Zhao Shibi

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhao Shibi, Female, Han, from Yuzhong, Chongqing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Ⅸ-5). The tradition is documented in Yuzhong, Chongqing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Yuzhong, Chongqing: The Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion is spread with Chongqing as its center. Chongqing has a subtropical monsoon humid climate with abundant rainfall and converging rivers, prone to rain and fog, dampness, muggy heat, and cloudy weather, with heavy moisture in the air; hot summers and cold winters combined with the damp climate make people in Chongqing susceptible to attacks by cold-damp pathogens, and wind-cold-damp impediment conditions are common. Chongqing has deep, fertile soil, providing abundant and high-quality sources of medicinal materials and plants. The inheriting community numbers more than 800 people, concentrated in the Chongqing Zhao Family Thunder-Fire Moxibustion Traditional Medicine Research Institute and widely distributed among hospitals nationwide that use thunder-fire moxibustion; it also has some influence in Singapore, Japan, Korea, and parts of Europe and America. The Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion began in the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty and has a history of more than 150 years to date.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhao Shibi is anchored in the documented technical standards of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Yuzhong, Chongqing. Within the documented technical tradition of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Yuzhong, Chongqing: The Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medical therapy that uses a secret family recipe of thunder-fire moxibustion sticks, applies syndrome differentiation according to the channels and skin regions, employs the therapeutic concept of "covering an area to bring along the points," and combines distinctive moxibustion techniques to treat disease. Chongqing is the main area of distribution of the Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion. It has a subtropical monsoon humid climate with abundant rainfall and converging rivers, prone to rain and fog, dampness, muggy heat, and cloudy weather, with heavy moisture in the air. Hot summers and cold winters combined with this damp climate make people in Chongqing susceptible to attacks by cold-damp pathogens, and wind-cold-damp impediment conditions are common. During the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, Zhao Zhongde, a folk doctor of Zhao Family Slope in Bishan, Chongqing, modified the formula on the basis of thunder-fire divine needling, changed pressed moxibustion into suspended moxibustion, and founded the Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion therapy. The moxibustion manipulations of the Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion are divided into traditional and distinctive techniques. There are five traditional techniques: sparrow-pecking, small circling, horizontal, vertical, and oblique strokes. There are six distinctive techniques: ten-finger flushing, used for pain and emergency treatment of heart disease; the pulling-searing stroke, used for blocked fallopian tubes; the large spiral, used for central obesity; high mountain and flowing water, used for allergic rhinitis; sharing the autumn moon, used for dry eye; and array-setting, used for deficiency-cold conditions. The therapy uses secret-recipe thunder-fire moxibustion sticks and special moxibustion instruments. It is characterized by fierce firepower, potent medicinal force, and strong penetration, and can warm the channels and dispel cold, activate blood and resolve stasis, eliminate phlegm and remove dampness, and reduce swelling and relieve pain. The secret-recipe moxibustion stick can reach a surface temperature of 240 degrees Celsius. The ability to control temperature through the coordination of manipulation and instruments is the most distinctive feature of the Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion and is of important clinical value. The Zhao family's thunder-fire moxibustion belongs to traditional Chinese therapies, with unique therapeutic characteristics, traditional production craft, and distinctive moxibustion techniques, embodying profound traditional Chinese cultural features and strong regional characteristics. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The high heat of the thunder-fire stick": The formula burns at 240 degrees on the surface, and controlling that heat with special holders and moving technique is the craft's hallmark. "Covering an area instead of seeking single points": Differentiating by the dermal areas of the channels, a surface is treated in place of single points, as summed up in Zhao Shibi's book. "Sparrow-pecking and small circling": Two of the five traditional manipulations, lifting the stick in a pecking motion or circling it close over the area. "Ten-finger spreading thrust": A special manipulation for pain and cardiac emergencies, working with all ten fingers at once for a wide, rapid effect.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhao Shibi was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, with Yuzhong, Chongqing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Yuzhong, Chongqing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Yuzhong, Chongqing as its declared area, and Chongqing Yuzhong District Zhaoshileihuojiu Traditional Yiyao Research Institute 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. Zhaoshibi (Yuzhong, Chongqing) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhaoshibi · China ICH Official Archive