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In the 9th issue of *Reader* magazine in 2004, there was an article by Liu Mo about Fu Ssu-nien, which mentioned the famous Fu-Kong debate, primarily a minor story concerning a dispute over traditional Chinese medicine. This piqued the author's interest, and after some in-depth exploration, the truth and the context of the incident were uncovered. Here, the Fu-Kong debate serves as a starting point to discuss this event from several decades ago.
What was the Fu-Kong debate about?
The protagonists of the Fu-Kong debate were Fu Ssu-nien and Kong Geng. Fu Ssu-nien (1896–1950), courtesy name Mengzhen, was from Liaocheng, Shandong. He was a modern historian and educator. He graduated from the Chinese Department of Peking University in 1919 and later studied in the UK and Germany. He was a student leader during the May Fourth Movement and served as acting president of Peking University (after Japan's surrender in 1945) and president of National Taiwan University (starting in January 1950). Kong Geng (1871–1950), courtesy name Wenxuan and literary name Wenxian, was from Xishui (Qishui), Hubei. He studied in Japan in his youth, joined Sun Yat-sen's Tongmenghui, served as a councilor in Sun Yat-sen's headquarters and commander of the anti-bandit army in Hubei, and later became a member of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Nationalist Party's Political Council.
Liu Mo recounted the Fu-Kong debate as follows:
Once, during a discussion on traditional Chinese medicine, Fu Ssu-nien opposed Kong Geng's proposal. The two engaged in a heated debate. Kong Geng, of course, could not out-argue Fu Ssu-nien, so he began to insult Fu Ssu-nien from his seat, using a lot of coarse language. Fu Ssu-nien, furious, said, "You insult me; after the meeting, I will challenge you to a duel." When the meeting ended, Fu Ssu-nien indeed blocked the door and demanded a duel with Kong Geng. However, upon seeing Kong Geng, who was in his seventies and very frail (Fu was famously quite stout), he immediately lowered his hands and said, "You are so old and so thin; I won't duel with you. Go ahead and curse!"
What was the issue of traditional Chinese medicine at the heart of the Fu-Kong debate? In fact, it relates to a heated historical debate over whether to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine" more than seventy years ago.
In 1941, Kong Geng proposed a motion at the Second Session of the First National Government Political Council: "Adjust the health administrative structure, give equal importance to Chinese and Western medicine, gradually integrate them, and enhance national health to benefit the war effort." The Fu-Kong debate likely stemmed from this. Its essence was a fierce battle between those who supported traditional Chinese medicine and those who opposed or sought to abolish it.
In the 1920s and 1930s, a widespread and intense debate over Chinese and Western medicine took place. Opponents of traditional Chinese medicine proposed motions to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine," even refusing to call the nation's traditional medicine "Chinese medicine" or "national medicine," instead derogatorily referring to it as "old medicine." Supporters of traditional Chinese medicine and practitioners staunchly defended the field. During this period, Fu Ssu-nien firmly stood on the side opposing traditional Chinese medicine and acted as a vanguard.
Fu Ssu-nien, nicknamed "Fu the Cannon," was known for being impulsive, outspoken, and loud. At the time, he was a staunch opponent of promoting traditional Chinese medicine. Fu once said, "I would rather die than consult a traditional Chinese doctor, because I feel that doing otherwise would betray my education." Of course, Fu Ssu-nien was not alone in holding this view. Yu Yunxiu (Yu Yan) was also a leading advocate for "abolishing traditional Chinese medicine." In an article titled "Will Traditional Chinese Medicine Still Exist a Hundred Years Later?" published in the *Modern Education News* on September 21, 2001, Hao Guangming mentioned, "Even in the early years of the People's Republic, the health department was still deeply influenced by Yu Yunxiu's ideas, and Yu himself remained highly regarded."The academic debate evolved into a political dispute.
