Description
By Yu Huan Zhang & Ken Rose
Trade paperback book
ISBN 9780912111599
288 pages, 7.00 x 10.00″
An excellent book for the new student! This text provides insight into the depth and subtlety of traditional Chinese medicine by delving into the linguistic and cultural wellsprings of China’s venerable past. The authors’ knowledge, thoughtfulness, and dedication to their topic clearly radiate from every page. Steven Given, Dean of Clinical Education at Yo San University, has this to say of the book: “Their interweaving of language, religion and culture results in a cogent and highly readable discourse that ties together the elements of culture and medicine. Zhang and Rose’s examination of the etymology and structure of the Chinese language is a major contribution to our understanding of how traditional Chinese medicine functions today.”
In her foreword to the book, Harriet Beinfield, co-author of Between Heaven and Earth, a Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine, made the following remarks: “[The authors] have performed a great service by clearing a path into the formidably dense thicket that constitutes Chinese medicine in the West. This text provides . . . a window of inestimable value into a world of meaning that satisfies a yearning on the part of many who hunger to know the substrate from which Chinese medicine emerges.”
Praise for Who Can Ride the Dragon
In reading this book I have not only gained a greater appreciation for TCM, but also a historical context in which to understand both the different theories and cultural influences that have contributed to the evolution of TCM as a culmination of philosophy, art, science and technique.
As practitioners many of us have clinical skills that we use in our everyday practice. This text
explores the historical, linguistic and cultural influences that have all contributed to the development of TCM. Containing numerous illustrations, some charts, black and white photographs, as well as Chinese calligraphy assists in one’s appreciation of TCM as both an art and a science.
Through an appreciation of Chinese language, folk beliefs, myths, customs, philosophical and
religious influences, the TCM literary tradition and anecdotal historical references the reader can gain a deeper understanding of the influential as well as evolutionary influences that all contributed to TCM as we know it in the 21st century. The reader, and especially the practitioner, will gain not only valuable insight into the roots that have influenced the depth and breadth of the characteristic expressions of TCM but also the multi-faceted branches of TCM that have emerged through time and are influenced by a variety of sources.
Undiluted by cultural, linguistic or historical separation, the authors of this book more than
adequately portray the “state of the art”. Factual and anecdotal narration illustrated with diagrams, photos, as well as Chinese calligraphy further enhance one’s appreciation for the deep and varied roots contributing to the development and evolution of TCM.
This book is well organized and indexed, making it both accessible for the reader with regards
to specific areas or topics of interest. Included in this book is a glossary of terms we are all familiar with as practitioners, both the unique presentation serves to further our appreciation of words we know and use to a different level of understanding, meaning and appreciation.
As a practitioner of Oriental Medicine for several years as well as being fluent in the Chinese
language, this book further deepened and reinforced by learning as ell as appreciation of Oriental Medicine. This book is highly worthwhile as an “enjoyable” read and will surely help extend and broaden one’s understanding and practice of a medicine that has been influenced by a variety of sources. A fun book!… so enjoy, it is not one to study but to savor!
–David Bray, CMD, DAc, DiplCH(NCCAOM), The American Acupuncturist, Vol XXV, Winter 2001
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