Traditional Chinese Medicine: The Human Dimension
By Big Leung

This book invites us to rethink the meaning of medicine and life - which are intertwined together. Most significantly, it stimulates our thinking of how to live in a more humane way, and this is the passion that I would like to share with you all. - Big Leung
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a great treasure of China's ancient history and culture. Written for health professionals, researchers, social scientists and educators, this book elaborates a view that TCM is embodied in diverse and complex human dimensions and meanings in Chinese culture. Encircling Cultural Meaning includes the TCM concept 'Qi', the holistic approach, which embodies culture in medicine.
The book identifies intricate human dimensions of TCM in: the life stages of youth, adulthood and old age, as family connections, as identity, as balancing /harmonising life, as complementary and knowledge transmission roles. In particular, TCM is seen through the lens of leadership - as refining human relationships, as self, as moral practice, as good management practice, and as embracing the cultural environment. Underlying these categories, shared meanings are revealed, as well as core values and health beliefs in Chinese culture. The complex human dimensions of TCM are shown to be deeply rooted in social, cultural and historical contexts in the Chinese diaspora.
• The Spirit of Chinese Culture: its Human Centredness
• Conceptions of Leadership in Traditional Chinese Medicine
• TCM for Youth, Adults and the Elderly
• TCM in Family Connectedness
• Chinese Identity, Body Image and Gender
• Balance/Harmony/Knowledge
• Underlying Beliefs and Roles
• Social-Cultural Significance
The author draws from and extends her PhD research on lived Chinese experiences and conceptions of TCM across diverse individuals, populations, two focus groups in Australia, and three focus groups in Macau and Hong Kong. Encircling Cultural Meaning reveals rich and profound values in Chinese culture manifested at all levels of life, including: the reciprocal care of filial piety, trust, respect, considerations for others, the quest for self understanding, and the strive for peace and harmony.
These inner virtues in human relationships offers a soothing refuge and solution to the modern world which is often punctuated with imbalance, the overdependence on material acquisition, distrust, violence, and man's inhumanity towards man.

CONTENTS

Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Traditional Chinese Medicine: The Connections
Western Medicine in China
Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia
Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong and Macau
Investigation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in this book

Chapter Two
The spirit of Chinese culture: Its human centredness
Introduction
Chinese culture and humans
Development of humanistic philosophy
Harmony and balance in humanism
Human centredness in traditional Chinese culture
Value of Chinese cultural core values in the modern world
Reflections

Chapter Three
Beliefs
Introduction
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine
Source of beliefs
Transmission of Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge
Reflections

Chapter Four
Balance and Harmony
Introduction
Balance through yin and yang
Balance in food
Disease resulting from imbalance
Harmony in living
Surpassing Traditional Chinese Medicine: keeping busy
Reflections

Chapter Five
Youth, Adulthood, and Old Age
Introduction
Traditional Chinese Medicine for boys
Traditional Chinese Medicine for men
Traditional Chinese Medicine for girls
Traditional Chinese Medicine for women
Traditional Chinese Medicine for old age
Reflections

Chapter Six
Family Connectedness
Introduction
Maternal bond
Children's reciprocal return
Family as knowledge transmission
Interacting with friends
As family tradition
Negative experiences of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Discontinuity of tradition
Reflections

Chapter Seven
Identity
Introduction
Concept of identity
Identity and body
Gender identity
Binary discourses
Comparing two generations
Reflections

Chapter Eight
Conceptions of Leadership in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Introduction
Concepts of leadership in I Ching and Tao
Study of Chinese conceptions of leadership
Conceptions of leadership in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Elements connecting conceptions of leadership
Discussion and reflections

Chapter Nine
The Human Dimension
Traditional Chinese Medicine as food
'Social cement' in social interaction
Embodying the human dimension
References

Appendices
Chinese Dynasties
Chinese philosophers and classic literature
Chinese metaphors and sayings
Glossary
Subject Index

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