Regarding the debate between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine, Deng Wenchu provided a detailed analysis in his article "The 'Speechless' Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Discourse Analysis of the TCM and Western Medicine Debate in the Early Republic of China" (published in the 6th issue of 2003, Volume 168 of *Open Times* by the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences):
The crisis of TCM persisted throughout the Republican era. During this period, the academic discussion between TCM and Western medicine spilled over from the medical community into the public discourse, further influencing the political sphere and society at large. Issues of livelihood and academic principles became intertwined, with figures from academia and politics mutually inciting each other, turning what could have been a confined academic debate into a widespread controversy. The TCM and Western medicine debate saw four major incidents: the 1920 debate between Yu Yunxiu and Du Yaquan; the 1929 debate over the abolition of TCM; the 1934 debate on the "so-called national medicine issue" in *Ta Kung Pao* and *Independent Review*; and the 1941 dispute between Fu Sinian and Kong Geng at the National Government's Political Council.
The 1920 debate originated from Yu Yunxiu's article "The First Step in the Scientific Study of Domestic Drugs" published in *Xueyi* (Volume 2, Issue 4). This article was interpreted by Du Yaquan, editor of *Eastern Miscellany*, as expressing contempt and disdain for TCM. Du Yaquan promptly responded with his article "Research Methods of Chinese Medicine" in *Xueyi*. Yu Yunxiu's work *Lingshu Shangdui* also faced criticism from Du Yaquan. This debate did not spread beyond academic circles, although figures like Zhang Taiyan and Wu Jianzhai privately discussed the TCM and Western medicine issue.
Around 1925, the debate over TCM and Western medicine intensified, leading directly to the subsequent abolition of TCM. In 1929, the Ministry of Education under the National Government reclassified TCM schools as training institutes, and the Ministry of Health downgraded TCM hospitals to clinics, prohibiting the use of Western medical instruments and drugs. This sparked a nationwide controversy. On December 1, 1929, over 400 representatives from national medical organizations gathered in Shanghai and passed a resolution to petition the National Government. The abolition of TCM, which affected the livelihoods of tens of thousands of TCM practitioners, stirred up both the medical and political communities, with the case even reaching Chiang Kai-shek, the Chairman of the National Government. Ultimately, the issue was resolved with the issuance and subsequent withdrawal of a decree, overshadowing the academic discussion.
The third debate was triggered by Fu Sinian's Sunday editorial in *Ta Kung Pao*. On March 5, 1934, Fu Sinian's article "The So-called National Medicine Issue" sparked a debate that lasted over half a year, primarily in *Ta Kung Pao* and *Independent Review*. Participants included the Tianjin TCM Association and scholars with Western academic backgrounds. A series of articles were published in *Ta Kung Pao* on August 13 and 18, 1934, and in *Independent Review* issues 115, 118, 120, and 121. However, this debate did not extend to the political sphere or touch the nerves of the broader society.
The "anti-TCM" drama starring Fu Sinian was not yet over, as the academic controversy eventually spilled into the political arena six years later. In 1941, at the National Government's Political Council (specifically the Second Session of the Second Council), a proposal by Hubei councilor Kong Geng titled "Adjusting the Health Administration System, Emphasizing Both TCM and Western Medicine, Gradually Integrating Them to Enhance National Health for the Benefit of the War Effort" led to a conflict between Fu Sinian and Kong Geng. During subsequent sessions, Kong Geng continued to propose similar resolutions, such as "Requesting the Government to Establish a National New Drug Factory to Achieve Drug Self-Sufficiency and Strengthen National Economic Mobilization" and "Mobilizing National TCM Practitioners to Establish Central TCM Hospitals and TCM Clinics in Various Institutions to Protect the Health of Soldiers and Civilians," which were supported by Sichuan councilor Cao Shubao.Thus, the conflict between Fu and Kong transformed from an academic issue into a political one, with debates in the political arena devolving into personal insults.
