Located on the southern bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Jiangxi is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with hills and basins in its central region. Bordering the Yangtze River to the north, it offers ample internal space and connects eastward with Zhejiang and Fujian, westward with Hunan, southward with Guangdong, and northward with Hubei and Anhui. It is the only province in China linking the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Minnan Delta economic zones, facilitating internal and external communication and forming a secure and advantageous geographic pattern. In ancient times, Jiangxi was divided among the Yue, Wu, and Chu states. Its picturesque landscapes, abundant resources, and strategic position bridging east and west, north and south, gave rise to the distinctive Gan culture. On one hand, Gan culture, influenced by Yue, Wu, Chu, and later Central Plains cultures, absorbed strengths, integrated diverse elements, and developed into a culture characterized by inclusivity, nobility, pragmatism, and pioneering spirit. On the other hand, despite its abundant waterways, Jiangxi's limited land routes and relatively isolated geography, coupled with rich resources and minimal warfare, fostered a conservative aspect of Gan culture, marked by contentment with the status quo. Jiangxi's geography features a network of rivers and lakes, high forest coverage, and a mild climate. The grain industry has been a pillar of the province since ancient times, earning it the title “Land of Fish and Rice”. Its ancient economic prosperity and people's well-being naturally spurred demand for medical care, fostering the development of TCM in Jiangxi.
1. Ancient Period
The emergence of medical and health knowledge accompanied the formation and development of humanity. Archaeological evidence indicates human activity in Jiangxi as early as 200,000 years ago. Over the 15,000 to 4,000 years ago, Jiangxi’s early inhabitants, like those elsewhere, transitioned from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic period. The inhabitants of Wannian's Xianren Cave and Diaotonghuan were typical cave dwellers from the late Paleolithic to early Neolithic periods. Two remarkable discoveries were made at these sites: first, phytoliths of cultivated rice dating back 12,000 years, among the earliest evidence of rice cultivation globally, establishing Jiangxi as a key origin of rice agriculture in Asia and the world; second, primitive pottery from approximately 12,000 years ago, among the earliest known in China and worldwide. From 6,000 to 4,000 years ago, Jiangxi’s inhabitants entered the late Neolithic period, with increasing clan settlements and population growth. Archaeologists uncovered nearly 100 late Neolithic sites in Jiangxi, yielding numerous tools and household items. Analysis shows that, except for some lakeside communities focused on fishing, most residents relied on agriculture, primarily rice cultivation. Over the subsequent 500 years, from approximately 4,100 to 3,600 years ago, Jiangxi’s inhabitants entered the final Neolithic period. With rising productivity, settlement patterns changed, transitioning from matriarchal to patriarchal clan societies.
The Zhuweicheng culture in the middle reaches of the Ganjiang River is the most widespread and representative archaeological culture of Jiangxi's late Neolithic period, with the lower layers of Zhangshu's Zhuweicheng and Fanchengdui sites being the most typical and extensively excavated. The lower layers of these sites date to the late Neolithic, the middle to the final Neolithic, and the upper to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Sheshantou site in Guangfeng County, northeastern Jiangxi, has lower layers from the late Neolithic and upper layers from the Shang and Zhou bronze culture.
The Zhuweicheng site in Zhangshu revealed well-preserved ancient city walls, 360 meters long north-south and 410 meters east-west, covering 147,600 square meters. With distinct inner and outer walls in the north, it may be one of China's best-preserved large early civilization earthen cities. The lower layers of the Sheshantou site in Guangfeng County uncovered ash pits, storage cellars, house foundations, and tombs.
2. Medieval Period
(1) Pre-Qin and Han Dynasties: Long-term Accumulation of TCM Knowledge
Around the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Jiangxi came under the influence of Central Plains dynasties. The Wucheng site in Zhangshu is believed to be a Shang dynasty vassal state site, while bronzes and jade artifacts from Dayangzhou in Xingan bear strong Yin-Shang cultural characteristics. By the mid-Western Zhou, Jiangxi was likely incorporated into the Central Plains dynasty’s territory, possibly hosting the vassal states of “Ying” and “Ai.” During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, northern Jiangxi was divided between the Wu and Chu states, hence the phrase “Head of Wu, Tail of Chu”. After Qin Shihuang unified China, Jiangxi was formally integrated into the Central Plains dynasty's territory. During the Western Han, Yuzhang Commandery was established, and Guan Ying was sent to build a city in Nanchang, roughly defining Jiangxi's provincial boundaries. As a humid southern region, Jiangxi became a fief for displaced princes and nobles. The 21st-century archaeological discovery of the Haihun Marquis Tomb is located near Nanchang, in Datangping Township, Xinjian.
