Prescribing 'guiding and pulling' : the institutionalisation of therapeutic exercise in Sui China (581-618 CE)
This dissertation investigates the development of therapeutic exercise known as daoyin ć°ćŒ (guiding and pulling) during the Sui dynasty (581-618 CE). The main research questions are 1) how and why did daoyin become an important component of state medicine during the Sui period, 2) why was it included systematically in Zhubing yuanhou lun è"žçæșćè" (Treatise on the Origins and Symptoms of Medical Disorders), the earliest known nosological text compiled under the decree of the second Sui emperor Yangdi éçŹćžand 3) in the context of the process of unification during the Sui, what is the larger significance of these initiatives for our understanding of the unique continuities in the history of imperial China? Central to this research is an investigation into the contemporary political, cultural and religious circumstances that influenced the decisions by the two Sui emperors to adopt therapeutic exercise, which was already widely popular among circles of literate elites and religious sects, into an official medical system. The vision of the second Sui emperor to promote therapeutic exercise as the main component of state medicine, in preference to all other medical treatments, led directly to the transformation of the state medical service with the employment of a disproportionally large number of daoyin specialists to the Sui court. This research argues that the inclusion of daoyin, together with advice on health regimes, under the newly-devised classification of disease in Zhubing yuanhou lun, is one of the most important medical innovations of the Sui. As a vignette that illustrates how the role of the state can extend its reach into social and community practice, this study also has wider implications for
Yang, Dolly
Prescribing 'guiding and pulling' : the institutionalisation of therapeutic exercise in Sui China (581-618 CE). This dissertation investigates the development of therapeutic exercise known as daoyin ć°ćŒ (guiding and pulling) during the Sui dynasty (581-618 CE). The main research questions are 1) how and why did daoyin become an important component of state medicine during the Sui period, 2) why was it included systematically in Zhubing yuanhou lun è"žçæșćè" (Treatise on the Origins and Symptoms of Medical Disorders), the earliest known nosological text compiled under the decree of the second Sui emperor Yangdi éçŹćžand 3) in the context of the process of unification during the Sui, what is the larger significance of these initiatives for our understanding of the unique continuities in the history of imperial China? Central to this research is an investigation into the contemporary political, cultural and religious circumstances that influenced the decisions by the two Sui emperors to adopt therapeutic exercise, which was already widely popular among circles of literate elites and religious sects, into an official medical system. The vision of the second Sui emperor to promote therapeutic exercise as the main component of state medicine, in preference to all other medical treatments, led directly to the transformation of the state medical service with the employment of a disproportionally large number of daoyin specialists to the Sui court. This research argues that the inclusion of daoyin, together with advice on health regimes, under the newly-devised classification of disease in Zhubing yuanhou lun, is one of the most important medical innovations of the Sui. As a vignette that illustrates how the role of the state can extend its reach into social and community practice, this study also has wider implications for
pull institutionalisation therapeutic exercise china investigates_development therapeutic exercise know guide pull dynasty main_question become_important component state medicine period include systematically treatise origins medical early know text compile decree second emperor context process unification large significance initiative unique continuity history imperial_china central investigation contemporary political_cultural religious_circumstance influence_decision emperor adopt therapeutic exercise already widely popular among circle literate elite religious sect official medical system vision second emperor promote therapeutic exercise main_component state medicine preference medical treatment lead directly transformation state medical_service employment large_number specialist court argue inclusion together advice health regime newly classification disease one_important medical innovation illustrate role_state extend reach social community_practice study also wider_implication