During the period of the Republic of China, acupuncture faced different opportunities and developments in China and the West. The correspondence between Soulié de Morant, the father of European acupuncture, and FANG Shen'an, a famous acupuncture master of the Republic of China, is of great significance to explore the exchange of acupuncture between China and France, the development of acupuncture in France, the Western learning of Chinese medicine, and the dissemination of academic ideas of acupuncture in the Republic of China. The authors studied Soulié de Morant's collection stored in the Museum of Western Studies of Chinese Medicine of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, and found Soulié de Morant's annotation of Jinzhen Mizhuan (Secrets of Golden Needle), the 1937 edition, and 3 paper letters with FANG Shen'an (2 letters in French and 1 letter in Chinese). After the language translation and collation, based on the correspondence between two masters, in association with the historical background and the narration of CHEN Yemeng, the inheritor of Fang's acupuncture, this paper reviews the process of academic exchanges between them, so as to display the historical development of acupuncture in China and the West.
China ; History, 20th Century ; Acupuncture/education* ; Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/history* ; France ; Correspondence as Topic/history*

In 1929, George Soulié de Morant and Paul Ferreyrolles co-authored their first acupuncture-moxibustion paper titled "L' Acuponcture en Chine vingt siècles avant J.-C. et la réflexothérapie moderne", greatly advancing the development of acupuncture-moxibustion in Europe. Their paper systematically explains the holistic view and the concept of yin-yang balance in traditional Chinese medicine, describes the techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion, innovatively classifies acupuncture-moxibustion as "reflexotherapy", organizes the effects of certain acupuncture points illustrated on human acupoint atlas; and for the first time, it summarizes the correspondence between acupuncture points and Weihe trigger points. In the historical background of the neo-Hippocratic movement, they used the existing theories at that time to explain acupuncture, and adopted the analogical medicine to explore the mechanisms of acupuncture-moxibustion, which gradually initiated the modern era of acupuncture-moxibustion in France. Such research method is conducive to reducing the unfamiliarity of acupuncture-moxibustion among westerners, deepening their understanding of its theories and therapeutic effect, and also integrating it with other medical research. It breaks through the limitations of traditional theories and obtains the self-improvement and progress.
Humans ; Moxibustion/history* ; Acupuncture Therapy/history* ; China ; History, Ancient ; History, 20th Century ; Acupuncture/history* ; Reflexotherapy/history* ; Acupuncture Points ; History, 19th Century ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history*

During the mid-20th century, Dr. Paul Ferreyrolles played an important role in the dissemination of acupuncture in France. He keenly recognized the unique value of the acupuncture knowledge brought from China by Soulié de Morant, devoted himself to its practice and research, and attempted to interpret its principles through western knowledge. From Ferreyrolles' experiences and contributions, three key factors can be identified for the successful spread of acupuncture in Europe: the availability of comprehensive translated texts, the broad recognition of therapeutic efficacy, and the adaptation and interpretation of acupuncture in western terms.
Acupuncture Therapy/history* ; France ; Humans ; History, 20th Century ; Acupuncture/education*