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Guan You-bo, originally named Guan Min, was born in 1913 in Beijing. His father, Guan Yuebo, was a renowned practitioner of Chinese medicine at the time. Guan You-bo received a good education from a young age, studying the Four Books and Five Classics in a private school. From the age of 16, he gradually came into contact with the theories of Chinese medicine and began self-studying the classics of Chinese medicine. At 24, he officially began clinical studies under his father. By 1943, at the age of 30, he passed the examination with excellent results and obtained his medical license. In 1944, he formally began his career in Chinese medicine, treating and saving lives.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1951, Guan You-bo organized some physicians/doctors of Chinese medicine to establish the Andingmen Joint Clinic, where he served as the director. From 1952 to 1953, he attended training classes on epidemic prevention and an advanced class at the Beijing Chinese Medicine School, studying Western medical knowledge, which laid the groundwork for his later research on various diseases using both Chinese and Western medical theories. In 1953, he joined the work at the First Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department in Beijing. In 1956, he was transferred to the Beijing Chinese Medicine Hospital, where he served as a physician/doctor of Chinese medicine, deputy director of internal medicine, director of internal medicine, and vice president. During this period, he devoted himself to the study of liver diseases and various difficult and complicated cases, accumulating a large number of typical cases. Combining his over 30 years of clinical experience and insights, he compiled and published "Selected Clinical Experiences of Guan You-bo" in 1979. In 1978, he collaborated with the scientific research staff of the computer room at the Chinese Medicine Hospital to develop the "Guan You-bo Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Program," a pioneering work in the history of Chinese medicine.

In 1982, Guan You-bo was appointed as a professor at the Beijing Second Medical College. In 1991, he was appointed as a professor at the Beijing Union University Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy College. He frequently taught at Western medicine classes learning Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine graduate classes across the country, imparting his clinical experience without reservation.

Guan You-bo has been diligently working in the field of Chinese medicine for nearly 50 years. His work has been highly valued by the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Government, and he is beloved by the masses. He has been successively elected as a representative to the 1st to 6th Beijing Municipal People's Congresses and a standing committee member of the Beijing Municipal Political Consultative Conference. He currently serves as a medical advisor to the Beijing Municipal People's Government, a standing committee member of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, honorary chairman of the Beijing Chinese Medicine Association, and a standing committee member of the China Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Association.

Inheriting the family tradition, emphasizing medical ethics

From the age of 16, Guan You-bo often studied medicine with his brother under their father. In addition to learning Chinese medicine theory, they frequently assisted their father in consultations, helping to copy prescriptions. His father, Guan Yuebo, was skilled in internal medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, and acupuncture and moxibustion, and was particularly adept at treating seasonal external contraction diseases and women's diseases, earning great respect from the public. His father repeatedly admonished the brothers: the essence of medicine lies not in "fame" but in "clarity," and understanding medical principles is essential to curing diseases. When studying the classics, one must understand their principles, grasp their essentials, and apply them flexibly in practice. He also taught them: in treating and saving lives, one should value righteousness over wealth and not be "rich but unkind." His father was both a strict parent and a strict teacher, not allowing any slack in their Chinese medicine practice. Once, when his brother mistakenly wrote "red tangerine exocarp" as "chrysanthemum red" while copying a prescription, his father became furious and slapped his brother in front of a patient, thereafter forbidding him from studying medicine.

Guan You-bo studied under his father for many years, but his father never allowed him to diagnose alone, instead requiring him to undergo solid basic training. Before his father passed away, despite being ill, he reviewed three of Guan You-bo's case records and, confirming that he had a worthy successor, said to him with satisfaction: "You can now treat and save lives."

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the people lived in misery, and pestilence was rampant. The constant stream of outpatient and home visits honed Guan You-bo's skills. Through extensive practice, he continuously refined and improved the knowledge passed down from his ancestors and acquired from medical texts, developing his own expertise. For instance, during home visits, he could discern whether a patient had measles or scarlet fever just by the smell upon entering. This acute sensitivity in "listening and smelling" was cultivated through extensive medical practice.

Guan You-bo not only inherited his father's medical skills but also carried forward his father's medical ethics. Throughout his life, he strictly adhered to the standard of "upright character and correct technique." One late night, a rickshaw puller asked him to make a house call. After diagnosing the illness, the rickshaw puller offered a silver dollar as a token of gratitude. Guan You-bo had already noticed a pawn ticket on the family's calendar for exactly one dollar. He pushed the rickshaw puller's hands back and said, "Hurry and use this to buy medicine for your child! If it's not enough, have the pharmacist put it on my account." The rickshaw puller was moved to tears.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guan You-bo responded to the government's call to "serve the people" by providing free medical consultations for patients over a long period, and even offering free medicine to some, earning him the admiration of the masses.

Drawing from a wide range of expertise, refining medical skills

Before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guan You-bo practiced medicine in several pharmacies. He was seen at "Yong'an Tang" and "Tiqian Tang" on Qianmen Street, as well as "Tonghe Tang" and "Baode Tang" on Sanlihe Street. He once shared a pharmacy with Shi Jin-mo, one of Beijing's four great physicians. Guan You-bo would arrive early at the pharmacy every day, carefully analyzing Shi Jin-mo's pulse diagnosis, and personally inquiring about the changes in patients after taking the medicine, eagerly learning from any effective experiences. Over time, he "borrowed" the experiences of renowned physicians like Kong Bohua, Xiao Longyou, and Wang Fengchun, applying them in his clinical practice. He made friends with peers, exchanged knowledge, and delved deeply into medical theory. Famous physicians in the Qianmen area, such as Kang Naian, Zhao Ruilin, and He Huiwu, were his close friends. Before his death, Kang Naian passed on his family's secret formula, "thrush powder," to Guan You-bo, who promoted its use, achieving good results for oral ulcers and Behçet's disease.

While working at the Beijing First Chinese Medicine Clinic, he shared a desk with Liu Fengwu, a Chinese medicine gynecology expert. Breaking the old habit of "sectarianism," he actively discussed medical techniques with Liu Fengwu and exchanged cases, learning from others' strengths to compensate for his own weaknesses.

After transferring to Beijing Chinese Medicine Hospital, he had the opportunity to interact with more renowned experts, such as Zhao Bingnan, a specialist in elephant hide surgery, Xu Gongyan and Zong Weixin in internal medicine, Qin Housheng in tumor diseases, and Yao Zhengping in kidney diseases. Guan You-bo established friendships with them and learned many valuable medical experiences from them.

Guan You-bo was often invited to participate in consultations for difficult and severe cases, viewing these as opportunities to learn from the capable. Many Western doctors were willing to collaborate with him, and he also gained a lot of modern medical knowledge from handling complex cases.

Guan You-bo's medical practice not only reflected his family's medical techniques but also the medical experiences and specialties of a group of renowned Chinese medicine practitioners during a historical period.

Diligent exploration, bold innovation

Regarding the diagnosis and treatment of jaundice, Guan You-bo proposed a unique perspective: "To treat jaundice, one must treat the blood; when blood circulates, jaundice is easily resolved. To treat jaundice, one must detoxify; when toxins are removed, jaundice is easily eliminated. To treat jaundice, one must treat phlegm; when phlegm is dissolved, jaundice is easily dispersed."