Description Générale de la Chine and the spread of traditional Chinese medicine to the West in the 18th century

• Main Author: Zhen Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2021-01-01
• Series: Chinese Medicine and Culture
• Subjects: description générale de la chine; french sinology; jean-baptiste grosier; spread of traditional chinese medicine to the west
• Online Access: http://www.cmaconweb.org/article.asp?issn=2589-9627;year=2021;volume=4;issue=3;spage=181;epage=187;aulast=Li

Description Générale de la Chine is an important sinology masterpiece published in France in the late 18th century. Its author Jean-Baptiste Grosier summarized and rearranged a large number of first-hand materials to systematically introduce China's national traditions and culture. A great part of this book introduced ancient Chinese medicine, which facilitated the unbiased understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Europe and fostered a knowledge dialogue between the Chinese and Western medicine systems. Such content also provided a historical reference for how to promote the further going out of TCM to the world.