It can be seen that two of the four major controversies were led by Fu Ssu-nien. The debates at that time were so intense, with major disputes accompanied by significant uproars. Zhang Mingwen, in his article "Old Medicine, or Traditional Chinese Medicine?—The Abolition of Traditional Chinese Medicine Controversy Seventy Years Ago" published in the sixth issue of the "Reading" magazine in 2003, pointed out: "In early 1929, a so-called National Central Health Conference was convened by the Ministry of Health of the Kuomintang," "(This conference) was nominally a national conference, but in fact, participants were limited to hospital (Western medicine) directors, famous doctors, and a small number of health administrative personnel from various major trading ports. In 1929, Western medicine in China... although internally divided into factions, those who studied with the British were called British doctors, those with the Germans were called German doctors, and those with the Italians were called Italian doctors, each adhering to their own methods, not interfering with each other. But when it came to dealing with traditional Chinese medicine, they were united against a common enemy... At the meeting, the call to abolish traditional Chinese medicine was rampant, and the result was the passage of an 'Old Medicine Registration Bill'."
At that time, there were four proposals related to the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine, namely "Abolishing Old Medicine to Remove Obstacles to Medical and Health Affairs," "Unifying the Registration Methods for Medical Practitioners," "Setting the Registration Period for Traditional Chinese Medicine," and "Proposing Regulations to Restrict Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Medicinal Materials." Among them, Yu Yunxiu's proposal "Abolishing Old Medicine to Remove Obstacles to Medical and Health Affairs" essentially included the contents of the latter three proposals. In his proposal, he put forward six specific measures to completely eradicate traditional Chinese medicine. The meeting resolved to merge the above four proposals into the "Principles for the Registration of Old Medicine." As stipulated in the "Old Medicine Registration Bill," all practitioners of old medicine (traditional Chinese medicine) under the age of 50 with less than 20 years of practice were required to re-register with the health department, receive supplementary education, pass an assessment, and be granted a license by the health department before they were allowed to practice. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners over the age of 50 also had restrictions on their practice and were not allowed to promote traditional Chinese medicine or establish traditional Chinese medicine schools.
The farce reached its climax, and the Kuomintang government's Ministry of Health's "resolution" to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine" was thus issued. Once this resolution was announced, the entire nation's traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were outraged. Then, led by Shanghai's traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who were influenced by democratic ideas, the national traditional Chinese medicine community launched a significant petition and protest movement. On March 17 of that year, a national conference of medical and pharmaceutical group representatives was held in Shanghai. As a result, the Old Medicine Registration Bill was no longer vigorously pursued, and the matter was left unresolved.
Although the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine" ultimately did not succeed, the trend of "criticizing traditional Chinese medicine" became very popular for a time. This is the third and fourth debate mentioned above. Although more than ten years had passed since 1929, from Nanjing to Chongqing, Fu Ssu-nien's criticism of traditional Chinese medicine was still so vigorous that he was ready to throw punches! Reading Liu Mo's account of the Fu-Kong debate, Fu Ssu-nien's image seems quite grand and courteous, but his true nature was to firmly deny traditional Chinese medicine (which can also be attributed to the so-called "new" and "Western" anti-traditional stance). Fu Ssu-nien ultimately did not throw his punches, and traditional Chinese medicine was not criticized into oblivion, nor was it abolished. The result of the Kuomintang's Political Council meeting in Chongqing was that Kong Geng's proposal for "Equal Emphasis on Chinese and Western Medicine" was passed, which might be seen as a supplement to this.
Mr. Bo Yang's "Turning to Traditional Chinese Medicine"
After understanding the real background, reading the Fu-Kong debate again, our mindset is quite complex. Some attribute the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine" controversy of that year to the cultural conflict between China and the West, and the turbulence it caused was far from limited to the level of traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Ming, reflecting on the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine controversy seventy years ago" in the sixth issue of the "Reading" magazine in 2003, said: "Thinking carefully, whether traditional Chinese medicine is old medicine is actually not an old issue that has passed."The fate of traditional Chinese medicine is not much different from that of middle schools. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for people to understand that period of history, and of course, it should not be limited to the scope related to traditional Chinese medicine.
