Tea of Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon·Tang Dynasty Tea Ceremony Activity Held at China Cultural Center in Stockholm

An immersive Tang-dynastystyle tea ceremony interactive experience was performed before a full house at China Cultural Center in Stockholm in the afternoon of June 25,accompanied by the melodious tunes of Guzheng and bamboo flute.

Mufangji tang ameliorates pulmonary arterial hypertension through improving vascular remodeling,inhibiting inflammatory response and oxidative stress,and inducing apoptosis

Background:Mufangji tang(MFJT)is composed of Ramulus Cinnamomi,Radix Ginseng,Cocculus orbiculatus(Linn.)DC.,and Gypsum.In clinical settings,MFJT has been effectively employed in addressing a range of respiratory disorders,notably including pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH).However,the mechanism of action of MFJT on PAH remains unknown.Methods:In this study,a monocrotaline-induced PAH rat model was established and treated with MFJT.The therapeutic effects of MFJT on PAH rat model were evaluated.Network pharmacology was conducted to screen the possible targets for MFJT on PAH,and the molecular docking between the main active components and the core targets was carried out.The key targets identified from network pharmacology were tested.Results:Results showed significant therapeutic effects of MFJT on PAH rat model.Analysis of network pharmacology revealed several potential targets related to apoptosis,inflammation,oxidative stress,and vascular remodeling.Molecular docking showed that the key components were well docked with the core targets.Further experimental validation results that MFJT treatment induced apoptosis(downregulated Bcl-2 levels and upregulated Bax levels in lung tissue),inhibited inflammatory response and oxdative stress(decreased the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,inducible NOS,and malondialdehyde,and increased the levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase,nitric oxide,glutathione and superoxide dismutase),reduced the proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells(downregulated ET-1 andβ-catenin levels and ERK1/2 phosphorylation,increased GSK3βlevels).Conclusion:Our study revealed MFJT treatment could alleviate PAH in rats via induction of apoptosis,inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress,and the prevention of vascular remodeling.

Therapeutic effect of San Bi Tang combined with glucosamine sulfate capsules in cold-dampness-type knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND Cold-dampness-type knee osteoarthritis is a common middle-aged and elderly disease,but its pathogenesis is not fully understood,and its clinical treatment has limitations.Glucosamine sulfate capsules are commonly used for treating arthritis,and San Bi Tang is a classic formula of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)that has the effects of warming yang,dispelling dampness,relaxing muscles,and activating collaterals.This research hypothesized that the combination of modified San Bi Tang and glucosamine sulfate capsules could enhance the clinical efficacy of treating cold-dampness-type knee osteoarthritis through complementary effects.AIM To analyze the clinical efficacy of San Bi Tang combined with glucosamine sulfate capsules when treating cold-dampness-type knee osteoarthritis.METHODS A total of 110 patients with cold-dampness-type knee osteoarthritis were selected as research subjects and randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group of 55 cases each.The control group received only treatment with glucosamine sulfate capsules,while the experimental group received additional treatment with modified San Bi Tang for a duration of 5 wk.The patients’knee joint functions,liver and kidney function indicators,adverse reactions,and vital signs were evaluated and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software.RESULTS Before treatment,the two groups’genders,ages,and scores were not significantly different,indicating comparability.Both groups’scores improved after treatment,which could indicate pain and knee joint function improvement,but the test group had better scores.The TCM-specific symptoms and the clinical efficacy of the treatment in the test group were higher.Before and after treatment,there were no abnormalities in the patients’liver and kidney function indicators.CONCLUSION The combination of modified San Bi Tang and glucosamine sulfate capsules is superior to treatment with sulfated glucosamine alone and has high safety.

