespread dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture, integrate it into daily life, enhance public awareness and acceptance of TCM culture, and ultimately achieve the co-creation and shared enjoyment of TCM culture.

 

Inherit and promote intangible cultural heritage related to traditional medicine, enhance public confidence in TCM culture, and achieve the self-strengthening of TCM culture.

 

Establish a cultural cluster centered on traditional Chinese medicine, encompassing surrounding cultural and creative products, academic publications, and cultural branding, thereby elevating TCM culture to a global zeitgeist.

 

We are confident that this will be a remarkable endeavor and exploration, one that will bring the culture of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions into people’s daily lives and hearts in a vivid and meaningful way. To this end, the Pingle Guo Family Bone-Setting Formula, the Longmen Grottoes Formula, and the Ruyue Yaji Formula are currently being meticulously prepared.

 

We look forward to meeting you all and presenting a grand, unforgettable celebration of traditional Chinese medicine culture.

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