The Roots of Qi

Donald Mainfort

Advertisement outside a Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmacy in Hanzhou: "MULTI-PENIS MEDICINE BALL" Contains: deer, snake, bull and dog penis to treat impotence. "TURTLE-SNAKE POWDER" to strengthen the immune system, increase energy, improve skin. Produced by Lan Lifu Company of Suzhou.

Although the term qigong is a relatively new invention, the idea of qi as the basis for the Chinese concept of health comes from ancient times-long before the advent of modern science. The earliest known record of the term qi occurs in the book Liji, prior to the Spring and Autumn period, between three and four thousand years ago. At that time there was no modern physiology or biochemistry, nor was there understanding about nutrition or the healing mechanisms of the body. The existence of cells, blood circulation, neurology and hormones were also unknown. Because dissection of the human body was culturally discouraged, very little anatomical information was available. The only opportunity for anatomy lessons came after battles (or executions, where beheading was the preferred method).

Professor Yuan Zhong of Beijing Union Medical University, a member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, is a specialist in Chinese medical history focusing on medical philosophy. He explains that after the fall of the ax, blood quickly leaves the body and ancient observers assumed that this liquid came from the body cavity, not from the curious, seemingly empty tubes that they later were able to see after the blood had drained away. We now know that these other vessels are the carotid arteries and jugular veins, which transport blood. Ancient observers guessed that because these tubes appeared empty and deflated, that some form of air or special gas must inflate them, hence the name qi (air). They believed that our bodies were inflated and nourished by this special air and that the arteries and veins were simply part of the respiratory system. According to the ancient medical text Ling Shu Jing Shui, this is where the idea of qi began. Pulse diagnosis appeared in China during the early Warring States period (about 2,500 years ago). At that time, doctors believed that what they were feeling were pulses of air (qi), not blood. Later, when closer observations revealed residual blood inside veins (trapped there by the bicuspid valves), the theory of qi was modified to state that veins carried blood and arteries carried air. As early as the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) the famous anatomist Wang Qingren held to the mistaken belief that arteries carried air, not blood. Prior to the time of Wang Qingren, dissection was never done. To his credit, Wang lobbied strongly for less stringent regulations against dissection, saying that healing without knowledge of internal organs was "like a blind man walking in the dark."

As in most major religions, the "breath of life" concept and air hold a special significance. When a person stops breathing, they die. If respiration is difficult, there is an obvious health problem. According to ancient medical beliefs (not only in China), the breath was said to be the soul of the individual, born with-yet separate from-the body and that it would leave the body prior to death. In late 1973, a collection of medical treatises on silk banners and bamboo slips were excavated from the Ma Wang Dui site near Changsha, Hunan. The Han and Chin Dynasty (300 b.c.-3 a.d.) treatises (the earliest surviving medical works in China) from tomb number three frequently mention qi as both a method of explaining and treating disease. One special variety of qi mentioned frequently is that of "jing qi of heaven," which grew out of the ancient worship of sexual reproduction. It was believed that conception occurred as a result of contact with heavenly gas, or jing qi vital energy and that in order to increase one's health and maintain optimum energy, frequent exposure to this special condition was necessary. This led to the Art of Coitus where the male's semen was credited with magical life-giving properties, a concrete manifestation of the qi of heaven. Journey to the West, one of the four most significant pieces of Chinese literature, begins with a stone near the shore of the ocean being exposed to the vital qi of heaven when suddenly Sun Wukong, the Monkey King sprang valiantly from the rock.

Various Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients: snakes, sea horses, bracket fungi (called "mystical plant" in China) and deer antler.

Professor Yuan points to a parallel and interrelated development of the qi of traditional medicine, described above, and of qi used as an interpretation of, or an attempt to reconcile with, the more recent philosophy of Daoism. The Daoist philosopher Laozi is said to have been born around 604 b.c. After his death, a movement developed which deified Laozi and created a new religion. A cast of new Daoist gods appeared and astrology, divination, alchemy, breath control and levitation were practiced by a variety of cults. The most notable group, the Celestial Masters (still active today) was established in 142 a.d., when their leader, Zhang Daoling, reported that he had received "revelations" from Laozi's spirit. The fusing of these ideas with those of the older medical interpretation of qi resulted in the Huang Di Nei Jing (emperor's internal scripture), the universally recognized foundation of modern traditional Chinese medicine.

Both ancient qigong wizards and modern masters draw from primitive traditions of nature worship. Historically, the Chinese people have been closely tied to the land, with agriculture being the major source of sustenance. Life in China has been greatly influenced by the harsh and unpredictable forces of nature, which inspire fear and despair. Ancient wizards offered some hope of intervention into the affairs of the gods of nature. There were many methods used to convince people of this, but the primary concern was to create a sense of mystery and awe. A second was to employ tricks and methods of deception to gain people's confidence. Modern wizards claim that they have inherited their methods from the ancients, but that they have surpassed them. All of these allegedly new innovations are actually just variations of previous methods. So-called "qigong information tea" (or water), is really just another form of the ancient longevity pill. The modern "scientific" information on qigong is transmitted socially, not academically. Very few of the wizards are ever medical authorities. They are frequently unlicensed, unprofessional, and they all claim to possess unlimited power that can cure any and all diseases. Although claiming to be scientific, they shun genuine scientific scrutiny. Their theories contain confusing and mystical concepts and they commonly cite "lack of faith" on the part of their patients as a way of excusing their failures. Belief in the supernatural creates great confusion that causes theology to become mistaken for science.

References

• Yuan, Z. 1991. The Ancient Chinese Exploration of Vital Energy Effect on the Formation of Qi Theory in the Huang Di Nei Jing. Heilongjiang: Chinese Medical University of Heilongjiang Press.
• Yuan, Z. 1997. Wizardry, Wizard Religion, Wizard Doctors. Beijing: Chinese Association of Science Press.
• Zhang, L., Z.X. Wu. 1992. Answers to Questions About Qigong. Shanghai: Shanghai Education Publishing House.

Related Information

• Search CSICOP: Qi

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