Zhu Youzhou
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhu Youzhou, Male, Han, from Yuzhou, Henan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yao Customs (Ⅹ-60). The tradition is documented in Yuzhou, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yao Customs in Yuzhou, Henan: In addition, other famous physicians in history have been revered as the 'Medicine King' in particular regions. From this time on, Yuzhou developed a fairly complete system for the operation and management of Chinese medicine with comprehensive market categories, and on this basis a distinctive local merchant culture of the medicine trade took shape. The medicine market of Yuzhou rose through the formation of guilds: merchants from various routes established trade offices and stalls as soon as they arrived, gradually forming four major markets - crude medicinal materials, prepared slices, pills and powders, and mountain products. Guild halls such as the Shanxi Guild Hall, the Huaibang Guild Hall, the Jiangxi Guild Hall, and the Shisanbang Guild Hall stand as material evidence of this structure. By 1949, the city had 18 medicine shops, 41 medicine firms, 65 medicine stalls, and 22 traditional Chinese medicine halls, with 1,487 practitioners organized into more than twenty trade guilds, so that market categories and management formed a system of their own. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, official encouragement expanded the scale another level; medicine merchants from all over the country arrived in guild-organized groups, pushing Yuzhou into the ranks of the larger medicine markets in the country. From the Republican era through the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, trading methods changed several times, and between 1990 and 2006 industry organizations such as trade associations once again took up the role of leadership. Today's Yuzhou Medicine Trade Fair has been approved by the relevant state authorities as one of the six specialized markets for Chinese medicinal materials nationwide; once the fair opens, the old rules of medicine merchants from north and south are still followed on this new stage. Yaowang (Medicine King) fairs are a type of traditional temple fair, and they appeared as early as the Tang dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, trading activities in Chinese medicinal materials already appeared in Yuzhou, Henan; by the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, such trade had reached a considerable scale, and Yuzhou thereby became one of the larger medicine markets in the country. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, with official encouragement, the Yuzhou medicine trade fair expanded further in scale; medicine merchants from all over the country arrived in guild-organized groups, establishing medicine firms and inns in Yuzhou, and four major markets took shape: crude medicinal materials, prepared slices (yinpian), pills and powders, and mountain products. By 1949, Yuzhou had 18 medicine shops (yaozhuang), 41 medicine firms (yaohang), 65 medicine stalls (yaopeng), and 22 traditional Chinese medicine halls, with 1,487 people employed, organized into more than twenty trade guilds. Taking the 2004 Yuzhou Medicine Fair as an example, 450 medicine merchants participated, with an annual transaction volume of 1 billion yuan.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhu Youzhou is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yao Customs in Yuzhou, Henan. Within the documented technical tradition of Yao Customs in Yuzhou, Henan: Medicine markets are periodic trading fairs held at long-established centers for the collection and distribution of Chinese medicinal materials. More than 110 such collection and distribution centers formed over successive dynasties; among them, the ones with broad influence nationwide, complete functions in gathering, cultivation, processing, and use, large distribution volumes, and brisk trade are Anguo, Zhangshu, Baiquan, and Yucheng, known as the 'Four Great Medicine Markets.' The famous physician Sun Simiao is the patron deity of the traditional Chinese medicine trade, revered as the 'Medicine King' (Yaowang). Temple fairs centered on the worship of the Medicine King are called 'Medicine King Fairs' (Yaowanghui); most well-known medicine markets developed out of Medicine King Fairs, while others originated in plain market trade in medicinal materials. Apart from trading in medicinal materials, each medicine market developed its own folk customs - trading rules, sacrificial rites, opera performances, and entertainments - drawing participation and spectatorship from the general public beyond the traders themselves and making the medicine market an influential local venue for popular gatherings. The various medicine guilds also established many guild halls, among which the better-known ones are the Shanxi Guild Hall, the Huaibang Guild Hall, the Jiangxi Guild Hall, and the Shisanbang (Thirteen Guilds) Guild Hall. The Yuzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Trade Fair is one of the six specialized markets for Chinese medicinal materials nationwide approved by the Ministry of Health, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Drug houses, inns and the four great markets": Merchant guilds built houses and inns, dividing the trade into four distinct markets. "The Shanxi and Huai guild halls": Guild halls built by merchants from different provinces served as rule-making and price-setting bodies. "Restoring the nine-steam nine-sun processing": Long-lost nine-steam processing techniques were revived, producing nine-steam rehmannia and he-shou-wu. "Inspecting the herbs before the market opens": Before trading opens, dealers grade the herbs by quality, origin and dryness before pricing.
Drug houses, inns and the four great markets
Merchant guilds built houses and inns, dividing the trade into four distinct markets.
The Shanxi and Huai guild halls
Guild halls built by merchants from different provinces served as rule-making and price-setting bodies.
Restoring the nine-steam nine-sun processing
Long-lost nine-steam processing techniques were revived, producing nine-steam rehmannia and he-shou-wu.
Inspecting the herbs before the market opens
Before trading opens, dealers grade the herbs by quality, origin and dryness before pricing.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhu Youzhou was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yao Customs, with Yuzhou, Henan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yao Customs in Yuzhou, Henan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Yuzhou, Henan as its declared area, and Yuzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center 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
Yaowang (Medicine King) fairs are a type of traditional temple fair, and they appeared as early as the Tang dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, trading activities in Chinese medicinal materials already appeared in Yuzhou, Henan; by the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, such trade had reached a considerable scale, and Yuzhou thereby became one of the larger medicine markets in the country.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhu Qingshan | Yuzhou, Henan | 05-2998 | Same declared area |
| Zhu Youzhou | Yuzhou, Henan | — | 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。