From ancient times to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, limited understanding of nature led to prevalent shamanistic practices. Rituals and Nuo dances were primary methods for repelling pests and diseases. In Jiangxi, a relatively undeveloped region, shamanistic medicine dominated due to strong mystical traditions. During the Warring States and Qin-Han transition, chaos in the Central Plains made the relatively stable Jiangxi an ideal refuge. Its secluded landscapes attracted many alchemists who settled there to practice, explore techniques, collect herbs, refine elixirs, and perform benevolent medical acts, transitioning shamanistic medicine into alchemical medicine. In the late Eastern Han, the rise of Daoism saw Zhang Daoling, founder of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, traveling in eastern China for a decade before entering Sichuan, with Jiangxi being one of his frequented regions. In the late Eastern Han, Zhang Daoling's great-grandson, the fourth Celestial Master Zhang Sheng, moved south to Jiangxi’s Longhu Mountain to continue the family legacy and practice Daoism, significantly contributing to the emergence of Daoist medicine in Jiangxi.
(2) Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang Dynasties: The Initial Rise of Jiangxi Medicine
During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, Jiangxi's strategic importance grew. After the Eastern Wu Sun regime occupied Jiangxi, dedicated efforts led to rapid economic development and significant social transformation. During the Two Jin periods, northern China was in turmoil, while Jiangxi remained relatively peaceful, experiencing rapid socioeconomic development and becoming a key destination for Central Plains migrants. During the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties, the opening of the Grand Canal and the development of the Dayuling Pass integrated Jiangxi into the national transportation network. After the An-Shi Rebellion, frequent wars in the Central Plains drove northern populations southward in search of a “paradise.” Politically stable and economically developed, Jiangxi became a major destination for northern immigrants. The integration of external and local populations advanced Jiangxi's economic and cultural development but also introduced new diseases. Consequently, healthcare became a pressing concern for both local residents and immigrants in Jiangxi. Daoists skilled in medicine or aiming to spread teachings through medical practice made significant contributions to the rise of Jiangxi medicine, while government initiatives to establish local medical institutions further supported the emergence of local physicians.
(3) Song and Yuan Dynasties: Development of Jiangxi Medicine
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Jiangxi became one of China's economic and cultural hubs, truly entering an era of “abundant resources and talented individuals”. With economic and cultural prosperity, Jiangxi medicine shifted from slow progress to rapid development, at times leading the nation. Starting in the Song dynasty, the establishment of Huimin Pharmacies provided medical services to the public while fostering the prosperity of private herbal markets, giving rise to the Jianchang Army Pharmacy and Zhangshu Herbal Market. The growth of herbal markets facilitated physicians' access to materials while ensuring the availability of resources to enhance treatment efficacy.
3. Early Modern Period
(1) Ming and Qing Dynasties: Prosperity of Jiangxi Medicine
The Ming and Qing dynasties were periods of continuous innovation in Chinese medicine, both theoretically and practically, with Jiangxi's regional medicine gradually flourishing during the Ming dynasty. The Ming dynasty continued the Yuan's medical household system, ensuring the persistence of hereditary medical families. Centuries of accumulated knowledge and intergenerational transmission led to highly specialized medical families, with renowned physicians emerging nationwide. The Ming dynasty's local medical officer system periodically evaluated local practitioners, recommending those with exceptional skills and efficacy to the Imperial Medical Academy, opening a path for local physicians to serve in official roles. Many physicians distinguished themselves, gaining recognition from the imperial court and noble households. The Qing dynasty continued the Ming system, with local medical officers selecting skilled physicians for roles in the Imperial Medical Academy and Imperial Pharmacy. Many renowned Jiangxi physicians, serving as clerks, imperial physicians, or noble household doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy, earned reputations while expanding Jiangxi medicine's national influence. Renowned physicians conducted extensive research on various diseases, authoring numerous medical classics and advancing medical techniques. Notably, some physicians mastered human smallpox inoculation, making significant contributions to smallpox prevention.
(2) Republic of China Period: Tortuous Development of TCM
From the late Qing onward, Western medicine, rooted in modern science, entered semi-colonial and semi-feudal China on a large scale, leading to the coexistence of Chinese and Western medicine. The school of integrated Chinese and Western medicine emerged, with Jiangxi's Taihe-native physician Tang Zonghai (1862–1908) authoring Essence of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, pioneering the concept of “integration of Chinese and Western medicine”. In 1902 (28th year of Guangxu, Qing dynasty), Jiangxi established medical schools such as the Jiangxi Medical School, Taihe Medical School, and Jiujiang Minsheng Medical School, offering courses in both Chinese and Western medicine, promoting their integration. In 1942, Huang Daoying founded the private Ping'an Hospital in Pingxiang, with departments for internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics, using both Chinese and Western medical methods, becoming Jiangxi's first integrated Chinese-Western hospital. During the Republic of China, debates over the superiority of Chinese versus Western medicine arose, posing numerous challenges to TCM's development. Under these circumstances, Jiangxi TCM practitioners actively adapted to changing times, embraced challenges, and innovated, achieving notable success and gaining significant national influence in some areas.
