Who Can Ride the Dragon? evokes the essence of Chinese medicine by revealing its roots deep in the language and thought, beliefs and customs of the Chinese people. You will discover the depth and subtlety of traditional Chinese medicine and make its characteristic expressions and concepts your own, learning to integrate its theories and techniques into your daily life.

'The authors have performed a great service by clearing a path into the formidable dense thicket that constitutes Chinese medicine in the West. This text provides...a window of inestimable value into a world of meaning that satisfies a yearning on the part of many, who hunger to know the substrate from which Chinese Medicine emerges', Harriet Beinfield - Author, 'Between Heaven and Earth', 'A Guide to Chinese Medicine'.

'A profound and multidimensional approach to the central issues of Chinese culture and thought, Who Can Ride the Dragon? is fundamental for any Westerner with the ambition to learn Chinese medicine, and a must for all who would grasp the Chinese soul, Zhang Yu Huan and Ken Rose trace this outstanding creation and present it with knowledge, insight, and dedication.'-Britta Aberg, M.D.

'Their interweaving of language, religion and culture results in cogent and highly readable discourse that ties together the elements of culture and medicine. Zhang and Rose's examination of the etymology and structure of the Chinese language is a major contribution to our understanding of how traditional Chinese medicine functions today.'-Steven Given, Dean of Clinical Education, Yo San University

An excellent book for those studying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this new text provides an insight into the depth and subtlety of this interesting subject. It delves into the linguistic and cultural wellsprings of China's venerable past, describing all aspects of TCM and making it applicable to Western approaches. It teaches the reader about the characteristics, expressions and concepts of TCM, allowing them to integrate its theories and practice into their own personal approach.

The book is extremely courteous in guiding the reader through the basic structure of that enormously complicated thing called Chinese culture. The first part will be particularly helpful to those who do not know the Chinese language in the way it shapes and articulate thought for those who think in Chinese. The entire cosmology upon which medical theories and perceptions have been formulated is laid out as a reflection of the mirror (language) that bears the warpature to best suit the Chinese language. The first part ably shows how the fact that Chinese does not have temporal tenses in its grammar affects the shaping of premises with regard to the body and medicine in Chinese worldview. Food and Chinese cooking are also introduced as important vehicles that have carried Chinese medicine through its path of evolution. The latter part of the book deals with more theoretical concepts, including philosophy, and how they gave rise to and founded certain clinical practices. The book is an organic introduction to a science that is founded and corrected on the lived experience of thousands of cases observed over two thousand years.-Saul Bouischett

If you're like me, you are inherently attracted to Chinese medicine and suspect that it runs a lot deeper than many books (or current tv coverage, etc) let on. They don't seem to have the time to get into the real meat and science of the MEANING behind traditional Chinese medicine. ...Based upon the recommendation of a friend, I read this book and suddenly it all clicked. I feel like I have a MUCH bigger basis for true understanding, and that I can go forward in terms of both further reading AND application in my own practice. I not only 'get' this stuff, but I have a newfound respect for where it comes from. I suspect that to be successful in the practice of Chinese medicine, one should really grasp and honor the meaning in it -- which all too many acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practitioners seem to ignore. I think they're missing the boat. ...A great book; and one that has truly effected my thinking, in terms of a greater good.-Customer

Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the origins of TCM should read this book. For me, it created a lot of connections and filled in many holes in my learning. As a student of TCM, general statements are often made about how a particular theory is related to an aspect of religion or culture, but you really don't fully grasp what is meant by those statements. This book goes a lot more in depth into the various cultural and linguistic origins of the medicine, while at the same time inviting the reader to go further in depth in his/her own study. This should be required reading for every student of TCM.-Customer

Who Can Ride the Dragon was the first book on Chinese medicine that actually made sense to me. It starts by talking about Chinese medicine in terms of its native language and through that portal this dense and complex flower opens. Interspersed with charming antidotes, the puts Chinese medicine in the context of its natural whole. It is not separate from any aspect of the culture, on its most fundamental level it is the culture. By looking at Chinese medicine through a linguistic perspective one can see the root of the thought process that created this beautiful method of reharmonizing one with their environment. The art of the medicine grew from a succinct philosophy of duality and this book pin points many accessible examples of its origination. I especially like the last chapter which includes is a list of 83 key terms in Chinese medicine as well as superb explanations and historic quotes. There is no other book quite like this because it is an approachable foray into system of thought that is as simple as it is complex.-Don Wong

Contents

Designation
About the cover illustration and calligraphy
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface
A note regarding pinyin and tones
Introduction
Chapter One The language of Chinese medicine
The historical context
The nature of the numenclature
The basics of the Chinese language
Problems of translation with some possible solutions
Chapter Two Folk beliefs, myths, and customs
The ancient magic world
Creation
Food
Marriage and family obligations
Family as microcosm, society as macrocosm
Continuity from ancient times to the present
Worldview
Explanation of natural phenomena
Life and death
Chapter Three Philosophy and religion
Daoism
Chinese Buddhism
Confucianism
Chapter Four The literary tradition
The Yi Jing-Book of changes
Ancient medical classics
The art of war-Bing Fa
The Daoist classics
Confucian classics
Chapter Five The Chinese scientific tradition
Folk medicine
Court medicine
Overview of the historical development of medicine in China
Chapter Six Sexual culture, longevity, and immortality
What is Chinese sexual culture?
Traditions of sexual culture in ancient China
The relationship between sexual cultivation, and medicine
Chapter Seven Key terms of Chinese medicine
The taxonomy of the nomenclature
Rethinking traditional categories of Chinese medical nomenclature
Key words and terms of Chinese medicine
Afterword Before completion
Select annotated bibliography
Index