Master Tung Ching-Chang at the World Acupuncture Congress, 1962

The text below is significant for students and practitioners of Tung’s Acupuncture. Originally presented by Master Tung at the World Acupuncture Congress in 1962, it represented a historic moment when he chose to share his family’s acupuncture system with the world.

As Master Tung explains, this medical knowledge was long guarded as a family legacy, transmitted orally and face-to-face after the original written records were lost to the fires of war. By speaking at that congress, he broke with tradition, thinking these techniques should be shared because their healing value outweighed the custom of keeping them hidden. In publishing this article, he invited the global medical community to witness a system refined over many centuries and opened a new stage in Tung’s Acupuncture.

Original Manuscript

The traditional acupuncture arts practiced in our country are documented in the writings of famous ancient physicians, mostly based on point selection from the fourteen channels [十四經]. The number of designated acupoints varies, though the orthodox count is 365. For over 2,000 years, our country’s acupuncture art has continued to advance. Based on the experience of renowned physicians through the ages, some meridian points were abandoned or unused, while extra-meridian points were discovered or newly established. The medical principles behind this maintain considerable research value. My ancestors’ passed-down acupuncture art does not depart from the scope of the orthodox fourteen channels, but the locations of the designated points differ somewhat from the 365 standard points. The treatment methods also differ, originating from different sources and forming distinct schools. Because the legacy writings were destroyed by the fires of war and could not be published, the author has had to rely on ‘oral transmission’ and ‘face-to-face instruction.’

A key point in the development of Chinese acupuncture is this: The history of treating diseases with acupuncture in our country spans 2,500 years, and its spread to Europe and Asia has lasted over 400 years. Today, with advances in science and medicine, Chinese acupuncture has become an external physical treatment [物理治療]¹ recognized by the international medical community. Acupuncture truly possesses supreme medical value. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty of learning our country’s written language, international acupuncture scholars can rely only on translations of a few works, and thus grasp only a general outline of its curative effects. Its great secrets and miraculous efficacy have yet to enter the inner sanctum and attain a thorough understanding. We hope that in the future, exceptionally enthusiastic scholars will dedicate themselves to translating it, so that our national essence may be promoted and the excellence of our culture introduced.

1. Overview of Acupoints: My ancestor’s acupuncture art established 740 acupoints on the human body, compared to the 365 points of the orthodox channels. These 740 points are distributed on the left, right, arms, feet, legs, face, ears, etc., and are divided into ten zones. Among the ten zones, Zone 1-1 has the most acupoints, and Zone 5-5 has the fewest. Each point has a specific name and governs its own therapeutic function. In addition, there are ‘Unfixed Points’ [不定穴]², which are similar to ‘Ashi Points’, but their functions differ. When the cause of a disease is unclear, and the effect is not obvious after needling, ‘Unfixed Points’ are used to guide needling and achieve miraculous results.

2. Advantages of the Needling Method: Tung’s acupuncture method grants the following advantages: When the practitioner ascertains the cause of the disease, clearly identifies the acupoints, and treats the disease with skilled techniques, needling is rapid and not exhausting. It additionally emphasizes observing skin color, and reactions appear immediately.

3. Diagnostic and Treatment Methods: This acupuncture method must be combined with diagnosis. Master Tung’s diagnostic method first examines the color of both hands or arms, then the color of both cheeks. By uniting these two observations, the diseased meridian and symptoms can be identified.

4. Combination with Bloodletting Therapy: This acupuncture method is sometimes applied in combination with the three-edged needle bloodletting method, yielding even greater results. For example, if a certain disease shows no response after symptomatic point selection, one needs to check for any stagnation in the blood vessels and allow a little blood out in the relevant area.

Chinese acupuncture often creates miracles in treating diseases. I am making the medical art inherited from my ancestors public to like-minded enthusiasts, both Chinese and Western, to ‘cast a brick to attract jade’ [拋磚引玉]³, so that our national essence can be promoted and humanity can benefit.

¹ On the term ‘Physical curative method’: In the earlier text, Master Tung used the term 物理治療 [Wùlǐ zhìliáo], literally meaning ‘physical medical treatment.’ At the time of the 1962 congress, this term was used to distinguish acupuncture as a practical, observable clinical modality from internal herbal medicine, rather than equating it to modern physical therapy.

² Unfixed Points [不定穴]: These points, as noted by Master Tung, differ from standard “Ashi” points; they function as a dynamic diagnostic and therapeutic tool for identifying active pathways when the primary cause is obscure.

³ On the phrase ‘Cast a brick to attract jade’ [拋磚引玉]: A classic Chinese idiom expressing professional humility. Literally meaning ‘to cast a brick to attract jade,’ it signifies offering one’s own modest work as a ‘brick’ in the hope that it will inspire others to contribute their own ‘jade’—their own deeper research, greater understanding, and further developments of the art.