During the Republic period, Jiangxi's TCM community produced many renowned physicians. According to the 1939 Jiangxi Statistical Monthly, there were 3,306 TCM practitioners in Jiangxi, with 521 licensed to practice (159 in Nanchang). [Statistics on TCM Practitioners in Jiangxi, Jiangxi Statistical Monthly, 1939, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 38–40.] Chinese Medicine Kunlun [Chinese Medicine Kunlun is a biographical series of 150 prominent TCM experts over the past century, spanning 15 volumes and over 5 million words. It is a monumental work of historical, academic, cultural, practical, and archival value, with significant contemporary and historical importance. It is particularly significant in strengthening TCM practitioners' belief in TCM, fostering medical ethics, and enhancing clinical skills.] It selected 150 TCM masters over the past century, including Jiangxi's Yao Guomei and Cheng Menxue. Folk sayings in Nanchang's TCM community referred to the “Four Great Guardians”: Yao Guomei, Xie Shuanghu, Zhang Peiyi, and Yao Zhishan. Yao Guomei, Liao Dingxin, Xie Shuanghu, Zhang Peiyi, Yao Zhishan, Xie Peiyu, Liu Wenjiang, Jiang Jingqing, Xu Shouren, Yang Zhiyi, Huang Shiping, Luo Zan, Liao Youmin, and Sun Xiaochu were highly respected in the TCM community. They produced abundant academic achievements, achieved remarkable clinical results, saved countless lives, and embodied the noble medical ethic of “great physicians with sincerity”. Folk sayings like “Consult Yao Guomei, and you'll have no regrets even in death” and “Consult Yao Zhishan, it's like taking an immortal elixir” added to the renown of Jiangxi's TCM community.
(3) TCM in the Central Revolutionary Base Area
The Central Revolutionary Base Area was the birthplace of people's healthcare, the origin of New China's health policies, and the cradle of people's medical education. Since its founding in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party has closely linked public health with the causes of national independence and people's liberation. With the establishment of the Central Revolutionary Base Area and the Provisional Central Government of the Soviet Republic of China, the Party led the military and civilians to integrate healthcare with military and political tasks to address the masses' health issues, leveraging TCM and Chinese herbs, leaving a significant mark on China's medical history.
4. Modern Period
(1) Post-1949: TCM Enters a New Era
After the founding of New China, Jiangxi diligently implemented national TCM policies, such as uniting Chinese and Western medicine and encouraging Western doctors to study TCM. TCM research and clinical activities transitioned from individual, spontaneous, and scattered efforts to organized, planned, and centralized operations. Management systems were improved, and academic research and clinical applications of TCM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine entered a period of rapid development.
After New China's founding, starting in 1950, Jiangxi established TCM joint clinics across regions, widely conducting TCM medical activities. In April 1951, the Jiangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine monthly, founded by the Nanchang TCM Association, became one of the earliest TCM academic journals published in New China. In 1953, the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee approved the establishment of the Jiangxi TCM Training School to enhance TCM practitioners' theoretical knowledge, marking the first state-run TCM school in Jiangxi's history.
Establishment of the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Experimental Institute. Following the Ministry of Health's policies on “uniting Chinese and Western medicine” and “scientizing TCM”, Jiangxi began preparations for the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Experimental Institute in March 1953. The institute was established in May 1954, with an opening ceremony, becoming the first TCM medical research institution in China. The institute focused on clinical experimental research, with its organizational structure, equipment, and methods designed to advance the scientific development of TCM. It was organized into administrative and experimental divisions, employing not only TCM practitioners but also Western physicians, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians. In addition to medical testing equipment, it had nine categories of facilities, including specimen models, a meteorological room, and a library. Its methods involved systematically admitting cases, conducting accurate diagnoses, and performing experiments to summarize and advance TCM treatments, elevating them to a scientific theoretical level. In 1962, it was renamed the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Hospital. In 1959, the Jiangxi TCM Experimental Institute collectively compiled Three Years of TCM Experimental Research, published by Jiangxi People's Publishing House, becoming the first work on modern scientific TCM research in Jiangxi.
