During the period from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the early Han Dynasty, there was a group of wise men who specialized in the practice of medicine and the art of longevity. The practice of longevity and the Chinese version of alchemy are closely related to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The role of medicine in China is not only to cure illness but also to promote the holistic well-being and longevity of a person. Furthermore, these wise men also studied how such art and wisdom could be extended to the political conditions of the state. In Chinese cosmology, everything is connected, so holistic perspectives are always adopted in observing natural and human affairs.

These health-wise men developed a principle known as “studying the ruler’s sickness as an extension to the state.” What this means is that if we diagnose the sickness of a ruler carefully, we can determine how the actual cause of his illness is related to the political condition of the state. There is a historical record of an example involving a noble known as Duke Ping of Jing (557–532 BCE).

Duke Ping suffered from illness on two occasions and consulted officials from different disciplines. Influenced by the legacy of the........

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