A Versatile TCM Specialist

By Bao Zhicheng

Lin Qianliang, now a retired TCM doctor reputed for his brilliant career achievement and his versatile gift in traditional Chinese arts, does not know his biological parents. He was deserted shortly after he was born in Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian Province. he was sent to an orphanage. Before he was one year old, he was adopted by a couple surnamed Lin. His father was killed in a bombing. His stepmother brought him up by doing small chores.

Lin Qianliang went to a primary school where he studied music, English, art. The good education gave him a head start. In the summer of 1950 he was accepted by Fujian Medical College with excellent scores. Less than half a month, he received the acceptance notice from the Medical College of the National University of Zhejiang. After giving some consideration with 32 yuan, donated by his clan with 100 km grain, he traveled by bus, ship and train to reach Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province. After a week of Lins arrival, Su Buqing (1902-2003), director of teaching affairs, learned that there was a bare-foot student and summoned Lin to his office. After making enquiry about Lins situation, Su wrote three recommendations and got Lin Qianliang three part-time jobs on the campus. This helped Lin Qianliang through the five-year medical education.

Upon graduation in 1955, he was assigned to work at the second hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University. In 1956, he was sent to study TCM in Shanghai. Three years later, he finished the TCM course and came back to Hangzhou. He went to Zhejiang TCM College where he taught, did clinic work and researched. He retired from the college in 1993 after a fruitful career of 35 years. During his 35-year career, he wrote more than 30 books and 60 papers on TCM subjects. As a doctor versed in both western medicine and TCM, he once taught subjects in both fields. He was also an excellent writer of medical articles meant for ordinary readers.

Lin Qianliang is also a versatile artist.

He developed a passion for art in his childhood years. He was able to engrave seals when he was only 6. He later studied with masters such as Sha Menghai, Lu Weizhao and Han Dengan. His passion for seal engraving has lasted all his life. He is able to engrave in various scripts. He created more than 200 seals depicting the titles of Peking Opera plays. He wrote more than 10 books on seal engraving. He is an accomplished calligrapher.

In the field of history and literature, His writings include poetry, prose and plays. He has written three film scripts and two plays. He is the first man in China who came up with the creative idea of tea therapy and has published four books on the subject. While in Shanghai, he watched quite a few Peking Opera performances and learned to appear in some amateur performances once or twice a year for a long while. Lin Qianliang is also a prominent collector. The best part of his large and diverse collection is more than 1,000 poem manuscripts and 10,000 TCM prescriptions written in brush.

During his 35-year career as a teacher, he lectured in Japan, USA and Canada on his unique ideas on TCM and tea culture. After his retirement, he went to live his daughters in Canada and USA. Since then he made contributions to promote Chinese culture overseas. In 1993, he was visiting in America. His major task for a day was to take the kids to school in the morning and get them back home in the afternoon.He had not much else to do. Then one day, he was wandering aimlessly in the community and suddenly heard the Peking Opera music. He followed the music and found a Peking Opera Troupe in a local Chinese community rehearsing. He joined them. Later he served as an art director and directed plays for them. He held lectures at the old people center in Pennsylvania on Chinese tea, TCM, seal engravings, food and Chinese characters. After staging an exhibition on Chinese calligraphy, seal and painting, he taught 10 local enthusiasts how to do seal engraving.Before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, his students, under his direction, created seals featuring Olympic themes.While in Toronto, he took active part in a local theater association and starred in a Peking Opera drama.

After seeing some second or third generation Chinese overseas dont know how to speak Chinese, Lin Qianliang put together a Chinese primer to teach Chinese while introducing Chinas geology, history, culture, canon, tourism destinations, classics and canon, historical personages. The texts are easy to read and recite.

Though his daughters has got him permanent residence status, he is back now in China. He prefers to live in China. He is committed to writing. Since 2006, he has published 12 books.□