Throughout Chinese medicine's history, various currents have emerged, including those rooted in the Confucian scholar tradition and others maintained as family secrets. These family lineages, often passed down through generations, sometimes vanished without an heir, and the depth of knowledge was frequently withheld. This aspect of Chinese culture can be seen as a negative one, particularly in medicine, as the phrase “Medicine is the Art of Compassion” (Yi Wei Ren Shu) suggests that secretive practices contradict the essence of compassion. Tung’s acupuncture, however, is an ancient lineage that has survived and thrived due to the openness of its last proponent. According to oral tradition, this acupuncture system dates back to the Han Dynasty, although historical verification is lacking. Traditionally, the knowledge was passed from father to eldest son until the 20th century, culminating in Tung Ching Ch’ang, born in 1916. Known as ‘Master Tung,’ he learned from his father and faced tumultuous times, serving in the Kuo Min Tang (KMT) army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Nationalist-Communist Civil War. After the KMT retreated to Taiwan in 1949, Master Tung opened a private clinic in the early 1960s, gaining recognition for treating high-level ROC officials and serving as a cultural ambassador to Cambodia.