Case Records as Medical Stories: A Song-dynasty Doctor’s Narration of His Own Medicine-Xu Shuwei (1080-1154)

The key point in studying or teaching the history of Chinese medicine is on the doctrines underlying it and on its perception of the body,physiology,pathology,and its treatment.Namely,there is often a tendency to focus on reading and analysing the classical canons and therapy-related texts including formularies and materia medica collections.However,focusing on these sources provides us with a one-sided presentation of Chinese medicine.These primary sources lack the clinical down-to-earth know-how that encompasses medical treatment,which are represented,for instance,in the clinical rounds of modern medical schools.Our traditional focus on the medical canons and formularies provides almost no clinical knowledge,leaving us with a one-sided narrative that ignores how medicine and healing are actually practiced in the field.This paper focuses on the latter aspect of medicine from a historical perspective.Using written and visual sources dating to the Song dynasty,clinical encounters between doctors and patients including their families are depicted based on case records recorded by a physician,members of the patient’s family,and bystanders.This array of case records or case stories will enable us to narrate the interaction between physicians and patients both from the clinical perspective and from the social interaction.This paper will also discuss visual depictions of the medical encounter to provide another perspective for narrating medicine during the Song dynasty.Medical case records and paintings depicting medical encounters are exemplary of the potential of Chinese primary sources for narrative medicine.

A Set of Acupuncture Needles in the Late Qing Dynasty Collected by George Souliéde Morant

In the early 20th century,French vice-consul George Souliéde Morant encountered acupuncture during his visit to China,and then brought it back to France.After more than a century,his collection was transported from Paris,France to Kunming,China,and later recognized as a Chinese national third-class precious cultural heritage.Currently housed in the Museum of Western Studies on Chinese Medicine at Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine,this set of instruments includes one needle holder converted from a fan-shaped holder,ten acupuncture needles,and eleven paper tags handwritten in English with names of diseases and body parts.This article attempts to present the foundational information and historical significance of this collection of this set of late Qing dynasty acupuncture instruments by reviewing the collection and related research on acupuncture instruments,consulting acupuncture professionals,measuring the detailed information of the set of instruments,and employing a method of translating and summarizing the content of the attached tags.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Tao Hong Si Wu Tang in mice with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND Lung cancer(LC)combined with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)is a common combination of comorbidities.Anti-inflammation and modulation of oxidative/antioxidative imbalance may prevent COPD-induced LC,and are also crucial to the treatment of LC combined with COPD.Modern studies have shown that Tao Hong Si Wu Tang(THSW)has vasodilatory,anti-inflammatory,anti-fatigue,anti-shock,immunoregulatory,lipid-reducing,micronutrient-supplementing,and anti-allergy effects.AIM To observe the effects of THSW on COPD and LC in mice.METHODS A total of 100 specific pathogen-free C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into five groups:Blank control group(group A),model control group(group B),THSW group(group C),IL-6 group(group D),and THSW+IL-6 group(group E),with 20 mice in each group.A COPD mouse model was established using fumigation plus lipopolysaccharide intra-airway drip,and an LC model was replicated by in situ inoculation using the Lewis cell method.RESULTS The blank control group exhibited a clear alveolar structure.The model control and IL-6 groups had thickened alveolar walls,with smaller alveolar lumens,interstitial edema,and several inflammatory infiltrating cells.Histopathological changes in the lungs of the THSW and THSW+IL-6 groups were less than those of the model control group.The serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels and IL-6R,JAK,p-JAK,STAT1/3,p-STAT1/3,FOXO,p-FOXO,and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues of mice in the rest of the groups were significantly higher than those of the blank control group(P<0.01).Compared with the model control group,the IL-6 group demonstrated significantly higher levels for the abovementioned proteins in the serum and lung tissues(P<0.01),and the THSW group had significantly higher serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues(P<0.01)but significantly decreased IL-6R,JAK,p-JAK,STAT1/3,p-STAT1/3,FOXO,p-FOXO,and IL-7R levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION THSW reduces the serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels in the mouse model with anti-inflammatory effects.Its antiinflammatory mechanism lies in inhibiting the overactivation of the JAK/STAT1/3 signaling pathway.