Below is an excerpt from Mr. Bo Yang's "Joining Traditional Chinese Medicine" from Taiwan, which includes comments on Fu Sinian and traditional Chinese medicine:
When my friend Mr. Fu Sinian was alive, he would be furious at the mention of traditional Chinese medicine. Some new and Westernized factions would shake their heads and tails even more at the mention of it. A friend, whom I borrowed money from for medical treatment, once grabbed me by the collar—using a martial artist's throat-locking technique—and roared, "Old man, kneeling won't help, not a penny. If you want to see a doctor, I'll take you to a Western doctor, and I'll cover the cost." So I was immediately escorted to Dr. Qin Zhonghua. Dr. Qin personally took me to one of his ophthalmologist friends, and the examination result was a condition known as "macular degeneration," which supposedly only the descent of the immortal He Xiangu could cure. That friend reluctantly took out some silver, threw it on the ground, and I picked it up and continued to seek traditional Chinese medicine. I inform my readers that my eyes, apart from being a bit weak for reading books and newspapers, are perfectly fine for everything else. Watching movies, TV, especially women, I have no trouble at all, and driving a car is even more of a breeze (if any kind soul wants to give me a car, feel free to do so, no need to be polite).
...Traditional Chinese medicine is the most outstanding abandoned child of Chinese traditional culture, left in a dark corner, left to fend for itself, while being resented for not going to school. The reason traditional Chinese medicine has not been systematized is probably because Chinese compatriots who study medicine are eager to hang up their shingles and start practicing immediately, rarely willing to put effort into the pharmacology that doesn't yield immediate results, causing the abandoned child to become thinner and thinner day by day. After a few more decades, if no one lends a helping hand, this outstanding cultural crystallization of China may be swept off the face of the earth, which would not only be a loss for China but also for human civilization.
The most serious fatal flaw of traditional Chinese medicine is its lack of scientific basis. Sometimes seeing some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners chanting incantations, it doesn't seem like they're treating an illness but rather like a shaman performing a ritual, which really makes one want to kick their behind. But in fact, traditional Chinese medicine has its underlying scientific structure and principles, it's just that we haven't yet understood the truth of that structure and those principles. Mr. Fu Sinian hated traditional Chinese medicine to the core because his family member was killed by it. But more people have been killed by Western medicine. Alas, all friends who oppose traditional Chinese medicine, including Mr. Fu Sinian, almost all died at the hands of Western medicine (unless heaven blesses you, you drown in a river, or get hit by a car and your soul departs to the realm of resentment), yet no one opposes Western medicine.
Old Bo knows at least one foreigner who admires traditional Chinese medicine immensely. This person is well-known to every household, the father of former U.S. Vice President Rockefeller, the first oil tycoon Rockefeller's son, old Rockefeller himself. Back in the day, old Rockefeller suffered from an eye disease, and with his wealth, he certainly didn't have to worry about pawning like Old Bo, but no amount of money could cure his eyes, having traveled through England, France, Germany, and Austria. Finally, he arrived in China with his head down, and Chinese friends used a kind of worthless herbal medicine on him, originally thinking of it as a last resort, but unexpectedly, it restored his sight, shocking him with the medicine of this ancient country, and he established the world-renowned Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, dedicated to the study of Chinese medicine. Unfortunately, Peking Union Medical College is busy treating patients every day, treating patients can yield immediate results, but research is like throwing meat buns at a dog....
In modern history, Fu Sinian and Kong Geng are both worth studying, and the author here only explores the dispute between Fu and Kong from the perspective of the history of traditional Chinese medicine development. In the struggle to defend traditional Chinese medicine, it should be said that Kong Geng's actions, even at the risk of being beaten, are worthy of full affirmation; while the negation of traditional Chinese medicine by people like Fu Sinian now seems to be a thing of the past.However, the debate on how to inherit and develop traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the path of its development, seems to have never ceased.
Reflecting on the history of the disputes between Chinese and Western medicine and the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine," whether it still holds practical significance is worth pondering and contemplating.
