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The national treasure "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure" has an ill-fated fate and is missing

It is a rare treasure that attracts worldwide attention;
It was taken away in the war;
Since it was plundered from Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, by Jin soldiers in 1126 AD, it has disappeared like a cloud and a crane.
Do you want to know where this national treasure came from, where it went, and where it is now?

"Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" - a national treasure, practical and wonderful

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the prince of Guo State suddenly suffered from "corpse-like syncope" and his life was in danger. The miracle doctor Bian Que responded to the imperial edict and went to the palace to treat the prince with acupuncture and moxa sticks burning the meridian and collateral acupoint of the prince's body. The prince came back from the dead. The miracle doctor Bian Que magically rejuvenated people, leaving behind legendary stories of acupuncture and moxibustion, curing diseases and saving lives.

Acupuncture and moxibustion are important components of Chinese medicine and have a history of thousands of years. Before the Northern Song Dynasty, doctors mainly performed acupuncture and moxibustion treatment according to the meridian points of the human body designated by the Emperor Mingtang Jing of the Tang Dynasty. However, "Emperor Mingtang Jing was lost due to the war in the late Tang Dynasty, which caused the later acupuncture and moxibustion acupuncture to lose its standard.

In order to re-establish national standards for acupuncture and moxibustion meridian points, in the fourth year of Tiansheng of the Song Dynasty (AD 1023), Song Renzong ordered the Medical Officials Academy, the highest medical institution in the country, to compile the "New Casting of Bronze Figures on Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion". The Medical Academy assigned this task to Wang Weiyi.

Wang Weiyi was a famous medical scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty and served as a medical officer in the Renzong and Yingzong dynasties of the Song Dynasty. After three years of hard work, the new national standard for acupuncture and moxibustion acupuncture points "New Cast Bronze Figure of Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustrations" was completed. For the convenience of preservation, it was engraved on five stone tablets.

Song Renzong believed that "communicating the mind is not as good as meeting the eyes, and writing words is not as good as the case form." So he once again ordered to cast acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures according to the "New Illustrated Book of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Casting Bronze Figures".

The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures were designed by Wang Weiyi. The imperial court organized skilled craftsmen from all over the country to cast them. In 1027, two identical acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures were cast. They were later called the "Song Tiansheng bronze figures". ”.

The "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Man" is made of bronze. He is about the same height as a young man, with a handsome face and a strong body. There is hair and a crown on the head; the upper body is bare, and the lower body has shorts and a belt; the human figure is upright, with both hands stretched out, palms facing forward. The bronze figure was cast into two parts, the front and rear, which were disassembled and assembled using special plugs, reflecting the advanced human aesthetics and casting techniques of the time.

The bronze figure is marked with 354 acupoint names, and all acupoints are drilled with small holes. The body cavity contains five zang-organs and bones carved from wood. Therefore, it can be applied not only to Acupuncture and Moxibustion but also to anatomy.

What is even more peculiar is its practicality. In the Song Dynasty, medical examinations for acupuncture and moxibustion were held every year in the medical hospital. During the examination, mercury was injected into the body of a bronze man, and the body surface was coated with yellow wax to completely cover the meridian acupoint. Candidates can only make decisions based on experience. Once the acupoint is accurately hit, the mercury will flow out of the acupoint. Medical history books refer to this strange phenomenon as "the needle goes in and the mercury comes out." "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" is the earliest acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure cast in China and even the world. It pioneered the use of bronze figures as human models for teaching acupuncture and moxibustion in the world, and has attracted great attention at home and abroad.

acupuncture and moxibustion A bronze figure was placed in the Imperial Medical Office for medical students to observe and practice. The other one is placed in the Renji Hall of Daxiangguo Temple in the capital for people to visit. "Zi Sheng Xun Feng" has become one of the eight scenic spots in Bianjing.

The rarity and wonder of "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures" seems to have destined them to have a bad fate. More than a hundred years later, disaster struck.

In 1126 AD, the Jin soldiers invaded the south in a large scale, broke through Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and plundered rare treasures. Since then, the two "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures" have disappeared.

So, where is the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze man"?

Acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, although there are records, the actual object is not seen

According to historical records, a few years after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, a bronze figure with acupuncture and moxibustion appeared in Xiangyang, Hubei.

Zhou Mi recorded in the book "Qidong Wild Language" that his uncle Zhang Shugong won the bronze medal of acupuncture and moxibustion when he was serving in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. acupuncture and moxibustion The bronze figure finally belonged to Zhao Nanzhong of Xiangyang Prefecture.

Experts speculate that after the Jin army invaded Bianjing, one of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures" may have been looted by the Jin army, and the other may have been taken out of Bianjing and flowed into Xiangyang Prefecture.

