Traditional Chinese Medicine Education in Late Qing Dynasty
The development of modern TCM education can generally be divided into three phases.
Phase One: The Late Qing Dynasty—from the first year of Tongzhi (1862), when the Tongwen Hall was established in Beijing and the Medical Division of the Imperial Academy was revived, to the end of the Guangxu era, when various local TCM associations emerged—marking the continuation of official medical education and the rise of private TCM education.
Phase Two: The Beiyang Government Period—from 1913, when the Zhonghua Yiyao Zonghui petitioned in Beijing to advocate for TCM and request the establishment of a specialized TCM school, to the 1925 decision by the National Educational Conference urging the Ministry of Education to formally include TCM courses in medical education regulations—signifying the successful legal recognition of TCM education institutions.
Phase Three: The Republican Era—from 1929 to 1949, a period of arduous struggle during which the TCM community persisted in school-based education, established new schools, and forged a path toward educational self-reliance, becoming one of the most brilliant chapters in modern TCM history.
Modern TCM education also includes the traditional master-apprentice system, which coexisted and complemented formal TCM university education, maintaining a notable presence in the history of modern TCM education.
During the 24th year of Guangxu (1898), a Medical Hall was established under the jurisdiction of the Imperial University. After the failure of the reform movement, all "new policies" were abolished except for the Imperial University, which was preserved. In spring of the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Zhang Baiyi drafted the "Imperial Regulations for the Capital University," placing medicine as the seventh subject among specialized divisions, subdivided into medicine and pharmacy.
To meet the needs of specialized medical education, the Capital University planned a Medical Hall in 1903.
In the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), the Capital Medical Hall was renamed the Capital Specialized School of Medicine, incorporating both Chinese and Western subjects, with the aim of deepening practical knowledge. The curriculum for supplementary general courses was to be determined by the Ministry of Education after consultation with experts. However, lacking experience in either Chinese or Western medical education, the Ministry could not establish detailed teaching guidelines. Consequently, all students from the Capital Specialized School of Medicine were sent to Japan for study, effectively halting official government-sponsored Chinese medical education.
The earliest private TCM educational institution in modern Chinese history was the Lijì Medical Hall in Ruian County, Zhejiang Province. Founded in 1885 during the 11th year of Guangxu, it was established by Chen Qiu, styled Zhisan, known as Zhe Lu, from Yueqing. In 1885, he gathered like-minded individuals to build the institution in the eastern part of Ruian City, Wenzhou Prefecture, aiming to cultivate talent (Lin Qianliang, Early Traditional Chinese Medical Schools in Modern China, Chinese Journal of Medical History, 1980, 10(2): 90. Lin Qianliang: Early TCM Schools in Modern China, Chinese Historical Magazine, 1980, 10(2): 90).
In 1912, the Yixiuyi Society changed its name to the Medical Hygiene Society, clarifying its mission: "To connect medical organizations and promote medical education" (Teaching Materials of Guangdong Medicine and Benevolence Association, Guangzhou Shigi Puhuaiyi Guandong Yami Edition, 1914. Guangzhou Yixiuyi Society Volume, printed in Guangzhou Seventeenth Furong Huaiyi Guandong Ya Mian, 1914). In 1917, it spawned the Guangdong TCM Teacher Training Institute; in 1918, former members of the Yixiuyi Society founded the Guangdong Medical Practice Institute. By 1924, all were merged into the Guangdong Guanghan TCM Specialized School. Thus, modern TCM universities essentially originated from TCM social organizations. To safeguard their collective interests, these organizations had to establish and develop their own educational institutions to train professionals capable of serving their group’s needs.