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Dong Jian-hua was born on December 9, 1918, in Qingpu County, Shanghai, into a family with a long tradition of Chinese medicine. His great-grandfather was a Chinese medicine ophthalmologist, and his maternal grandfather was a Confucian physician who excelled in treating acute febrile diseases and was well-known in the local community. Influenced by his family, Dong developed a strong interest in medicine. He first studied ancient Chinese texts in a local private school and then attended middle school, laying a solid foundation for his later studies in Chinese medicine. At the age of 17, following his father's arrangement, he became a disciple of the renowned Shanghai physician Yan Erling. Yan Erling was a famous Chinese medicine practitioner in the Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang regions, excelling not only in internal medicine but also in treating gynecological and pediatric disorders. During his apprenticeship, Dong Jian-hua carefully observed, pondered, and diligently studied, always seeking advice with humility. In addition to following his teacher in clinical practice, he immersed himself in classical texts such as Neijing, Nan Jing, Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases, Jingui Yaolue, as well as works like Zhubing Yuanhou Lun, Danxi Xinfa, Jingyue Quanshu, Wenbing Tiaobian-, Yixue Xinwu, and Shibing Lun. For each book he read, he took notes and combined his clinical practice to write reflections. Whenever he encountered doubts, he humbly sought guidance from his teacher and senior colleagues. Over time, he not only learned his teacher's clinical experience but also mastered Chinese medicine theory, inheriting his teacher's profound knowledge. He understood that to achieve academic success, one must broaden their perspective and gather diverse insights. Therefore, while meticulously exploring Mr. Yan's academic thoughts, he also absorbed the strengths of various schools, collected famous medical cases, and applied and compared them in clinical practice, gradually forming his own academic style.

In 1942, Dong Jian-hua returned to his hometown to practice medicine. While treating patients, he also furthered his studies at the Chinese medicine correspondence school run by Qin Bo-wei. During the Anti-Japanese War, society was in turmoil, and people lived in hardship, with epidemics such as smallpox, cholera, and cold-damage diseases prevalent. Dong Jian-hua treated patients meticulously, regardless of their financial status, accumulating extensive experience. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively held positions such as director of the Qingpu County United Clinic, director of the County Health Association, vice president of the Qingpu County Branch of the Red Cross Society of China, and member of the County Political Consultative Conference.

In 1955, Dong Jian-hua was selected to further his studies at the Jiangsu Province Advanced School for Chinese Medicine Physicians, where his over ten years of practical experience were elevated. Due to his outstanding performance, he was commended by the school and later stayed to teach and research cold-damage diseases and warm diseases.

In 1957, Dong Jian-hua joined the Chinese Communist Party. In the same year, to strengthen and enrich the faculty of the Beijing Chinese Medicine Institute, Dong Jian-hua was transferred from Nanjing to Beijing. During his tenure as the director of the Warm Diseases Teaching and Research Office, he devoted himself to piloting teaching reforms that integrated theory with practice, playing a foundational role in improving teaching quality, building the teaching and research office, and advancing the teaching, medical, and research work of the Beijing Chinese Medicine Institute in its early stages. For this, he was recognized as an advanced worker in Beijing and nationally in 1960.

In 1974, Dong Jian-hua attended the 27th World Health Assembly of the United Nations in Geneva as an advisor to the Chinese health delegation. At the conference, he delivered a report titled The Positive Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Safeguarding People's Health and Improving Environmental Sanitation, which sparked great interest among the attendees. He was also invited to attend the academic annual meeting of the Oriental Medical Society in Tokyo, Japan. As a national medical expert, he made special trips to provide effective medical and healthcare services for the heads of state of countries such as the Philippines and Cameroon, making significant contributions to the global promotion of Chinese medicine.

In 1978, Dong Jian-hua was elected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and as a council member of the Chinese Medical Association. He subsequently served as a standing council member of the All-China Association of Chinese Medicine (renamed the China Association of Chinese Medicine in 1991), director of the Chinese Internal Medicine Association, member of the Chinese Medicine Professional Group of the National Science and Technology Commission, and member of the Academic Committee of the Ministry of Health. He made active contributions to the development of Chinese medicine in our country and the promotion of Chinese medical techniques.

