The Formation of French Sinology and Acupuncture Knowledge from George Soulié de Morant

Based on French vice Consul Soulié de Morant's personal works, correspondence, video materials and other physical and electronic historical materials, combined with his diplomatic career and life trajectory in China, this article restores the inheritance and innovation of acupuncture in France. As a sinologist, Soulié not only translated and published numerous Chinese poems, novels, and essays, but also, through a serendipitous encounter, helped acupuncture intersect with French medical system. He played a pivotal role in initiating the first acupuncture consultations in Western hospitals, co-founding France's first acupuncture clinic, creating the earliest charts combining meridians with muscle anatomy, and publishing a series of acupuncture works such as L'Acuponcture Chinoise, etc. His efforts ultimately contributed to the formation of a uniquely French system of acupuncture and medical knowledge grounded in sinological insight.