Source: http://www. 37tcm. net/ bbs/ html/ 34/ 18060. html
The Fu-Kong Debate: Revisiting the "Abolish Traditional Chinese Medicine" Controversy
What was the Fu-Kong debate about?
The protagonists of the Fu-Kong debate were Fu Ssu-nien and Kong Geng. Fu Ssu-nien (1896–1950), courtesy name Mengzhen, was from Liaocheng, Shandong. He was a modern historian and educator. He graduated from the Chinese Department of Peking University in 1919 and later studied in the UK and Germany. He was a student leader during the May Fourth Movement and served as acting president of Peking University (after Japan's surrender in 1945) and president of National Taiwan University (starting in January 1950). Kong Geng (1871–1950), courtesy name Wenxuan and literary name Wenxian, was from Xishui (Qishui), Hubei. He studied in Japan in his youth, joined Sun Yat-sen's Tongmenghui, served as a councilor in Sun Yat-sen's headquarters and commander of the anti-bandit army in Hubei, and later became a member of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Nationalist Party's Political Council.
Liu Mo recounted the Fu-Kong debate as follows:
Once, during a discussion on traditional Chinese medicine, Fu Ssu-nien opposed Kong Geng's proposal. The two engaged in a heated debate. Kong Geng, of course, could not out-argue Fu Ssu-nien, so he began to insult Fu Ssu-nien from his seat, using a lot of coarse language. Fu Ssu-nien, furious, said, "You insult me; after the meeting, I will challenge you to a duel." When the meeting ended, Fu Ssu-nien indeed blocked the door and demanded a duel with Kong Geng. However, upon seeing Kong Geng, who was in his seventies and very frail (Fu was famously quite stout), he immediately lowered his hands and said, "You are so old and so thin; I won't duel with you. Go ahead and curse!"
What was the issue of traditional Chinese medicine at the heart of the Fu-Kong debate? In fact, it relates to a heated historical debate over whether to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine" more than seventy years ago.
In 1941, Kong Geng proposed a motion at the Second Session of the First National Government Political Council: "Adjust the health administrative structure, give equal importance to Chinese and Western medicine, gradually integrate them, and enhance national health to benefit the war effort." The Fu-Kong debate likely stemmed from this. Its essence was a fierce battle between those who supported traditional Chinese medicine and those who opposed or sought to abolish it.
In the 1920s and 1930s, a widespread and intense debate over Chinese and Western medicine took place. Opponents of traditional Chinese medicine proposed motions to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine," even refusing to call the nation's traditional medicine "Chinese medicine" or "national medicine," instead derogatorily referring to it as "old medicine." Supporters of traditional Chinese medicine and practitioners staunchly defended the field. During this period, Fu Ssu-nien firmly stood on the side opposing traditional Chinese medicine and acted as a vanguard.
Fu Ssu-nien, nicknamed "Fu the Cannon," was known for being impulsive, outspoken, and loud. At the time, he was a staunch opponent of promoting traditional Chinese medicine. Fu once said, "I would rather die than consult a traditional Chinese doctor, because I feel that doing otherwise would betray my education." Of course, Fu Ssu-nien was not alone in holding this view. Yu Yunxiu (Yu Yan) was also a leading advocate for "abolishing traditional Chinese medicine." In an article titled "Will Traditional Chinese Medicine Still Exist a Hundred Years Later?" published in the *Modern Education News* on September 21, 2001, Hao Guangming mentioned, "Even in the early years of the People's Republic, the health department was still deeply influenced by Yu Yunxiu's ideas, and Yu himself remained highly regarded."The academic debate evolved into a political dispute.
