Dong Feng, styled Junyi, was a native of Houguan (present-day Changle, Fujian) during the Three Kingdoms period in the state of Wu. In his youth, he studied medicine and became highly skilled, particularly in conduction exercise. He was renowned alongside Zhang Ji from Nanyang and Hua Tuo from Qiao Commandery, collectively known as the "Three Divine Physicians of Jian'an." He once secluded himself in the mountains to cultivate his skills, and people also referred to him as "Dong the Immortal."

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms: Chronicles of Wu, Volume 4, Biography of Shi Xie, it is recorded: "Shi Xie once fell ill and died, having been dead for three days. The immortal Dong Feng gave him a pill to take, which he held in his mouth with water. He then held his head and shook it. After a short while, Shi Xie opened his eyes and moved his hands, his complexion gradually returning to normal. By midday, he was able to sit up, and after four days, he could speak again, fully recovering."

Dong was known for his noble medical ethics. For the patients he cured, he only asked them to plant apricot trees around his residence—one tree for minor ailments and five for severe ones—as a form of gratitude. Over time, these trees grew into a lush forest. Dong would place a straw granary under the apricot trees when the fruits ripened. Those who wanted apricots could exchange them for grain. Dong Feng used the grain he obtained to aid the poor. Later generations praised highly skilled and virtuous physicians with the phrases "warmth in the apricot forest" and "reputation filling the apricot forest." It is said that the apricot forest still exists in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, where Dong originally practiced medicine.