Gaze and Oppositional Gaze in Mr. Tang’s Girls

The gaze is a means of power that can flow through family relationships.It has intense regulatory overtones.In her short story Mr.Tang’s Girls,Malaysian-Chinese Anglophone diasporic writer Shirley Geok-lin Lim shows the conflict between Eastern and Western cultures and the resistance of women under the oppression of patriarchy through the portrayal of the father,Ah Kong,and the eldest daughter,Kim Li.Based on Foucault’s discipline gaze and Hooks’oppositional gaze,this article analyzes the power operation in the story from the following three aspects:the male gaze,discipline and self-discipline,and the oppositional gaze.Kim Li’s subjective image of breaking free from male ownership control has been presented.It suggests the difficulties encountered by female groups in their rebellion against the male gaze and their pursuit of freedom and emancipation.It also reflects the tragedy of awakening women’s destinies under the dual oppression of patriarchy and the East-Westen cultural conflict.

Construction of the Genealogy of Eccentric Monks Based on the Historical Materials of Chan Buddhism in the Song Dynasty--From Enlightened Masters in Chan Buddhism,Sages,to Saints

Regarding the Chan Buddhism lamp records from the Song Dynasty and starting from Jing De Zhuan Deng Lu,the category of“enlightened masters in Chan Buddhism”禪門達者was listed separately,meaning a separate category was established for eccentric monks who pretended to be crazy,had unknown inheritance and miraculous deeds,and were difficult to classify.The following lamp records named this category of eccentric monks as“sages”散聖,or“saints”應化聖賢,which constructed another historical genealogy for the special Chan Buddhism eccentric monks.Moreover,the early lamp records included mostly idiosyncratic mad monks from previous dynasties.Since the Southern Song Dynasty,Chan Buddhism historical materials included many sages from the current dynasty.Therefore,this study mainly examines how the genealogy of Chan Buddhism eccentric monks was constructed in Song Dynasty Chan Buddhism lamp records,including quotations,and organizes the images of eccentric monks in the Song Dynasty,as written in Chan Buddhism historical materials,in order that the meaning of existence of these enlightened masters,sages,saints,etc.,included in the genealogy of Song Dynasty eccentric monks in the history of Chan Buddhism can be reflected.

Garden Features in Tang Dynasty and Urban Planning and Construction of Xi'an City

By taking gardens in Tang Dynasty which play an important historical role in Chinese garden development history as case study,garden features in Tang Dynasty had been described from the aspects of cultural,ecological and planning characteristics,so as to explore the development trace of Tang garden culture,based on which relevant problems in urban planning and construction of Xi'an were discussed;and some countermeasures and suggestions on cultural,ecological and planning construction in the preservation of this ancient city were put forward.

Application of Garden Design Style in Tang Dynasty to the Design of Modern City Public Gardens: A Case Study of Tang Paradise

Public garden, as a type of Chinese classical garden, is an important historical heritage and cultural landscape of the current traditional city. However, under the background of modern urbanization, urban living environment is out of the traditional history and culture and facing such issue as cement jungle. In order to improve the living environment and make the city coordinate with the natural environment, the development of modern urban gardens needs inheritance and development of traditional garden practices. The planning and design methods with scientific guidance were studied in this paper through exploring the application of garden design style in Tang Dynasty in the design of modern city public gardens, so as to inherit the classical garden culture and create a city open space that meets the needs of contemporary citizens as well.

Sun Simiao,super physician of the Tang Dynasty

Sun Simiao(58e682 AD)was a celebrated physician of the Tang Dynasty,whose hometown was Huayuan,Jingzhao(today’s Yao county,Shaanxi province).Known as the most long-lived physician in the Chinese medical history,he died in 682 AD at the age of 102 according to precise record.He went through three dynasties,i.e.the Northern Zhou Dynasty(557e581),the Sui Dynasty(581e618)and the Tang Dynasty(618e917).He was worthy of longevity in terms of today’s perspective.When he was young,he devoted himself to the study of Taoism and many other schools of thought instead of accepting government offers to be an official in the Sui and Tang dynasties.Sun worked as a physician for the general public in his whole life.He was also the teacher of Song Zhiwen,Meng Shen and Lu Zhaolin,who were renowned scholars in the early Tang Dynasty.

