The Controversy between Classics and Science: Unification of Acupuncture Textbooks in China, 1949–1961

Abstract The creation of a national unified textbook on acupuncture was a critical effort by China to standardize traditional Chinese medicine. In the early People’s Republic of China, the development of acupuncture textbooks followed a complex trajectory. It began with Zhu Lian’s (朱琏) Xin Zhen Jiu Xue (《新针灸学》 New Acupuncture and Moxibustion ), extending the Yan’an (延安) tradition, and moved to Zhen Jiu Xue (《针灸学》 Acupuncture and Moxibustion , 1957), a localized effort from the Jiangsu Provincial Chinese Medicine School. This culminated in the national Zhen Jiu Xue Jiang Yi ( 《针灸学讲义》 Lectures on Acupuncture and Moxibustion) . This process reflects a shift from regional teaching to a standardized national model, as well as a pedagogical transformation from a scientific approach to a return to classical sources. The textbook centers on Bian Zheng Lun Zhi (辨证论治 treatment based on pattern differentiation), blending systematic, scientific, and practical elements, and represents the era’s fusion of Chinese and Western medicine, helping to shape a modern acupuncture framework.