In March 1958, the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Research Institute was established, with research offices for literature, clinical practice, and Chinese herbs. Its research on the essence of visceral manifestation led the nation. In September 1958, the Jiangxi TCM Vocational School was founded, followed by the establishment of the Jiangxi College of TCM in 1959, creating Jiangxi's premier institution integrating TCM education, clinical practice, and research. In September 1962, the Jiangxi Provincial Association of Chinese Medicine, a public academic organization, was established. During the Cultural Revolution, the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Research Institute was dissolved, Jiangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine ceased publication, most prefecture- and county-level TCM hospitals halted operations, and the Jiangxi College of TCM was briefly merged into Jiangxi Medical University. TCM researchers were sent to rural areas, causing teaching and research to stagnate.
(2) Post-Reform and Opening-Up: TCM's Rapid Prosperity
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in 1978, Jiangxi's TCM scientific research took on a new look. Interdisciplinary and comprehensive TCM research emerged, incorporating new scientific technologies into TCM research and clinical practice, marking a new era of technology-driven modernization for Jiangxi TCM.
In 1981, the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Research Institute was restored. In 1985, the Revitalize Jiangxi TCM Conference was held in Nanchang, discussing and formulating a development plan for Jiangxi's TCM industry. In 1989, the Jiangxi Provincial TCM Science and Technology Expert Committee was established as an academic advisory body under the Provincial Health Department, strengthening TCM science and technology management and facilitating the restoration and establishment of TCM research and clinical institutions. By the end of 1990, Jiangxi had 2 TCM schools, 96 TCM hospitals, 1 TCM research institute, 20,699 TCM professionals, nearly 100 published academic works, and 112 significant scientific achievements, 32 of which received provincial or ministerial awards.
Jiangxi focused on building an industry innovation system integrating production, education, research, and application, continuously advancing the transformation of research results. Key technologies for solid dosage form industrialization were widely applied to major Jiangxi TCM products like Jiangzhong Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets, Compound Swertia Lozenges, and Jinshuibao Capsules. In 2017, the provincial government planned and promoted the construction of the China (Nanchang) TCM Science and Innovation City at a high level, adopting a “dual-core, collaborative development” model to create a TCM innovation ecosystem. Construction is accelerating for major projects like the National Industrial Innovation Center of Chinese Medicine and Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Industry, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
Since entering the new era, Jiangxi's TCM development has achieved outstanding results. During the 13th Five-Year Plan, Jiangxi invested RMB 4.5 billion to strengthen public TCM hospital infrastructure, with nearly 90% of TCM medical institutions newly built or renovated, significantly improving conditions at provincial, municipal, and county levels. In the 2020 national performance evaluation of tertiary public hospitals, Jiangxi's TCM hospitals ranked 11th nationwide, up 16 places from 2019. Currently, Jiangxi has 131 TCM and integrated Chinese-Western hospitals, with public TCM hospitals achieving near-full coverage at municipal and county levels, and 1,710 grassroots TCM clinics, achieving province-wide coverage. The total volume of TCM services continues to expand.
In the 21st century, Jiangxi's TCM industrialization has advanced rapidly. In 2021, the province's TCM industry generated RMB 42.905 billion in revenue, up 11.90% year-on-year, with industrial output ranking among the highest nationally for years. There are 36 TCM products with sales exceeding RMB 100 million and 5 proprietary Chinese medicines exceeding RMB 1 billion. Leading TCM enterprises like Jemincare, Renhe Pharmaceutical, Qingfeng Pharmaceutical, China Resources Jiangzhong, and Huiren Pharmaceutical have driven the formation of six TCM industry clusters in Zhangshu, Yuanzhou, Xiaolan, and other areas. In 2020, the TCM industry's revenue reached RMB 50.065 billion, with 36 proprietary Chinese medicines exceeding RMB 100 million in sales. The province's medicinal herb planting area reached 3.11 million mu, with 65% of major varieties under standardized cultivation. Thirty-four “customized medicinal gardens” projects progressed steadily, a traceability system for herbs was initially established, and the ecological cultivation of authentic herbs expanded. TCM industrial output has ranked among the highest nationally for years, with 36 TCM products exceeding RMB 100 million and 5 proprietary Chinese medicines exceeding RMB 1 billion in sales. Driven by leading enterprises like Jemincare, Renhe Pharmaceutical, Qingfeng Pharmaceutical, China Resources Jiangzhong, and Huiren Pharmaceutical, seven nationally influential TCM industry clusters have formed in Nanchang Xiaolan, Nanchang High-Tech, Yuanzhou, Zhangshu, Zhanggong, Xiajiang, and Ganjiang New Area.
Jiangxi's TCM, with its long history and deep roots, has made significant contributions to the health and prosperity of the Gan-Po people, standing as an outstanding representative of Jiangxi’s traditional culture. Guided by national TCM policies, Jiangxi’s TCM in the new era is advancing on the path of great rejuvenation through preserving tradition, innovating, and achieving leapfrog development.
