🌿 Folk Prescriptions

It is said that during the legendary era of Yao and Shun, people already used dance and movement to treat joint mobility disorders. By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, people gradually summarized medical sports methods such as "Dao Yin" (health-preserving calisthenics) and "Tu Na" (respiratory calisthenics) through practice and exploration to prevent and treat diseases.
In 1974, a hand-painted color scroll titled *Dao Yin Tu* was unearthed from Tomb No. 3 at Ma Wang Dui in Changsha, Hunan Province—the earliest surviving illustrated work on health exercises, dating back to the late 3rd century BCE. The scroll depicts over 40 different calisthenic movements performed by men and women of various ages, accompanied by brief textual descriptions. The number of male and female figures is roughly equal. The *Dao Yin Tu* is not only ancient but also rich in content, providing the earliest visual evidence for various lost Dao Yin and fitness exercises previously documented only in fragmented texts. It offers valuable clues for studying the evolution of Dao Yin. From it, we see several aspects of medical sports:
Dao Yin Figure One
Dao Yin Figure Two
1. Respiratory Exercises: The breathing movements depicted in the Ma Wang Dui *Dao Yin Tu* differ somewhat from the classical "taiji breathing" (dan tian breathing). Textual notes mention breathing directly in two instances: "Yin (upward) Hui (exhalation)" and "Xiao (ape) Zhen." Ancient "Yin Hun" meant raising the body and shouting, while "Lung Hun" referred to the sound of a monkey’s cry. The posture shown involves chest expansion and arms raised backward—intended to strengthen heart and lung function.
2. Limb Movements: Except for a few rare squatting or kneeling (seated) postures, all movements in the *Dao Yin Tu* are standing ones. Eight movements in China’s fifth set of radio calisthenics essentially capture the essence of the *Dao Yin Tu*. Upper limb movements include "Long Deng" (Dragon Ascending); punching movements include "Ma Zhan" (Ant); chest-expanding movements include "Yin Cui"; lateral movements include "Tang Lang" (Praying Mantis); abdominal and back movements include "Man Zheng"; jumping movements include "Yin Jing" (Stretching Neck) and "Zuo Yin Ba Wei" (Sitting Stretching Eight Directions); missing text but visible images suggest kicking leg and twisting movements.
Additionally, similar illustrations to those in the *Five Animals Play* (Wu Qin Xi)—such as bird, bear, and ape—are present, indicating a historical connection between Hua Tuo’s *Five Animals Play* and the Ma Wang Dui *Dao Yin Tu*. 3. Instrumental Exercises: Besides bare-handed exercises, the *Dao Yin Tu* also features movements using staff-like instruments, showing bending and turning motions with hands holding a staff. The text reads: "Use the staff (wen) to harmonize yin and yang." There is also a bent-waist turning motion with a ball-shaped object beneath the feet—another form of instrument-assisted exercise.
4. Relationship Between Dao Yin and Disease Treatment: The *Dao Yin Tu* explicitly mentions treatment in twelve cases, including "Fan" (irritation), "Tong Ming" (painful swelling), "Yin Long" (hearing loss), and "Yin Wen Bing" (febrile illness), indicating that Dao Yin is closely related not only to knee pain and digestive issues but also to eye and ear problems, and even certain infectious diseases.
The four aspects of medical sports reflected in the Ma Wang Dui *Dao Yin Tu* demonstrate that China was among the earliest nations to apply medical gymnastics. European scholar Martino admits that the West copied Chinese medical calisthenics from Far Eastern sources via Dr. Ay. British scientist Joseph Needham also believes that modern Western medical gymnastics actually evolved from early Chinese exercises introduced to Europe. Thus, Western scholars refer to China as the "Motherland of Medical Gymnastics."