Zhang Yisheng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhang Yisheng, Male, Han, from Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship (Ⅸ-3). The tradition is documented in Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship in Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei: During the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, Hankou town was a national commercial center, with several hundred medicinal warehouses distributed along the banks of its two rivers, making it a veritable capital of medicine. The Hankou school exchanged goods and knowledge with the various schools and developed in fusion with them, giving rise to the Han-school processing craft tradition with its distinct regional characteristics and unique processing methods, of which the Peng Yinting Chinese Medicinal Processing Craft is an outstanding representative. In 1928, Peng Yinting entered Liuyouyu Hall to study the craft of processing Chinese medicinals. After completing his apprenticeship, he went to numerous pharmacies in Hankou to work and gain experience, widely absorbing the strengths of various schools, diligently thinking and skilled at summarizing, so that his processing craft steadily improved. Later, this craft spread from Hankou town throughout the province, and during the Tongzhi reign it spread further to Yuzhou in Henan and to the north; in 1938, when Liuyouyu Hall relocated to Chongqing, the craft was carried to the southwest as well.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhang Yisheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship in Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship in Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei: The Han-school Peng Yinting Chinese Medicinal Processing Craft is a distinctive pharmaceutical craft of the Hankou school (Han school) that arose in the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty. It is a craft that processes Chinese medicinal materials into prepared decoction pieces (yinpian) usable for clinical dispensing and for feeding into prepared medicines, through processes such as cleaning, cutting, stir-frying, steaming, and replication. Through practices such as processing angelica sinensis with white liquor, stir-frying frankincense with grain husks, processing stiff silkworms (jiangchan) with licorice, cutting ophiopogon into boat-shaped pieces, and processing Liu Shen Qu (six miraculous leaven) on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Han-school Peng Yinting Chinese Medicinal Processing Craft has refined and promoted processing rules such as 'whatever is medicinal is not discarded, and what is not medicinal is not used; process in accordance with the season, reduce toxicity and increase efficacy,' upholding a philosophy of conserving resources, pure medication, accordance with nature, and safe and effective pharmaceutical production. It has the main characteristics of distinctive tools that make full use of each material's strengths; the selection of authentic regional medicinals and carefully chosen auxiliary materials; exquisite craftsmanship with measured compounding; accordance with nature and processing according to the season; and beautiful form, bright color, correct qi, and pure flavor. Peng Yinting pioneered the union of Chinese medicine practitioners and followed a path of integrating medicine and pharmacy, establishing joint Chinese medicine clinics, a Chinese medicine society, and a processing (paozhi) study group. The Han-school Peng Yinting Chinese Medicinal Processing Craft is a distinctive Han-school pharmaceutical craft formed by the Hankou school's inheritance of the traditional processing craft of Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), drawing on and integrating the experience of the various schools. This craft observes the seasons and climate in the harvesting and processing of authentic regional medicinals; its processing follows the Dao of nature and values hitting the mean. It embodies rich cultural connotations of Chinese medicinal processing along with theoretical and technical depth, and is of important value for understanding the history of the development of Chinese medicinals in China and for promoting Chinese medicine culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Preparing angelica with white liquor": Angelica prepared with white liquor borrows the upward movement of wine to carry its blood-invigorating action towards the head, and is much used in gynaecological formulas. "Frying frankincense over rice husk": Frankincense is fried with rice husk until its surface yellows, taming its pungency and making the brittle gum easy to grind. "Preparing stiff silkworm with licorice": Stiff silkworm is steeped in licorice water, the slow sweetness restraining the dryness of an insect drug so that it does not irritate the stomach. "Ophiopogon cut as boat-shaped slices": Ophiopogon is not cut round but into boat-shaped slivers, a shape of its own, chosen differently for decoction and for pill-making.
Preparing angelica with white liquor
Angelica prepared with white liquor borrows the upward movement of wine to carry its blood-invigorating action towards the head, and is much used in gynaecological formulas.
Frying frankincense over rice husk
Frankincense is fried with rice husk until its surface yellows, taming its pungency and making the brittle gum easy to grind.
Preparing stiff silkworm with licorice
Stiff silkworm is steeped in licorice water, the slow sweetness restraining the dryness of an insect drug so that it does not irritate the stomach.
Ophiopogon cut as boat-shaped slices
Ophiopogon is not cut round but into boat-shaped slivers, a shape of its own, chosen differently for decoction and for pill-making.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhang Yisheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship, with Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhongyao Herbal Processing Craftsmanship in Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei as its declared area, and Wuhan Zhongyi 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
Historical origin
In 1928, Peng Yinting entered Liuyouyu Hall to study the craft of processing Chinese medicinals. After completing his apprenticeship, he went to numerous pharmacies in Hankou to work and gain experience, widely absorbing the strengths of various schools, diligently thinking and skilled at summarizing, so that his processing craft steadily improved. Later, this craft spread from Hankou town throughout the province, and during the Tongzhi reign it spread further to Yuzhou in Henan and to the north; in 1938, when Liuyouyu Hall relocated to Chongqing, the craft was carried to the southwest as well.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Xiaotao | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | 01-0206 | Other regional school |
| Jin Shiyuan | Zhongguozhongyaoxiehui | 01-0207 | Other regional school |
| Sun Shuwu | Jiaozuo, Henan | 03-1440 | Other regional school |
| Li Chengjie | Jiaozuo, Henan | 03-1441 | Other regional school |
| Wang Junliang | Tonghua, Jilin | 05-2925 | Other regional school |
| Li Mingyan | Wuyi, Zhejiang | 05-2927 | Other regional school |
| Yuan Xiaoping | Zhangshu, Jiangxi | 05-2928 | Other regional school |
| Hu Changjiang | Chengdu, Sichuan | 05-2929 | Other regional school |
| Chen Baizhong | Jiangmenshixinhui, Guangdong | — | Other regional school |
| Kang Mingxuan | Jiaozuo, Henan | — | Other regional school |
| Xiao Yongqing | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | — | Other regional school |
| Zhang Yisheng | Wuhanshijiangan, Hubei | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。