Chuang Shu-chi
Chuang Shu-chi (Chinese: 莊淑旂; pinyin: Zhuāng Shúqí; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chng Siok-kî; 26 November 1920 – 4 February 2015) was the first licensed female practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan.
Early life and training
Born on 26 November 1920 in Taipei,[1] Chuang Shu-chi was her parents' only biological child. During a later pregnancy, Chuang's mother fell, resulting in long-term infertility.[1][2] The family later adopted two sons to carry on the father's practice in traditional Chinese medicine,[2] Kuanghotang Pharmacy, which dated to the Qing dynasty.[1][3] Chuang studied the field in secret, starting at the age of ten.[1][2] When she was twelve, her father's assistant died.[1][2] Chuang and her adoptive brothers worked through the night preparing the ingredients necessary for the next day.[2] Subsequently, Chuang left school, and her father began training her in earnest.[2] Chuang later said, "I was not a beauty, but many believed that if they took medicine prepared by an unmarried girl, their symptoms would alleviate quicker. People even came back to present me with red envelopes and gifts after they got better. The news of a doctor’s daughter who helped prepare medicine quickly spread."[2] At the age of 14, Chuang cured her nephew of flu and pneumonia severe enough that the local pediatrician refused to treat him.[2]
Chuang entered an arranged marriage with Chen You-le at the age of eighteen,
Career following licensure
In 1950, a friend let her know that the government was holding licensure exams for traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.[2] Chuang turned in her documentation late, but was permitted to take the test.[2] She passed four of five sections with full marks, and failed the one covering the Constitution of the Republic of China.[1] That section was replaced with an oral exam,[1] and Chuang became one of two people to pass the test, alongside an examinee of Mainland Chinese descent.[5] Upon receiving her license on 17 January 1951, Chuang became the first licensed female practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan.[2] She reopened her father's clinic with the help of her brothers.[2][4] Known as "Shorty Chi" throughout her childhood,[2] Chuang became "Lady Doctor."[2][5] When she opened the Chingcheng Radiology Clinic, it became the second medical facility in Taiwan capable of radiology, after National Taiwan University Hospital.[1][2]
Chuang acquired a license to buy
Later career in Japan and return to Taiwan
When she arrived in Japan, Chuang did not speak the language.
Legacy
Chuang's former residence and practice on Dihua Street in Dadaocheng was named a cultural heritage site by the Taipei City Government in 2009, and converted into Museum 207 in April 2017.[3] In 2019, under the leadership of founding executive director Chen Kok-choo, Museum 207 became one of the first private museums to be certified within the purview of the Museum Act.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Chen, Yali (27 January 2010). "Chuang Shu-chi: Taiwan's first woman doctor in traditional Chinese medicine". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Han Cheung (3 February 2019). "Taiwan in Time: The 'godmother of cancer prevention'". Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ a b Lin, Sean (16 April 2017). "Dadaocheng museum to showcase terrazzo works". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Preventative medicine". Free China Review. 1 February 1987. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9789888390908.
- ^ a b c d e Chang, Ling (December 1994). "Chuang Shu-chi: A woman warrior in the battle against cancer". Taiwan Panorama. Translated by Barnard, Jonathan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Postpartum Bliss". Free China Review. 1 April 1994. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "New Mothers, Old Tradition". Taiwan Review. 1 September 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ 廖, 珮妤; 林, 郁文 (8 February 2015). "台灣首位女中醫 「防癌教母」莊淑旂辭世". China Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Yen, William (5 August 2019). "Private museum hoping Museum Act can support a bright future". Central News Agency. Retrieved 20 September 2020. Republished as: "Museum 207 gains from Museum Act". Taipei Times. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.