A Study On The Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry During The Ming And Qing Dynasties

The Chinese medicine industry sprouted in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period,and developed rapidly during the Qin and Han Dynasties,the Northern and Southern Dynasties,the Sui and Tang Dynasties,the Song and Yuan Dynasties.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the development of the pharmaceutical industry entered a stage of prosperity with the peak of feudal economy.In order to make up for the shortage of wild herbs,farmers chose to plant medicinal herbs in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.According to the rough statistics,there were 181 kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs cultivated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In the cultivation and management of medicinal materials,from land selection,land preparation tillage,to seed propagation and field management,all reflect the characteristics of fine management.In the collection of medicinal herbs,the harvest time of roots and rhizomes was mostly in autumn and winter;most of the seeds and fruits were harvested in summer or autumn;leaves and herbs were harvested in spring or summer;bark and root bark medicinal materials were harvested in spring and summer;the picking season of flower medicinal materials varied with varieties;there was no fixed time about animal medicines collecting.The collection principles of medicinal materials in the Ming and Qing Dynasties included:the principle of ensuring the best quality of medicinal materials;the principle of maximum output;the principle of sustainability.Abundant medicinal materials,convenient transportation environment,exquisite processing technology and relying on temple fairs or Pharmaceutical King's temple fairs,are the conditions for the formation of the market of medicinal materials.According to the radiation area of the medicine market,medicinal materials markets of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are divided into three grades:the primary,the intermediate and the senior.The primary markets which were mostly located in villages,towns and villages,were the largest and most widely distributed market in all the medicinal materials markets.The intermediate medicinal materials markets,which were generally located in convenient transportation,played the role of a bridge between the primary and high-level medicinal materials market.The senior medicinal materials markets whose impact radiated to all over the country,had the most influence and guided the development of the primary and the intermediate medicinal materials markets.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the foreign trade and exchange of Chinese pharmaceutical industry entered a new stage,forming a two-way interactive exchange.Due to the vast territory,vast variety and large quantity of medicinal materials,and a long history of Chinese medicine culture,China has played a leading role in the exchange of medicines between China and foreign countries.In the exchange with North Korea,Japan and Southeast Asia,China exported a large number of medicinal materials,medical technology and culture,and imported medicinal materials shortages and a small number of foreign medical books.During the Qing Dynasty,the relationship between China and the West had been gradually strengthened.There were extensive and profound exchanges about medicine trade and medicine culture.The management of pharmaceutical industry could be divided into official pharmacy management and pharmacists' self-management in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In the management of the official pharmacy,Huimin Pharmaceutical Bureau of the Ming Dynasty had a relatively sound management system and assessment mechanism under the leadership of independent medical officers.The Imperial Academy of Medicine had played a positive role in the formulation of national medical laws and training of medical personnel in Qing Dynasty.As for the management of private pharmacy,the pharmacy trade association,which was very important to the pharmacy trade,had realized its internal management by establishing the ritual of worship to gods,equipping the management personnel of the guild hall,formulating the management regulations,and strictly managing the revenue,expenditure and the transaction process of the guild.At the same time,the drug guild which was legally qualified,would be protected by local authorities.Drug fraud occurred in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,There were 244 kinds of counterfeited drugs on the market,including 157 kinds of plants,42 kinds of animals and 45 kinds of minerals.The types of drug fraud can be divided into adulteration,seconds and falsehood.In order to crack down on counterfeiting and maintain market order,the country had taken many measures to prevent and control counterfeit drugs,including formulating legal systems and rules,formulating national drug standards,and imposing judicial sanctions on illegal drug dealers under the circumstances of weak implementation of the rules and regulations of the guild.The concept of the pharmaceutical industry in the Ming and Qing dynasties was developed by inheriting the management wisdom accumulated by the previous generation of drug dealers,and developed on this basis.Due to the influence of Confucian culture,the thoughts of benevolence,righteousness,courtesy,wisdom,and faith permeate the process of medical practitioners and drug dealers' operation of drug stores.It has always run through the business philosophy of the pharmaceutical industry in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,which is reflected in the business purpose of saving the living,the service attitude of equal integrity,the professional skills of medicine and technical skills,and various marketing policies.