Dansongzhaba

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Dansongzhaba, Male, Tibetan, from Naqu, Tibet, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Tibetan Medicine (Ⅸ-9). The tradition is documented in Naqu, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Medicine in Naqu, Tibet: The Tibetan zajong pulse-purgative therapy has a complete system and remarkable efficacy. In particular, carrying out this distinctive medical procedure in the agricultural and pastoral areas of Tibet can genuinely solve the dual economic and health problems of local farmers and herders. Its advantages are prominent, it is an indispensable and important component of medical and health undertakings in Tibet, and it has great potential for transmission and promotion as well as room for development. It is of great significance for enriching and developing the system of Chinese medicine and for the benefit of people of all ethnic groups. Records of purgative therapies are found in historical texts of the ancient 'Zhang Zhung' period. The appearance of the 7th-century Tibetan medical classic 'Yue Wang Yao Zhen' (Moon King's Medical Diagnosis) and the 8th-century classic 'Four Medical Tantras' brought the theoretical and practical system of the pulse-purgative (zajong) therapy to greater maturity; according to textual research, its development spans more than 1,300 years to the present day. Dima Danzin Pengcuo, born in 1672, vigorously promoted this therapy and supplemented its theoretical system; through transmission generation after generation, this unique therapy has continued to the present day. Since 1997, more than 300 students have studied this therapy; many of those trained have subsequently gone on to advanced study at Tibetan medicine schools and institutions in Tibet and Qinghai, continuing to contribute to local medical and health undertakings and to the health of the people.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Dansongzhaba is anchored in the documented technical standards of Tibetan Medicine in Naqu, Tibet. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Medicine in Naqu, Tibet: The Tibetan pulse-purgative therapy, called 'zajong' in Tibetan, is a therapeutic method unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and one of the eighteen treatment practices of Tibetan medicine with special curative effects. The Tibetan zajong pulse-purgative therapy is grounded in the physiological characteristics of the human circulatory and urinary systems and, combining the pathophysiological theory of Tibetan medicine, involves the selective administration of three medicines — 'Qiangba Dunba,' 'Jiaru Gujue,' and 'Najia Saixie' — under the special nursing care of the Tibetan 'pulse-purgative nursing' method, so that internal pathogenic factors are expelled from the body through the urinary and digestive systems. It belongs to the category of purgative therapies in Tibetan medicine. As Tibetan medicine developed, it divided into Northern and Southern schools; within the Southern school of Tibetan medicine, the Drigung school of Tibetan medicine emerged and spread eastward. The Tibetan zajong pulse-purgative therapy has high clinical application value and technical content. The technical difficulties of this heritage practice include the differentiation and diagnosis of contraindications and indications, the selection of formulas for diseases, mastery of the key techniques of the five clinical stages (namely, opening the pulse orifices, dredging the channels and vessels, inducing latent diseases, purging away the disease, and eliminating future harm), and the management of emergencies such as suppressing vomiting, stopping pain, and relieving obstruction. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Choosing the three drugs": The method rests on the physiology of the circulatory and urinary systems and uses three named drugs, whose correct choice is the first threshold of success. "Opening the channels": The first of five clinical stages: opening the channels so that what is trapped inside has a way out. "Clearing the vessels": The second stage clears the vessels so that the medicine can move; the vessel is where disease takes hold, and where much of the difficulty lies. "Drawing out latent illness": The third stage provokes latent illness to the surface so that it can be cleared—a step that demands careful judgement.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Dansongzhaba was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Medicine, with Naqu, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Medicine in Naqu, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Naqu, Tibet as its declared area, and Tibet Naqudi Suo XianCang 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. Dansongzhaba (Naqu, Tibet) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Dansongzhaba · China ICH Official Archive