The Pure Maiden's Heart Register

Five thousand years ago, the fires of the Battle of Zhuolu had only just died down, and the realm was newly at peace. The Yellow Emperor, Xuanyuan, had unified the tribes, but the burdens of state affairs had worn him down. His vital energy was depleted, his spirit weighed upon, and signs of decline threatened his health. Su Nu, a healer of the spirit who lived in seclusion on Mount Wangwu and understood the yin and yang of Heaven and Earth as well as the workings of the human body, was invited down the mountain by Xuan Nu. She taught the Yellow Emperor the great way of life: harmonizing Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, and nourishing the spirit while cherishing one's essence.

Su Nu did not simply advocate sexual practices as a means of replenishment. She saw through the prejudice of male supremacy in worldly arts and methods, and offered a balanced view of the principles of health embodied in the “cauldron and furnace” and their “fire and timing.” She also introduced the exchanges between Peng Zu and Cai Nu on longevity, distinguishing the gulf between “cherishing essence and nourishing the spirit” and deviant methods of extracting vitality. From a state of physical and mental decline, the Yellow Emperor, guided by Su Nu, came to understand the three essentials of settling the qi, calming the mind, and harmonizing the will. He learned that neither abstinence nor indulgence was the answer, mastered the seven harms and eight benefits, harmonized yin and yang between men and women, and healed his own troubles.

Built around the core ideas of the ancient text The Su Nu Jing and set in the era of the ancient Huaxia tribes, this book tells the story of Su Nu's life. She witnesses war and displacement, feels the suffering of the people, and records the principles of health through the yin and yang of men and women on bamboo slips as The Su Nu Heart Record. As it reconstructs the ancients' reflections on life, vital essence, and the yin and yang of the four seasons, it also asks: Is the way of health about chasing secret techniques and shortcuts, or about keeping true to one's heart, following the seasons, and cherishing the lives of both partners?