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The National Treasure with a Turbulent Fate: The Mystery of the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statue"

It is a rare treasure that has captured the world's attention;
It was fought over during times of war;
Since it was plundered by the Jin army from the Northern Song capital, Bianjing, in 1126 AD, it has vanished without a trace.
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 Statue" — A National Treasure, Practical and Marvelous

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the crown prince of the State of Guo suddenly fell ill with "corpse-like syncope," his life hanging by a thread. The divine physician Bian Que was summoned to the palace, where he used needles and moxa sticks to stimulate the meridian and collateral acupoints on the prince's body. The prince was revived from death. The divine physician Bian Que's miraculous skills left behind a legendary tale of using acupuncture and moxibustion to cure diseases and save lives.

Acupuncture and moxibustion are important components of Chinese medicine, with a history spanning thousands of years. Before the Northern Song Dynasty, doctors primarily followed the meridian points specified in the Tang Dynasty's "Huangdi Mingtang Jing" for acupuncture and moxibustion treatments. However, due to the wars at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the "Huangdi Mingtang Jing" was lost, causing later acupuncture and moxibustion practices to lose their standard.

To re-establish a national standard for acupuncture and moxibustion meridian points, in the fourth year of Song Tiansheng (1023 AD), Emperor Renzong of Song ordered the highest medical institution, the Medical Academy, to compile the "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing." The Medical Academy assigned this task to Wang Weiyi.

Wang Weiyi was a renowned medical scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, serving as a medical official during the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Yingzong. After three years of effort, he completed the new national standard for acupuncture and moxibustion meridian points, the "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing." To preserve it, it was engraved on five stone tablets.

Emperor Renzong believed that "transmitting knowledge through words is not as effective as seeing with one's own eyes, and describing is not as good as presenting a model." Thus, he ordered the casting of acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues based on the "Newly Cast Tongren Acupuncture and Moxibustion Tujing."

The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues were designed by Wang Weiyi and cast by skilled craftsmen from across the country, resulting in two identical bronze statues in 1027. These statues were later known as the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statues."

The "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statues" were made of bronze, standing at the height of a young man, with handsome faces and well-built bodies. The statues had hair and a crown on their heads; their upper bodies were bare, and they wore shorts and a belt on their lower bodies. The statues stood upright with arms extended forward, palms facing outward. The statues were cast in two parts, front and back, and could be disassembled and reassembled using specially designed connectors, showcasing the advanced human aesthetics and casting techniques of the time.

The statues were marked with the names of 354 acupoints, all of which were drilled with small holes. Inside the body cavities were wooden carvings of the five zang-organs and six fu-organs, as well as bones. Therefore, they could be used not only for acupuncture and moxibustion but also for anatomical studies. zang -organs six fu -organs and bones. Therefore, they could be used not only for acupuncture and moxibustion but also for anatomical studies.

What is even more remarkable is their practicality. Every year during the Song Dynasty, acupuncture and moxibustion medical examinations were held at the Medical Academy. During these examinations, mercury was injected into the bronze statues, and the surface was coated with yellow wax to completely cover the meridian acupoints. Examinees had to rely on their experience to insert the needles. If they accurately hit an acupoint, mercury would flow out. Medical history books refer to this peculiar phenomenon as "the needle enters and mercury flows out." The "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statues" were the earliest acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues cast in China and the world, pioneering the use of bronze statues as human models for acupuncture and moxibustion teaching, garnering significant attention both domestically and internationally.

One of the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues was placed in the Medical Academy for medical students to observe and practice. The other was placed in the Renji Hall of the Great Xiangguo Temple in the capital, open for public viewing. "Zisheng Xunfeng" became one of the eight scenic spots of Bianjing.

The rarity and marvel of the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statues" seemed to predestine their turbulent fate. Over a hundred years later, disaster struck.

In 1126 AD, the Jin army launched a large-scale invasion, capturing the Northern Song capital, Bianjing, and plundering rare treasures. From then on, the two "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Statues" disappeared without a trace.

So, where exactly has the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" ended up?

The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue in Xiangyang, Hubei, though documented, has no physical evidence found.

According to historical records, several years after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, an acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue appeared in Xiangyang, Hubei.

Zhou Mi recorded in his book "Qi Dong Ye Yu" that his uncle Zhang Shugong obtained an acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue while serving in Xiangyang, Hubei. The bronze statue eventually belonged to Zhao Nanzhong of the Xiangyang Prefecture.

