Song Zhaopu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Song Zhaopu, Male, Han, from Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods (Ⅸ-2). The tradition is documented in Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods in Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan: The project's area of distribution gradually expanded from Tao Village to the whole of Ruzhou and to the cities of Luoyang, Xuchang, Xinyang, Zhumadian, Nanyang, and Zhengzhou. Song's TCM External Medicine Therapy originated in Tao Village, Zhifang Town, Ruzhou, Henan Province. It is a system of principles, methods, prescriptions, and medicinals for differentiating and treating surgical (external medicine) diseases, formed through seven generations of clinical exploration. The Song family's external medicine practice began during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty and has been passed down through the generations for more than 180 years.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Song Zhaopu is anchored in the documented technical standards of TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods in Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan. Within the documented technical tradition of TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods in Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan: In ancient times the official roads of Wanluo, Xiangluo, and Xuluo converged at Ruzhou; today railways and expressways pass through its territory, making transport convenient. The region is rich in products and abounds in medicinal herbs, providing a suitable natural environment and human conditions for the gestation and development of Song's TCM External Medicine. Successive generations of Song physicians adhered to holistic pattern differentiation, excelling at observing the complexion and using touch to examine in detail whether a sore or ulcer had formed pus, whether there were foreign bodies beneath the skin, and the nature of the condition. In accordance with the pattern, they applied the approach of treating external disease through internal treatment and treating the internal and external aspects together — for example, using a method of strengthening the spleen, supplementing the kidney, quickening the blood, and nourishing bone, combined with external application, to treat osteomyelitis by type and stage; using a method of harmonizing yang, freeing the collaterals, dispelling dampness, and relieving pain, with external application of red medicinal ointment, to treat vasculitis; using a method of quickening the blood and transforming stasis, nourishing bone, and generating bone, with external application of their self-developed mung bean bone-setting plaster, to treat bone injuries; using a method of clearing heat, dispelling dampness, detoxifying, quickening the blood, expelling pus, and generating flesh, with externally applied plaster medicine applied in stages, to treat sores, swellings, and toxins; and using a method of supplementing the liver and kidney, strengthening sinews and bones, fortifying the brain and boosting intelligence, and generating essence and replenishing marrow, supplemented by acupuncture, tuina, and massage, to treat pediatric flaccidity syndrome, among other conditions. The Song family differentiated patterns and composed their own prescriptions, such as 'Dingzi Yao' (lozenge medicine), 'Yanghe Jieyu Tang' (Yang-Harmonizing Stasis-Resolving Decoction), 'Shenqi Qufeng San' (Ginseng and Astragalus Wind-Dispelling Powder), 'Qinggu Qufu Paidu Tang' (Bone-Clearing Putrefaction-Removing Toxin-Expelling Decoction), 'Shengxue Tang' (Blood-Generating Decoction), 'Sanjia San' (Three-Shell Powder), 'Qianchui Gao' (Thousand-Hammer Plaster), and 'Nianzi Yao' (twisted-pill medicine), flexibly applying topical medicines, powders, and fuming-and-washing medicines. They achieved good clinical results and were renowned for being simple, convenient, inexpensive, and proven. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Inspecting colour and pus": Colour and palpation tell whether pus has formed and what lies beneath the skin, deciding whether to treat from within or from without. "Staged internal and external treatment": Type and stage decide the pairing: strengthening spleen and kidney with application for osteomyelitis, harmonising yang and easing pain for vasculitis. "The mung bean bone-setting plaster": A self-formulated plaster of mung bean and other drugs applied to fractures, valued for being simple and cheap. "Qianchui Gao, the thousand-beaten plaster": A family plaster beaten a thousand times to a fine paste, applied to sores at different stages with different results.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Song Zhaopu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods, with Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of TCM Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods in Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan as its declared area, and Ruzhou Jin GengKangFu Hospital as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Songzhaopu (Pingdingshanshiruzhou, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Songzhaopu · China ICH Official Archive