(Spring 1955)

Last year, Comrade XXX was tasked with summarizing and reviewing the work on Chinese medicine. This year, it has been discovered that there is resistance to Chinese medicine and pharmacology at the lower levels. Comrade XXX is tasked with achieving results in Chinese medicine and pharmacology within a set deadline.

Over the past few years, everything has been liberated, even opera singers have been liberated, but Chinese medicine has yet to be liberated. The health of China’s 600 million people mainly relies on Chinese medicine, not Western medicine, because the number of Western doctors is very small. Chinese medicine plays a very great role in the people’s health, but this is seldom reported to the leadership. The reason is that Chinese medicine is out of power, while Western medicine holds power. Chinese medicine and pharmacology have a long history, and history has proven that Chinese medicine has made great contributions to the people. Institutions must be established to research Chinese medicine and pharmacology. The further training of Chinese medicine practitioners has become Westernized. It is said that Chinese medicine is unscientific; there are indeed unscientific aspects to it, but it should not be criticized prematurely. They should be treated according to the policy applied to minority nationalities, and there should be representation for them in various institutions. Looking down upon Chinese medicine and pharmacology is a slavish, sycophantic, bourgeois mentality. It is wrong that no achievements have been made over the past few years...

In the future, graduates of medical universities must study Chinese medicine for two years.

It should be recognized that Chinese medicine practitioners have skills; they should be regarded as experts, received and treated as experts, because their contributions are great. Oppose sectarianism against Chinese medicine, and strengthen research into Chinese medicine and pharmacology. (Speaking to He Cheng) Isn’t there a Qizhou in Hebei? (He Cheng said: Yes.) That is a distribution center for Chinese medicine; the commerce departments must study it.

Chuan

This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at a meeting of the Central Standing Committee.