In 1983, Dong Jian-hua was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and as a member of the Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of the National People's Congress. He was re-elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Seventh and Eighth National People's Congresses and as a member of the Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee in 1988 and 1993. As a people's representative, despite his advanced age, he repeatedly conducted grassroots inspections, organized representatives from the Chinese medicine community to collect and study issues in Chinese medicine work, and proposed many constructive proposals. He made significant contributions to the cause of Chinese medicine.

He devoted his life to the education of Chinese medicine, cultivating a large number of outstanding talents in the field.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, to train more Chinese medicine professionals, Chinese medicine colleges were established in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places in 1956. Dong Jian-hua, as a Chinese medicine expert and faculty member, was transferred to work at the Beijing Chinese Medicine College. He dedicated all his heart and energy to the education of Chinese medicine. At that time, the Chinese medicine college lacked complete teaching materials, so he took the lead in organizing faculty members to compile the Warm Diseases Lecture Notes and the Interpretation of Cold-Damage Disease Theory, and participated in the compilation of the national unified textbook for Chinese Internal Medicine, conducting pioneering work. Based on the characteristics of Chinese medicine, he proposed that students of Chinese medicine colleges should engage in clinical practice early and frequently to truly master the essence of Chinese medicine. He led by example, taking students to mines, rural areas, and hospitals for internships and investigations, allowing students to gain valuable experience in the front lines of medical work, honing their thoughts, medical ethics, and skills. He cultivated a group of Chinese medicine professionals who were both proficient in theory and highly skilled in clinical practice. After these students entered the workforce, they became the backbone of Chinese medicine in various provinces and cities across the country, with many assuming leadership positions in Chinese medicine work, becoming pillars of the Chinese medicine field.

After the establishment of the graduate student system, starting from 1979, he successively enrolled 24 graduate students, including 11 pursuing master's degrees and 13 pursuing doctoral degrees. Given his social prestige and multiple responsibilities, with daily business and meetings being very busy, he chose to reduce his own rest time to ensure at least two half-days each week for outpatient clinics with his graduate students. If there were meetings, he would cut short his noon break to start the clinic early. When attending meetings out of town, he often went directly to the airport right after seeing patients, or went to the clinic in the afternoon right after getting off the plane in the morning. This way, the graduate students studying under him could frequently receive his teachings directly. He was very strict with his graduate students. First, he required them to have good medical ethics, to think what the patients think, and to be anxious about what the patients are anxious about. He pointed out that treating patients not only requires good skills but also prescribing medicine should consider the actual situation of the patients. If the medicine is scarce, try not to use it; if it is expensive, use as little as possible. Treat patients kindly and gently, and when explaining the condition, avoid causing unnecessary psychological pressure to the patients, etc. He led by example and practiced what he preached. At the same time, if he found any misconduct in his graduate students, he would criticize them severely without any leniency, which was unforgettable. His requirements for medical technology were even more meticulous, starting from every little detail. For example, the handwriting on prescriptions must be neat and clear to prevent the pharmacist from making mistakes due to illegibility. Special decoction methods should also be written in detail. He tirelessly explained how to observe the symptoms and changes of patients, how to conduct clinical research, efficacy analysis and summary, and even how to write a good Chinese medicine medical record. During half-day clinics, he taught while diagnosing, often too busy to drink water, and often had a dry mouth, but he didn't care. He also took time to take graduate students to grassroots levels for lectures and treatments. He took students and graduate students to Shangqiu City, Henan Province (SP5) for lectures and treatments. When the local people heard that Professor Dong had arrived, patients came in an endless stream, with up to seventy or eighty patients a day, which was very tiring. But he happily said, "Most of the cases we see here are difficult and complicated diseases, which is a great learning opportunity for you." The graduate students were deeply moved, and in order not to let down their teacher's hard work, they studied even harder. Over the past 10 years, 18 graduate students who studied under him have graduated, with 7 obtaining doctoral degrees and 11 obtaining master's degrees. At an advanced age, he continued to mentor 5 doctoral students and 4 academic successors. He passed away at 22:55 on January 26, 2001, in Beijing, at the age of 83.