The Silk Road:Boosting the Textile Industry in Tang Dynasty

At the height of the Tang Dynasty,trading on the Silk Road reached its peak,which brought opportunities for the development of the textile industry.The Silk Road broadened the domestic and foreign textiles market,influenced Han people’s aesthetic and consumption concepts,and promoted textile trading.The Silk Road expanded the categories of textile products and promoted trading and innovation.It facilitated the exchange of textile technology and formed a virtuous cycle of“export-development overseas-import”.The development of the textile industry relied on both traditional technology and foreign technology,which was reflected in the achievements in printing,dyeing,and brocade,and laid a superb technical foundation for the development of the textile industry later.

Medicine Referred in Poetries in Tang Dynasty In the Case of Li Bai, Du Fu and Bai Juyi

Poetry is an important part of traditional culture, which reached the zenith in Tang dynasty. Li Bai, Du Fu and Bai Juyi are famous poets, and there are much about medicine in their works, such as disease, pathogeny, herbs and life cultivation. Some poets described their feelings about getting sick in their poetries, which showed their psychologic status, social conditions and helped us to learn the development of medicine.

The Spread of Chinese-character Culture on the Silk Road During the Tang Dynasty

The spread of Chinese characters and Chinese classic works during the Tang Dynasty presented diversified discourses of acceptance and development in different periods and regions. This was due to the differences in commercial, economic, political, religious, and cultural environments proportional to the real environment's demand for Chinese characters and Chinese classical works. Chinese characters were introduced to Gaochang, Qiuci, Khotan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as early as the Han Dynasty, with different development paths in these regions. It is easy to form a long lasting culture spread by Chinese language and characters, as long as official languages are consistent with national or religious languages of the regions. It is difficult to form a long lasting culture spread by official languages and characters if the official languages and characters are inconsistent with either languages of daily life or religious languages. Once there is replacement of official languages and characters, or a change in religious belief, it would cause incompatibility between official languages and daily life languages, Chinese-character culture is bound to decline and gradually fade way. But if there are Han people, they will retain the use of Chinese characters.

A Study of the Effects of Family Precepts,Rules and Ethics on Children’s Education During the Tang Dynasty

From the perspectives of the prosperity of the Sui and Tang dynasties,the rise and fall of the aristocrats and the prevalence of the imperial examination,this paper studies the impact of family precepts,rules,and ethics on children’s education.I believe that an important feature of family precepts in the Tang Dynasty was the development of the cultural tradition of poetry and literature study within the family,which promoted virtues like loyalty,filial piety,diligence,frugality and modesty and had a profound influence on future generations.The rise and fall of Tang Dynasty families was closely related to family precepts,rules,ethics,and learning.Famous and respectable families often regarded these traits as important means to maintain the family’s status,which objectively promoted the development of family scholarship and the importance of children’s education in the Tang Dynasty.The concept of learning as a“carry-on treasure”has become a common belief among scholars and has played a positive role in educating Chinese society,enriching our culture,and keeping society in order.

The Influence of Thesis Writing of Imperial Examinations on Prose in Tang and Song Dynasty

The imperial examination system not only has profound influence on prose development in Tang and Song Dynasty, but also has an important influence on the whole Tang and Song Dynasty and even the later literature and cultural development. In the feudal autocratic rule, any system implemented by the state will have an important influence on all aspects of the whole society~ especially it is related with the imperial examination system of education and talents. Once it becomes a ＂basic national policy＂ , the role in social development is incalculable. This paper takes the relationship between imperial examination system and Tang and Song prose development as the breakthrough point, analyzing the influence of thesis writing of imperial examination on the prose in Tang and Song Dynasty and ＂Eight great men in Tang and Song Dynasty＂ .