Song Shidun

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Song Shidun, Male, Han, from Xinjiang, Shanxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Traditional TCM Preparation Methods (Ⅸ-4). The tradition is documented in Xinjiang, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Traditional TCM Preparation Methods in Xinjiang, Shanxi: Dianshewan in Jiangzhou town is a line that flowed from the court into the pharmacy. In 1861 Eunuch Wang of the Qing imperial palace passed the formula to the Han family, who passed it in turn to their nephew the Hao family; in the twentieth year of the Guangxu era (1894) the Hao family opened the Deyitang pharmacy in Jiangzhou town and divided the secret formula and the processing technique between their two sons, and the family line spread out from there. In 1956 the descendants of the Hao family, together with their equipment, entered a joint public-private enterprise, and donated the two secret formulas of Dianshewan and the Xiao'er Qizhen pills to the state without compensation; the hand-to-hand method thereafter continued through master-to-apprentice transmission. Taking advantage of Jiangzhou's position as a commercial hub, Deyitang's medicines were sold as far as Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, Hebei and Inner Mongolia, with both procurement and sales opening up at either end, and the name of Deyitang traveled with the goods throughout the northwest and the Central Plains. In the twentieth year of the Guangxu era of the Qing dynasty (1894), the Deyitang pharmacy was opened in Jiangzhou town, Shanxi. The Dianshewan preparation technique originated from imperial court medicine of the Qing dynasty; it is explicitly recorded in the Xinjiang County Gazetteer. In 1861, the technique was passed from Eunuch Wang of the Qing imperial palace to the Han family. In 1956, descendants of the Hao family invested all the equipment and capital of Deyitang in a joint public-private enterprise, and at the same time donated the two secret formulas of the Dianshewan preparation technique and the Xiao'er Qizhen pills to the state without compensation.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Song Shidun is anchored in the documented technical standards of Traditional TCM Preparation Methods in Xinjiang, Shanxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Traditional TCM Preparation Methods in Xinjiang, Shanxi: The Dianshewan preparation technique, a traditional Chinese pharmaceutical method, is practiced mainly in the area of Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province. Taking advantage of Jiangzhou's status as a commercial hub, Deyitang's Dianshewan and other medicines were sold as far as Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, Hebei and Inner Mongolia, enjoying wide renown. Dianshewan sales now cover the whole country. Dianshewan, also known as "Meihua Dianshe Dan" (Plum Blossom Tongue-Dotting Elixir), is a traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain; it is used for the early stages of various sores and boils, unexplained swellings and toxins, nail-like boils and boils on the back, and painful breast abscesses. Deyitang's Dianshewan preparation technique is remarkable in its combination of ingredients, distinctive in its process and classical in its methods. Its formula is composed of numerous precious and toxic medicinal materials, including cattle gallstone (niuhuang), musk, saffron, dragon's blood and toad venom. Ten pills weigh 1.25 grams; the dose is small and the effect rapid. It is used mainly for unexplained swellings and toxins, taking effect within a day or half a day after being taken. Whether taken internally or applied externally, it has a marked effect. It is described in detail in the book Explanations of Chinese Medicine Formula Names, compiled by Zhao Cunyi. The Dianshewan preparation technique involves complex process steps, including procurement and cleaning, processing and proportioning of ingredients, seed-building and pill forming, coating and polishing, and a whole series of procedures. Great attention is paid to the control of heat, temperature and time. The pill-forming of Dianshewan is done purely by hand. Historically the outer coating of the pills was pure gold; today they are produced with a cinnabar-red coating, glossy as a pearl, lustrous and crystalline, which both seals the medicinal properties well and fully displays the preciousness of the medicine. The Han family passed it to their nephew, the Hao family. The Hao family founded the Deyitang pharmacy and in turn passed the secret formula and the processing technique to their two sons. The Dianshewan preparation technique has a long history, handed down from generation to generation in both the court and among the people; it is a component of Chinese medicine culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival record of process steps": The Dianshewan preparation technique involves complex process steps, including procurement and cleaning, processing and proportioning of ingredients, seed-building and pill forming, coating and polishing, and a whole series of procedures. "Seeding, pill-making, coating and polishing": The demanding hand stages, from seeding to coating and polishing, each governed by judgement of heat, temperature and timing. "The cinnabar outer coat": Once gilded in gold, the pills are now coated in cinnabar, bright and lustrous, sealing the medicine while displaying its value. "The composition of bezoar, musk, saffron, dragon's blood and venom": A formula of precious and toxic substances in which the proportioning of the costly ingredients is the crux, ten pills weighing 1.25 grams.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Song Shidun was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Traditional TCM Preparation Methods, with Xinjiang, Shanxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Traditional TCM Preparation Methods in Xinjiang, Shanxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Xinjiang, Shanxi as its declared area, and Langzhi Group Shuangrenyaoye Co., Ltd. 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. Songshidun (Xinjiang, Shanxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Songshidun · China ICH Official Archive