Extended Reading and Translation

I. Reading Tasks

Reading for Chinese Culture 

Passage One  Read the passage and decide whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).

                                     Traditional Chinese medicine

1 Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is built on a foundation of more than 2,500 years of Chinese medical practice. It includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercises, and dietary therapy, and is recently also informed by modern Western medicine. TCM is widely used in China, and is becoming increasingly available in other countries around the world.

Doctrines

2 The doctrines of traditional Chinese medicine are rooted in books such as Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon and Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, as well as in cosmological notions such as yin and yang and the five phases. In recent decades, attempts have been made to integrate these doctrines with modern notions of anatomy and pathology and a systematized form of TCM has been developed and promoted by the Chinese government.

3 TCM holds that the body's vital energy (qi) circulates through channels and collaterals (jingluo) which have branches connected to bodily organs and functions. TCM's view of the human body is only marginally concerned with anatomical structures, but focuses primarily on the body's functions, such as digestion, breathing, temperature maintenance, aging, etc.. While health is perceived as the harmonious interaction of different functional entities and the outside world, disease is interpreted as disharmony in the interaction. Diagnosis in TCM aims to trace symptoms to underlying disharmony, by measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and looking at the eating and sleeping habits of a person, and the like.

Chinese medication

4 The major prescription in Chinese medicine is one batch of "herbal medicine"prepared as a decoction. In fact, "herbal medicine" is somewhat misleading in that, while plant elements are by far the most commonly used substances in TCM, many non-botanic substances are also utilized, including mineral substances and animal and human body parts. Thus, the term "medicinal" is usually preferred. Roughly 13,000 medicinals are being used in China and over 100,000 recipes are recorded in the ancient books of TCM. As is mentioned before, botanic elements play a major role of medicinals.

Traditional Chinese therapies

5 Besides drug therapies, many other kinds of medical therapies are used in TCM. Acupuncture is used in traditional Chinese treatment to influence the flow of qi, which is believed to be a vital force that flows through our body. It is often accompanied by moxibustion which involves burning dried mugwort leaves on or near the skin at an acupuncture point. Another type of therapy used in Chinese medicine is cupping, in which several glass "cups" are placed on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. As the air in the cup is heated, it expands and then cools, creating lower pressure inside the cup that allows the cup to stick to the skin via suction. Still another Chinese therapy is guasha, in which the skin is abraded with pieces of smooth jade, animal tusks or horns or smooth stones until red spots occur.

6 Food therapy, also called nutrition therapy or dietary therapy, is a mode of dieting rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and beliefs concerning the effects of food on the human organism. Its basic concepts are a mix of Chinese folk views of eating in moderation and some viewpoints drawn from traditional Chinese medicine. Different foods are classified into two categories--yin and yang, and they are recommended to be consumed in a balanced fashion. Food therapy has long been a common approach to maintaining health among Chinese people, and has been popularized overseas in recent years.

Spread of TCM

7 Traditional physicians, who also receive some Western medical training, are still primary caregivers in some parts of rural China. Various traditional preventative and self-healing techniques such as qigong, which combines gentle exercise and meditation, are widely practised as an adjunct to professional health care in China.

8 There are some efforts around the world to incorporate TCM into public health systems. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) noted that, "Acupuncture has the largest body of evidence and is considered safe if practiced correctly." In the academic field, however, most scientific publications require that studies of traditional Chinese medicine follow the same methodological framework as studies of Western medicine. This rule gives primacy to Western approaches to medicine. Consequently, TCM is no longer independent, but is viewed within the context of Western medicine. TCM has come to be viewed by the mainstream medic community as complementary rather than the primary paradigm. This role negates the concept of TCM, which is holistic in nature and takes account of more signs and symptoms, both somatic and psychic than Western medicine.

9 Recently, however, Yale researchers brought some good news to TCM. They found that huangqin tang, a Chinese herb mixture, is effective at reducing chemotherapy's side effects, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Phase II clinical trials for the herb mixture are being funded by the NIH's National Cancer Institute. It exemplifies that TOM has the potential to go mainstream.

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[1] Yellow Emperor's inner Canon (《黄帝内经》) is the earliest written work about traditional chi medicine It was compiled during the Warring States Period and is regarded as the fundame doctnnal source of traditional Chinese medicine

[2] Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases (《伤寒杂病论》) is a Chinese medical treaties by Zhang Zhongjing at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

[3] Yin and yang (阴阳), in Chinese philosophy, describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and they interrelate to one another.

[4] Five phases (五行) sometimes also translated as the five elements theory, presumes that the five elements-- wood (木), fire (火), earth (土), metal (金), and water (水)---are the foundation of everything in the universe.

Passage Two  Read the passage and finish the reading comprehension tasks.

                               Traditional Chinese exercises

For more than 5,000 years, hundreds of forms of traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs) have been practised in China, including t'ai chi, qigong, diabolo, shuttlecock kicking, mulan quan, dragon-boat racing, rope skipping, and drum beating, to name a few. Historically, TCEs have been credited with improving fitness, cultivating morality, and strengthening self-defence. In the contemporary era, they are also functioning as forms of cultural exchange entertainment, sports and commercialized performances as well as a low-risk intervention that can help alleviate depression in patients with chronic diseases. During the past few decades, some TCEs, such as t'ai chi and qigong have gained significant international recognition as a means of promoting Chinese culture and have become increasingly popular worldwide. 

T'ai chi

T’ai chi, also called taiji (quan), literally the “supreme ultimate force,” is a Chinese martial art based on a philosophy of the forces of yin and yang. Stemming from ancient Chinese martial arts, t'ai chi combines gentle physical movements with elements of meditation. T'ai chi aims to unblock and encourage the flow of qi. The flowing movements of t'ai chi contain much inner strength, like water flowing in a river. Beneath the tranquil surface, there is a current with immense power--the power for healing and wellness. With consistent practice, people will be able to feel that the qi is converted to internal strength and can be used to generate more internal energy. In this process, your fitness and agility will be improved and a more balanced mental state will be achieved.

Generally speaking, t'ai chi can be recommended to anyone of any age, including those in wheelchairs. Its benefits include helping people maintain high-level body strength, flexibility and balance. It is noted that some studies have found benefits for patients with heart disease to practise t'ai. 

Qigong

Qigong is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movements, breathing, and meditation that promotes health and spirituality, used for martial arts training. Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinated slow flowing movements, and deep rhythmic breathing. Rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, philosophy and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi and to allow access to higher realms of awareness, which awakens ones "true nature," and helps develop human potential. Qigong is now practised throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise and relaxation.

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of qigong on hypertension, pain and cancer treatment. Most systematic reviews of clinical trials have not been conclusive, so not firm conclusions about the health effects of qigong can be drawn at this stage. For most people, the first and foremost benefit of qigong lies in the relief or prevention of chronic health problems. The range of health problems that are said to have been helped by qigong in China include cancer, internal organ ailments, poor circulation, nerve pain, back pain, joint problems and general physical disease. The practice of qigong can also help manage stress, anger, depression, and confusion that prey on people’s mind when qi is not regulated and balanced.

According to Taoism, every human being contains the “three treasures”: jing (the essence of the physical body), qi (energy, including thoughts and emotions), and shen (spirit or spiritual power). Feeling the energy of your body makes it possible for you to understand the energy of your thoughts and emotions, leading to the comprehension of the energy of the spirit. Qigong, translated into English as “qi cultivation,” is a method of physical, mental and spiritual cultivation.