What we never knew about Fu Qingzhu: an epic tale of heroism and subterfuge
Item
Title
What we never knew about Fu Qingzhu: an epic tale of heroism and subterfuge
Description
Lantern (2019), Clavey, Steve .
Source
Abstract
What follows is a story of intrigue, rebellion and hidden identities. It is a story that led to a 300-year mystery and a furor academicus. The truth is only now being revealed. When we—those of us working in Chinese medicine in the West—think of Fu Qingzhu (1606-1684), we think of the man who wrote that book on gynaecology. But if you were Chinese and knew anything about calligraphy, Fu Qingzhu (or Fu Shan) would be the man who transformed this art in the 17th century, changing its course after 1300 years. You might not even realize that he practiced medicine, or wrote anything on the topic. Calligraphic pieces by Fu have been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in new York and many other museums and galleries around the world. An excellent book in English, published by the Harvard University Asia Center, entitled Fu Shan’s World: the Transformation of Chinese Calligraphy in the Seventeenth Century, describes how the transformation of an art form came about. Of this large format book’s 338 pages, however, there is only a single paragraph describing his medical practice: “An important source of Fu Shan’s income was his medical practice, in which his son acted as his assistant. He was known especially for his skill in women’s medicine. Records confirm that he owned a small pharmacy in the city of Taiyuan, probably after the late 1650s. It was run by Fu Mei; Fu Shan himself lived in the suburbs. A number of Fu Shan’s extant calligraphy albums include prescriptions he wrote for his patients.” But Fu was also a political activist…
Creator
Language
English
Date
volume
16
issue
2
page start
10
page end
16
Alternative Title
Lantern
Date Created
10/1/2019
Type
Journal Article
issn
1449-2717