Regarding the debate between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine, Deng Wenchu provided a detailed analysis in his article "The 'Speechless' Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Discourse Analysis of the TCM and Western Medicine Debate in the Early Republic of China" (published in the 6th issue of 2003, Volume 168 of *Open Times* by the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences):
The crisis of TCM persisted throughout the Republican era. During this period, the academic discussion between TCM and Western medicine spilled over from the medical community into the public discourse, further influencing the political sphere and society at large. Issues of livelihood and academic principles became intertwined, with figures from academia and politics mutually inciting each other, turning what could have been a confined academic debate into a widespread controversy. The TCM and Western medicine debate saw four major incidents: the 1920 debate between Yu Yunxiu and Du Yaquan; the 1929 debate over the abolition of TCM; the 1934 debate on the "so-called national medicine issue" in *Ta Kung Pao* and *Independent Review*; and the 1941 dispute between Fu Sinian and Kong Geng at the National Government's Political Council.
The 1920 debate originated from Yu Yunxiu's article "The First Step in the Scientific Study of Domestic Drugs" published in *Xueyi* (Volume 2, Issue 4). This article was interpreted by Du Yaquan, editor of *Eastern Miscellany*, as expressing contempt and disdain for TCM. Du Yaquan promptly responded with his article "Research Methods of Chinese Medicine" in *Xueyi*. Yu Yunxiu's work *Lingshu Shangdui* also faced criticism from Du Yaquan. This debate did not spread beyond academic circles, although figures like Zhang Taiyan and Wu Jianzhai privately discussed the TCM and Western medicine issue.
Around 1925, the debate over TCM and Western medicine intensified, leading directly to the subsequent abolition of TCM. In 1929, the Ministry of Education under the National Government reclassified TCM schools as training institutes, and the Ministry of Health downgraded TCM hospitals to clinics, prohibiting the use of Western medical instruments and drugs. This sparked a nationwide controversy. On December 1, 1929, over 400 representatives from national medical organizations gathered in Shanghai and passed a resolution to petition the National Government. The abolition of TCM, which affected the livelihoods of tens of thousands of TCM practitioners, stirred up both the medical and political communities, with the case even reaching Chiang Kai-shek, the Chairman of the National Government. Ultimately, the issue was resolved with the issuance and subsequent withdrawal of a decree, overshadowing the academic discussion.
The third debate was triggered by Fu Sinian's Sunday editorial in *Ta Kung Pao*. On March 5, 1934, Fu Sinian's article "The So-called National Medicine Issue" sparked a debate that lasted over half a year, primarily in *Ta Kung Pao* and *Independent Review*. Participants included the Tianjin TCM Association and scholars with Western academic backgrounds. A series of articles were published in *Ta Kung Pao* on August 13 and 18, 1934, and in *Independent Review* issues 115, 118, 120, and 121. However, this debate did not extend to the political sphere or touch the nerves of the broader society.
The "anti-TCM" drama starring Fu Sinian was not yet over, as the academic controversy eventually spilled into the political arena six years later. In 1941, at the National Government's Political Council (specifically the Second Session of the Second Council), a proposal by Hubei councilor Kong Geng titled "Adjusting the Health Administration System, Emphasizing Both TCM and Western Medicine, Gradually Integrating Them to Enhance National Health for the Benefit of the War Effort" led to a conflict between Fu Sinian and Kong Geng. During subsequent sessions, Kong Geng continued to propose similar resolutions, such as "Requesting the Government to Establish a National New Drug Factory to Achieve Drug Self-Sufficiency and Strengthen National Economic Mobilization" and "Mobilizing National TCM Practitioners to Establish Central TCM Hospitals and TCM Clinics in Various Institutions to Protect the Health of Soldiers and Civilians," which were supported by Sichuan councilor Cao Shubao.Thus, the conflict between Fu and Kong transformed from an academic issue into a political one, with debates in the political arena devolving into personal insults.