Experts speculate that after the Jin army invaded Bianjing, one of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues" might have been taken by the Jin army, while the other might have been taken out of Bianjing and ended up in Xiangyang Prefecture.

Historical records state: In the second year of Kang, King Kang Zhao Gou ascended the throne in Nanjing (now Shangqiu, Henan Province), known historically as the Southern Song Dynasty. Shortly after Zhao Gou's accession, Zhao Nanzhong returned the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" to the Southern Song court.

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

Fearing the power of the Yuan Dynasty, the Southern Song court had to present the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue." The "Yuan Shi. Anige Biography" records: Later, because the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" had been around for over 200 years, it was "worn out and damaged," urgently needing repair. In 1260, Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan summoned skilled craftsmen from all over the world and eventually ordered the Nepalese craftsman Anige to repair the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue." After four years of effort, Anige finally restored it to new condition, for which he was rewarded and given an official position by Kublai Khan.

In 1264, the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" and the Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing stele were moved from Bianjing to the Sanhuang Temple in Dadu (SP2) of the Yuan Dynasty.

Over 100 years later, Zhu Yuanzhang captured Dadu (SP2) of the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" and the newly cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing stele were still placed in the Sanhuang Temple.

By the eighth year of the Ming Zhengtong era, the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue," which had been around for over 400 years, had become dim and the names of the acupoints were blurred. Emperor Yingzong of Ming ordered the casting of a new acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue modeled after the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue," known as the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue," which was "not a hair's breadth different" from the original. At the same time, a replica of the Song Tiansheng stone inscription Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing was made. The "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" was placed in the Yaowang Temple and preserved until the Qing Dynasty.

However, not long after, the Mongol Wala tribe continuously harassed Beijing. To prevent the Wala from invading, Emperor Yingzong of Ming began to reinforce the city walls of the capital. The Song Tiansheng Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing stele was actually split and used as bricks.

During the reign of Emperor Jing of Ming, Beijing fell, and in the chaos of war, the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" was damaged in the head and was not repaired until the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. From then on, only the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" remained, and the whereabouts of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" were unknown.

The acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue in Tokyo, Japan—seems real at a glance, but upon closer examination, it is fake.

In the 1970s, experts discovered an exciting piece of information: in 1936, Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion practitioner Cheng Dan'an found an acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue in the Tokyo Museum, Japan, with the description: "The production date is unknown, reportedly brought from China." At that time, the Japanese medical community also believed it to be the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue" from China.

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

In the spring of 1980, the Chinese Medicine Research Institute acupuncture and moxibustion investigation team went to Japan for an investigation and found that the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statue in the Tokyo National Museum was also made of bronze. The original wooden zang-fu organs inside the body cavity had long been damaged due to disrepair. The surface of the bronze statue was distributed with meridian points, connected by black lacquered meridian lines. Each meridian point had a small hole drilled, marked with the name of the acupoint, and matched all 354 acupoint names in the "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing," with the specific acupoint location methods also being identical.

However, it differs significantly from the "Song Tian Sheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure":

• Its body is not composed of two parts but twelve; the posture of its arms differs from that in the "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing"; the total number of acupoint names reaches 365, which is 11 more than usual; the acupoint names are not engraved but written with paint; its casting technique and production quality far surpass those of the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures cast during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties in China.
• This acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure is only 1.62 meters tall, significantly shorter than the estimated height of 173-176 cm for the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

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 Ming Dynasty's "Tujing Bronze Figure" stone inscription, leading to the speculation that the Tokyo bronze figure was likely cast based on the Ming Dynasty's "Tujing Bronze Figure" stone inscription.

Now, the Tokyo National Museum has revised its description of the bronze figure to: "Bronze figure, Edo period, 18th century."

Thus, the effort to trace the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" has once again hit a dead end.

The Saint Petersburg Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure—A Difficult Verification, Finally Identified

From 1965 to 1971, seven stone tablets of the Song Dynasty's "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing" were unearthed from the old city wall foundations in Beijing. Since these tablets were used in building the city wall, some experts boldly speculated that after the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion Song bronze figure" was replicated, the fate of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" might have been the same as the "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing" tablets—discarded as scrap and melted down, disappearing forever.

