Lecture 8: Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine reaches its high point during the Han dynasty.
There are actually state-salaried physicians, colleges, and
examination boards—the fi rst regulated and professionalized
medical system in the world. The theories formulated in this period
are still practiced today, making this the oldest living medical
system on Earth. The Yellow Emperor’s Esoteric Classic was supposedly written by a
semimythical fi gure, one of the celestial emperors of ancient times,
but it was actually composed during the Han dynasty. The central
governing principle is the opposition of two basic universal forces,
yin and yang. Yin is female, dark, cold, soft, empty, night; yang is
male, light, warm, fi rm, full, and day. There needs to be a universal
harmony, and the physical world depends on a balance of these
two forces. There are also fi ve phases or processes of transformation in
nature (not exactly elements): earth, fi re, wood, metal and water.
All physiological functions can be described in terms of these
transformations. Specifi c foods or drugs aid a particular process,
build up good chi, or promote its fl ow through the body (which
acupuncture also does). This is a holistic medicine that takes into account exercise,
air quality, sleep patterns, sexual activity, and diet—to keep
the yin and yang forces in balance, the chi fl owing, and the
physiological transformations in good order. An extremely complex
pharmacopoeia goes along with it. After the collapse of the Han dynasty, there is a period of warring
states for several hundred years—precisely the same time as the
barbarian incursions in the West and the fall of Rome.