It can be seen that two of the four major controversies were led by Fu Ssu-nien. The debates at that time were so intense, with major disputes accompanied by significant uproars. Zhang Mingwen, in his article "Old Medicine, or Traditional Chinese Medicine?—The Abolition of Traditional Chinese Medicine Controversy Seventy Years Ago" published in the sixth issue of the "Reading" magazine in 2003, pointed out: "In early 1929, a so-called National Central Health Conference was convened by the Ministry of Health of the Kuomintang," "(This conference) was nominally a national conference, but in fact, participants were limited to hospital (Western medicine) directors, famous doctors, and a small number of health administrative personnel from various major trading ports. In 1929, Western medicine in China... although internally divided into factions, those who studied with the British were called British doctors, those with the Germans were called German doctors, and those with the Italians were called Italian doctors, each adhering to their own methods, not interfering with each other. But when it came to dealing with traditional Chinese medicine, they were united against a common enemy... At the meeting, the call to abolish traditional Chinese medicine was rampant, and the result was the passage of an 'Old Medicine Registration Bill'."
At that time, there were four proposals related to the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine, namely "Abolishing Old Medicine to Remove Obstacles to Medical and Health Affairs," "Unifying the Registration Methods for Medical Practitioners," "Setting the Registration Period for Traditional Chinese Medicine," and "Proposing Regulations to Restrict Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Medicinal Materials." Among them, Yu Yunxiu's proposal "Abolishing Old Medicine to Remove Obstacles to Medical and Health Affairs" essentially included the contents of the latter three proposals. In his proposal, he put forward six specific measures to completely eradicate traditional Chinese medicine. The meeting resolved to merge the above four proposals into the "Principles for the Registration of Old Medicine." As stipulated in the "Old Medicine Registration Bill," all practitioners of old medicine (traditional Chinese medicine) under the age of 50 with less than 20 years of practice were required to re-register with the health department, receive supplementary education, pass an assessment, and be granted a license by the health department before they were allowed to practice. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners over the age of 50 also had restrictions on their practice and were not allowed to promote traditional Chinese medicine or establish traditional Chinese medicine schools.
The farce reached its climax, and the Kuomintang government's Ministry of Health's "resolution" to "abolish traditional Chinese medicine" was thus issued. Once this resolution was announced, the entire nation's traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were outraged. Then, led by Shanghai's traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who were influenced by democratic ideas, the national traditional Chinese medicine community launched a significant petition and protest movement. On March 17 of that year, a national conference of medical and pharmaceutical group representatives was held in Shanghai. As a result, the Old Medicine Registration Bill was no longer vigorously pursued, and the matter was left unresolved.
Although the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine" ultimately did not succeed, the trend of "criticizing traditional Chinese medicine" became very popular for a time. This is the third and fourth debate mentioned above. Although more than ten years had passed since 1929, from Nanjing to Chongqing, Fu Ssu-nien's criticism of traditional Chinese medicine was still so vigorous that he was ready to throw punches! Reading Liu Mo's account of the Fu-Kong debate, Fu Ssu-nien's image seems quite grand and courteous, but his true nature was to firmly deny traditional Chinese medicine (which can also be attributed to the so-called "new" and "Western" anti-traditional stance). Fu Ssu-nien ultimately did not throw his punches, and traditional Chinese medicine was not criticized into oblivion, nor was it abolished. The result of the Kuomintang's Political Council meeting in Chongqing was that Kong Geng's proposal for "Equal Emphasis on Chinese and Western Medicine" was passed, which might be seen as a supplement to this.
Mr. Bo Yang's "Turning to Traditional Chinese Medicine"
After understanding the real background, reading the Fu-Kong debate again, our mindset is quite complex. Some attribute the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine" controversy of that year to the cultural conflict between China and the West, and the turbulence it caused was far from limited to the level of traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Ming, reflecting on the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine controversy seventy years ago" in the sixth issue of the "Reading" magazine in 2003, said: "Thinking carefully, whether traditional Chinese medicine is old medicine is actually not an old issue that has passed."The fate of traditional Chinese medicine is not much different from that of middle schools. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for people to understand that period of history, and of course, it should not be limited to the scope related to traditional Chinese medicine.