If this speculation holds, then the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" becomes the key to tracing the whereabouts of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

During the Qing Dynasty, the "Ming Zhengtong bronze figure" was still highly revered and respected. It was not only called the "Bronze God" but also had a special "Bronze God Hall" built for it. It was treasured in the Ming and Qing Taiyiyuan for over 450 years.

However, disaster struck. The Qing Guangxu "Taiyiyuan Records" state: "The Taiyiyuan's bronze figure... cast during the Ming Zhengtong era, was taken by the Russian army in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900) when the Allied forces entered Beijing." In 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and the Qing Taiyiyuan was looted, with the Russian army occupying it as their embassy. It is highly likely that the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" was taken at this time.

To compensate for the significant loss of the "Ming Zhengtong bronze figure," another bronze figure was cast in the 30th year of Guangxu, known as the "Guangxu bronze figure." The "Guangxu bronze figure" was collected by the Chinese History Museum in 1958.

During their search, experts unexpectedly found a clue: in 1958, Chinese physician Sun Zhenhuan visited the former Soviet Union and saw an ancient Chinese bronze figure in a museum, but unfortunately, no detailed records were brought back.

A few years ago, Huang Longxiang, a researcher at the Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion Research Institute, read an article in a foreign medical journal about a Chinese Ming Dynasty bronze figure in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Although the accompanying images were identical to the "Guangxu acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure," Huang Longxiang still speculated that this bronze figure might be the "Ming Zhengtong acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure."

In early 2003, Huang Longxiang, Xu Wenbin, and another colleague went to Saint Petersburg, Russia, for an investigation. When they entered the Chinese exhibition hall of the State Hermitage Museum, 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 meticulous research, it was discovered that the posture and attire of the St. Petersburg acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure completely match the basic characteristics of the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure." The bronze figure stands at 175.5 cm tall, which is extremely close to the height of 175 cm for the "Song Tiansheng acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure" as verified by Mr. Wu Yuanzhen from the Beijing Institute of Cultural Relics.

The hairline is marked as an important feature of the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure," which has intricately carved hair and clearly marked front and back hairlines. This is the only official acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure found both domestically and internationally that has such characteristics.

According to the "Taiyiyuan Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure Evolution Study," during the late Ming dynasty's turmoil, the head of the "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" was damaged and was not repaired until the Shunzhi era of the Qing dynasty. This bronze figure also has a crack running through its neck and clear signs of repair.

By the time of Emperor Yingzong of Ming, the acupoint names on the 400-year-old "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" had become faint and hard to discern. The "Ming Zhengtong Bronze Figure," which was 561 years old by then, also had acupoint names that were difficult to recognize with the naked eye.

The number and positioning of the meridian points on this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure match those in the Song dynasty's "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing."

More importantly, among the existing acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figures, only this one can achieve "mercury flowing out upon needle insertion," and the method is simple, stable, and practical.

Given that this acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure is so similar to the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure," could it actually be the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure"?

Historical records state: When the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" was cast, Empress Dowager Liu was in power. Since her father's name contained the character "Tong," to avoid taboo, the acupoint name "Tongtian (BL7)" on the bronze figure was altered to a variant with a missing stroke. Similarly, the character "Tong" in the acupoint names on the replicated "Newly Cast Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing" stone inscriptions also had missing strokes.

However, infrared photography revealed that the "Tongtian (BL7)" acupoint name on this bronze figure is not the variant with a missing stroke but the correct form. This suggests that it is not the "Song Tiansheng Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure."

After relentless tracking and arduous research, experts finally identified the acupuncture and moxibustion bronze figure in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg as China's "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure."

The Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion Research Institute attempted to retrieve the "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" from Russia through diplomatic channels but was politely refused.

As a result, experts decided to replicate a "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure." After strenuous efforts, the research team led by Huang Longxiang successfully replicated one.

The discovery and replication of China's "Ming Zhengtong Acupuncture and Moxibustion Bronze Figure" caused a sensation in the academic world. It not only revealed how Song dynasty medical scholars understood the "Acupuncture and Moxibustion Tujing" text a thousand years ago but also provided modern acupuncture and moxibustion practitioners with insights into the accurate acupoint positioning of the Song dynasty.

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CCTV-10's "Exploration and Discovery" program aired "The Mystery of the Bronze Figure" on May 16, 2005, at 21:00.