Cheng Hongfeng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Cheng Hongfeng, Male, Han, from China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Ⅸ-5). The tradition is documented in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Within the regional tradition and school record of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences: Cheng-style acupuncture is a body of traditional medicinal knowledge and practice concerning acupuncture and moxibustion, and a typical representative of the acupuncture schools of traditional Chinese medicine. Originating in Huaiyin, Jiangsu, and matured in Beijing, it has a history of more than a century; it has been transmitted through five generations with a clear lineage, and is now current in Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Hainan, and in the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. The first-generation inheritor Cheng Xusheng was a xiucai (licentiate) of the late Qing dynasty who studied the art of medicine deeply, abandoned the Confucian path, and turned to medicine. The second-generation inheritor Cheng Shennong inherited the family instructions, was enlightened by his father, began practicing medicine under his own name at the age of nineteen, and accumulated rich acupuncture theory and clinical experience; he created the acupuncture pattern-differentiation treatment system of 'principle, method, prescription, point, and technique' (li fa fang xue shu) and was the founder of this heritage project.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Cheng Hongfeng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Within the documented technical tradition of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences: Cheng-style acupuncture has a complete knowledge system and a stable practice path. Based on the theory of channels and collaterals of traditional Chinese medicine, it carries through the unity of principle, method, prescription, point, and technique on the basis of pattern differentiation and treatment — namely 'inferring principles from reasoning about patterns, establishing methods according to patterns, determining prescriptions according to methods, matching points by clarifying their nature, and applying techniques following established norms'. It advocates pattern differentiation by channel attribution, that is, analyzing the patient's symptoms and signs according to the course and distribution of the channels and the viscera they connect with, thereby determining the pattern of a certain channel or of the viscera it connects, and using channels to govern points. According to the nature and location of the disease, the Three Powers needling method (sancai zhen fa) is applied: through probing for points with finger movement, the finger-solid and wrist-empty needle-holding method, the Three Powers needle-insertion method, the tremor qi-inducing method, and the flying-rotation reinforcing-reducing method, with the three powers integrated, so as to regulate the body's state of balance and achieve the goals of health maintenance and treatment. It has a complete knowledge system and a stable practice frequency. The Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Zhongguo Zhenjiu Xue) edited by Cheng Shennong has always been authoritative teaching material for acupuncture education in China and has extremely high international influence. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The three-tier needle method": Five linked manipulations — locating the point by hand, the firm-finger loose-wrist hold, the three-tier insertion, tremor to summon qi and the flying-rotation for tonifying or draining. "Reasoning from principle to formula": The school follows principle, syndrome, method, point and manipulation in strict order, so each step determines the next. "Syndrome differentiation by channel": Symptoms are analysed by the course and connections of the channels to decide which channel and zang-fu is involved, and points follow the channel. "The textbook tradition": The textbook he edited remains the standard teaching text for acupuncture in China and is widely known abroad.
The shapes of the nine needles
The Inner Canon sets out nine needle forms of differing length and sharpness, each with its own use, together with stone needles, the source of later needle families.
The bronze figure and standard point locations
Wang Weiyi verified the indications of the points, fixed their locations, published the Illustrated Classic and cast a bronze figure as a teaching model, standardising the art across regions.
Bian stone as the earliest needling tool
Long before metal needles, bian stone was used to prick the body, and the Shanhai Jing already notes stone fit for making needles.
Official posts for needling in the imperial academy
By the Sui and Tang the theory became a distinct subject, formally taught in the imperial academy with posts for needling doctors, assistants and students.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Cheng Hongfeng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, with China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences as its declared area, and Zhongguozhongyike College Zhenjiu 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
Historical origin
In the Northern Song dynasty, the medical official Wang Weiyi verified the indications of the acupoints and standardized their locations, wrote the Illustrated Manual of Acupuncture Points on the Bronze Figure (Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing) and had it promulgated nationwide, and cast bronze figures — lifelike in form and ingeniously constructed — as teaching tools, giving great impetus to and promoting the development of acupuncture scholarship. From the Ming and Qing dynasties onward, acupuncture theory carried the past forward and opened up the future; techniques and instruments were continually improved, schools contended, famous masters emerged in succession, and excellent works appeared without end, and acupuncture therapy achieved still greater development.
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 Xuetai | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | 01-0210 | Same declared area |
| He Puren | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 01-0211 | Other regional school |
| Liu Guangrui | Yuzhong, Chongqing | 03-1445 | Other regional school |
| Guo Chengjie | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 05-2944 | Other regional school |
| Li Ding | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 05-2945 | Other regional school |
| Shi Xuemin | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 05-2946 | Other regional school |
| Tian Conghuo | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 05-2947 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Jin | China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion | 05-2948 | Other regional school |
| Lu Yanyao | Shanghai | 05-2949 | Other regional school |
| Jin Ying | Quzhou, Zhejiang | 05-2950 | Other regional school |
| Huang Longxiang | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | — | Same declared area |
| Han Shanming | Huanggangshiqichun, Hubei | — | Other regional school |
| Chen Xiuhua | Guangdong | — | Other regional school |
| Zhao Shibi | Yuzhong, Chongqing | — | Other regional school |
| Cheng Hongfeng | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | — | This page |
| Yang Jinsheng | China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | — | Same declared area |
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。