Below is an excerpt from Mr. Bo Yang's "Joining Traditional Chinese Medicine" from Taiwan, which includes comments on Fu Sinian and traditional Chinese medicine:
When my friend Mr. Fu Sinian was alive, he would be furious at the mention of traditional Chinese medicine. Some new and Westernized factions would shake their heads and tails even more at the mention of it. A friend, whom I borrowed money from for medical treatment, once grabbed me by the collar—using a martial artist's throat-locking technique—and roared, "Old man, kneeling won't help, not a penny. If you want to see a doctor, I'll take you to a Western doctor, and I'll cover the cost." So I was immediately escorted to Dr. Qin Zhonghua. Dr. Qin personally took me to one of his ophthalmologist friends, and the examination result was a condition known as "macular degeneration," which supposedly only the descent of the immortal He Xiangu could cure. That friend reluctantly took out some silver, threw it on the ground, and I picked it up and continued to seek traditional Chinese medicine. I inform my readers that my eyes, apart from being a bit weak for reading books and newspapers, are perfectly fine for everything else. Watching movies, TV, especially women, I have no trouble at all, and driving a car is even more of a breeze (if any kind soul wants to give me a car, feel free to do so, no need to be polite).
...Traditional Chinese medicine is the most outstanding abandoned child of Chinese traditional culture, left in a dark corner, left to fend for itself, while being resented for not going to school. The reason traditional Chinese medicine has not been systematized is probably because Chinese compatriots who study medicine are eager to hang up their shingles and start practicing immediately, rarely willing to put effort into the pharmacology that doesn't yield immediate results, causing the abandoned child to become thinner and thinner day by day. After a few more decades, if no one lends a helping hand, this outstanding cultural crystallization of China may be swept off the face of the earth, which would not only be a loss for China but also for human civilization.
The most serious fatal flaw of traditional Chinese medicine is its lack of scientific basis. Sometimes seeing some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners chanting incantations, it doesn't seem like they're treating an illness but rather like a shaman performing a ritual, which really makes one want to kick their behind. But in fact, traditional Chinese medicine has its underlying scientific structure and principles, it's just that we haven't yet understood the truth of that structure and those principles. Mr. Fu Sinian hated traditional Chinese medicine to the core because his family member was killed by it. But more people have been killed by Western medicine. Alas, all friends who oppose traditional Chinese medicine, including Mr. Fu Sinian, almost all died at the hands of Western medicine (unless heaven blesses you, you drown in a river, or get hit by a car and your soul departs to the realm of resentment), yet no one opposes Western medicine.
Old Bo knows at least one foreigner who admires traditional Chinese medicine immensely. This person is well-known to every household, the father of former U.S. Vice President Rockefeller, the first oil tycoon Rockefeller's son, old Rockefeller himself. Back in the day, old Rockefeller suffered from an eye disease, and with his wealth, he certainly didn't have to worry about pawning like Old Bo, but no amount of money could cure his eyes, having traveled through England, France, Germany, and Austria. Finally, he arrived in China with his head down, and Chinese friends used a kind of worthless herbal medicine on him, originally thinking of it as a last resort, but unexpectedly, it restored his sight, shocking him with the medicine of this ancient country, and he established the world-renowned Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, dedicated to the study of Chinese medicine. Unfortunately, Peking Union Medical College is busy treating patients every day, treating patients can yield immediate results, but research is like throwing meat buns at a dog....
In modern history, Fu Sinian and Kong Geng are both worth studying, and the author here only explores the dispute between Fu and Kong from the perspective of the history of traditional Chinese medicine development. In the struggle to defend traditional Chinese medicine, it should be said that Kong Geng's actions, even at the risk of being beaten, are worthy of full affirmation; while the negation of traditional Chinese medicine by people like Fu Sinian now seems to be a thing of the past.However, the debate on how to inherit and develop traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the path of its development, seems to have never ceased.
Reflecting on the history of the disputes between Chinese and Western medicine and the "abolition of traditional Chinese medicine," whether it still holds practical significance is worth pondering and contemplating.
Source: http://www. 37tcm. net/ bbs/ html/ 34/ 18060. html