The Thousand-Year Camphor Gang

Synopsis of A Thousand Years of the Camphor Gang Zhangshu, Jiangxi, has been known as the “medicine capital” for a thousand years. Since ancient times, it has enjoyed the reputation that “medicine is incomplete if it hasn’t passed through Zhangshu, and ineffective if it hasn’t passed through Zhangshu.” Centered on the fortunes of several generations of the Chen family of Jishitang, a Zhangshu medicine guild, this novel depicts the family’s unique techniques for processing Chinese medicine, the ups and downs of the medicinal herb trade, and physicians’ unwavering commitment to compassion. From gathering herbs and making elixirs on Gezao Mountain, to the Ming and Qing dynasty medicinal markets gaining renown across the land; from preserving the craft through times of turmoil to its revival as a contemporary intangible cultural heritage. One medicinal herb, one compassionate heart: every cut and every flame can mean a life. Through medicine, it portrays people; through people, it carries on the Way. It brings the Zhangshu guild’s thousand-year-old craftsmanship to life and tells a legendary story of traditional Chinese medicine, built on integrity, perseverance, and healing the world.