Historical records: In the second year of Kang Dynasty, King Zhao Gou of Kang succeeded to the throne in Nanjing (now Shangqiu, Henan Province (SP5)), and it was called the Southern Song Dynasty in history. Not long after Zhao Gou ascended the throne, Zhao Nanzhong sent the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" back to the Southern Song Dynasty court.

In 1232 AD, the Yuan Dynasty army attacked Bianjing, the capital of the Jin Kingdom. Two years later, the Jin Kingdom fell, and the Yuan Dynasty took the opportunity to send envoys to the Southern Song Dynasty to coerce and demand acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures.

Fearing the power of the Yuan Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty court had no choice but to donate the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". "History of the Yuan Dynasty. Biography of Anigo" records: Later, because the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" had been in ruins for more than 200 years, it was in urgent need of repair. In 1260 AD, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, summoned skilled craftsmen from all over the world, and finally ordered the Nepalese craftsman Anigo to repair the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". After 4 years of hard work, Anigo finally restored it and was rewarded by Kublai Khan and given an official position.

In 1264, the stone tablets "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure" and "Bronze Figure acupuncture and moxibustion Illustration" were moved from Bianjing to the Sanhuang Temple in Dadu (SP2) in the Yuan Dynasty.

More than 100 years later, Zhu Yuanzhang captured Yuan Dadu (SP2) and established the Ming Dynasty. At this time, the stone tablets "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure" and "New Cast Bronze Figure acupoint acupuncture and moxibustion Illustration" are still placed in the Sanhuang Temple.

By the eighth year of Ming Dynasty Zhengtong, the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" that had lasted for more than 400 years had become dim, and the acupoint name had become unclear. Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered to cast an acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure imitating the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". People call it the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure", which is "exactly the same" as the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". . At the same time, Song Tiansheng's stone carving "Bronze Figure acupoint acupuncture and moxibustion Illustration" was also imitated. The "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" was placed in Yaowang Temple and was preserved until the Qing Dynasty.

But soon, the Mongol Oaras continued to harass Beijing. In order to prevent the Oaras from invading, Ming Yingzong began to strengthen the walls of the capital. The stone tablet of Song Tiansheng's "Bronze Man Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustration" was actually broken down and used as masonry.

Beijing fell during the reign of Emperor Jing of the Ming Dynasty. During the war, the head of the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" was damaged. It was not repaired until the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. From then on, only the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" remained, but this "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" disappeared without a trace.

Tokyo, Japan acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure - it looks real at first glance, but fake upon closer inspection

In the 1970s, experts discovered an exciting piece of information: In 1936, Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion author Cheng Dan-an discovered an acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in the Tokyo Museum, Japan. , its text description is: "The year of production is unknown, it is said that it was brought from China." The Japanese medical community at the time also believed that it was China's "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

Perhaps the answer to the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" lies in this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in Tokyo, Japan.

In the spring of 1980, the Chinese Medicine Research Institute acupuncture and moxibustion delegation went to Japan for inspection and found that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in the Tokyo National Museum was also made of bronze, and the original woodenzang-fu The organ has long been damaged due to disrepair. The copper body surface is distributed at meridian points, which are connected by meridian lines painted in black paint. Each meridian point has a small hole drilled through it, marked with the name of acupoint, which is consistent with the 354 acupoint names in the "New Bronze Man Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustration", and the specific method of determining acupoints is also exactly the same.

But it is very different from "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion Bronze Figure":

• Its body is not composed of two parts but 12 parts; the posture of the arms is different from the "New Bronze Man Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustration"; the total acupoint names are 365, 11 more ; The acupoint name is not carved but written in paint; its casting technology and production level are far superior to the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures cast in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties of China.
• This acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure is only 1.62 meters tall. It is far different from the height of 173 to 176 centimeters of the "Song Tiansheng Bronze Figure" estimated by experts.

Based on the above analysis, experts concluded that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in Tokyo, Japan is not the Chinese "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". Later, experts discovered the stone carvings of the "Bronze Figure with Pictures and Scriptures" from the Ming Dynasty, and finally speculated that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in Tokyo, Japan, was probably cast based on the stone carvings of the "Bronze Figure with the Pictures and Scriptures" from the Ming Dynasty.

Now, the description of this bronze figure from the Tokyo National Museum in Japan has been modified as follows: "Bronze figure, Edo period, 18th century."

At this point, the efforts to track down the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze man" are in trouble again.

The Bronze Man of acupuncture and moxibustion in St. Petersburg, Russia - After difficult verification, his name was finally corrected

From 1965 to 1971, seven steles of the Song Dynasty's "New Cast Bronze Figures" were excavated from the foundations of the old city wall in Beijing. Since the "New Cast Bronze Figure" stele was used to build city walls, some experts boldly speculated that after the "Ming Dynasty Orthodox Acupuncture and Moxibustion Song Bronze Figure" was copied, the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" was The fate is probably the same as that of the "New Bronze Man Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustrated Book" stele, which was thrown into the copper melting furnace as waste and turned into copper water and disappeared forever.

If this speculation is true, then the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" will become the key to finding traces of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure".

In the Qing Dynasty, "Ming Zhengtong Bronze Figures" still received great attention and respect. It is not only called the "Bronze God", but also has a specially built "Bronze Temple". It has been treasured in Taiyiyuan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties for more than 450 years.

However, the disaster began. "Taiyiyuan Zhi" recorded by Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty: "Taiyiyuan has Fan Bronze Figures... Cast in the Zhengtong Year of the Ming Dynasty, in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, the allied forces entered Beijing and served as the Russian army. Everything." In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, Qing Taiyiyuan was looted, and Qing Taiyiyuan was occupied by Russia as the embassy area. Obviously, the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" was most likely looted at this time.

In order to make up for the heavy losses caused by the robbery of the "Ming Zhengtong Bronze Figure", in the 30th year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty, another model was cast after the "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure", which is the "Guangxu Bronze Figure". "Guangxu Bronze Figure" was collected by the Chinese History Museum in 1958.

During the search, the experts unexpectedly got a clue: When Chinese physician Sun Zhenhuan visited the former Soviet Union in 1958, he saw an ancient Chinese bronze figure in a museum, but unfortunately he did not bring back a scrap of information.

A few years ago, Huang Longxiang, a researcher at the Chinese Institute of Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, saw an article in a foreign medical journal introducing a Chinese Ming Dynasty bronze sculpture collected by the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. people. Although the picture is exactly the same as the "Guangxu acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure", Huang Longxiang still speculates that this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure may be the "Ming orthodox acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure".

In early 2003, Huang Longxiang, Xu Wenbin and three others went to St. Petersburg, Russia for inspection. When they walked into the Chinese exhibition hall of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, they saw a bronze figure standing in the center of the hall. Intuition told him that this was the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

After careful research, it was found that the posture and clothing of the St. Petersburg acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure are completely consistent with the basic characteristics of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". The height of the bronze figure is 175.5cm, which is very similar to the height of 175cm of the "Song Tian acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" verified by Mr. Wu Yuanzhen of the Beijing Institute of Cultural Relics.

Marking the hairline is an important feature of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". This acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure has finely carved hair, and the front and rear hairlines are marked. This is the only acupuncture and moxibustion copper Renzhong found at home and abroad that was built by officials at home and abroad.

According to the "Evolution of the Taiyiyuan Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figures", during the war in the late Ming Dynasty, the head of the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures" was damaged, and it was not repaired until the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure also has a crack running through the neck and clear signs of repair.

During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures on the 400-year-old "Song Tiansheng Bronze Man" had become dim and difficult to read. The "Ming Zhengtong Bronze Figure" is 561 years old. The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure's acupoint names are difficult to read with the naked eye.

The number and positioning of the meridian points of this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure are consistent with the Song Dynasty's "New Bronze Figure Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustration".

More importantly, among the existing acupuncture and moxibustion bronzes in Renzhong, only this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure can complete the "needle insertion and mercury extraction", and the method is simple, stable and practical.

Since this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure is so similar to the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure", could it be the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure"?

Historical records record: When the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" was cast, it was the time when Empress Dowager Liu of Zhang Xian came to the court. The name of Empress Dowager Liu's father had the character "通" in it. To avoid the taboo, the name of the acupuncture and moxibustion acupuncture point "Tongtian (BL7)" on the bronze figure was changed to the missing character "通". At the same time, the word "tong" in the stone carvings of the imitation "New Cast Bronze Man Acupoint Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustration" is also missing.

However, after infrared photography inspection, it was found that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure "Tongtian (BL7) acupoint name" is not the word "tong" with a missing pen, but the correct way of writing. It can be inferred from this that this is not the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure".

After unremitting tracking and difficult research, experts finally determined that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Museum is China's "Ming orthodox acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

China's Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion Research Institute requested the "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" from Russia through diplomatic channels, but was politely rejected.

For this reason, the experts decided to recreate a "Ming Dynasty orthodox acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure". After arduous efforts, the research team led by Huang Longxiang finally succeeded in replicating a "Ming Dynasty orthodox acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure".

The discovery and recasting of China's "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" caused a sensation in the academic world. It not only allows people to know the understanding of the text of "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Illustrations" by Chinese Song Dynasty medical scientists 1,000 years ago, but also allows modern Acupuncture and Moxibustion readers to understand the real situation in the Song Dynasty in terms of acupoint positioning.

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CCTV 10's "Exploration and Discovery" program broadcast "The Mystery of the Bronze Man" at 21:00 on May 16, 2005 (1)