• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.71-81
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• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this paper is to clarify the social characteristics of the authors of Huangdi Neijing such as status, class, and political ideology. Methods : We analyze the Neijing text and the social order and historical situations in the Han dynasty. Results : Some authors of the Neijing were the local medical officers whose salary was 100~400shi. Their positions were medical craftsmen(yigong) or chief medical craftsmen(yigongchang). They would have published the Neijing after the administrative reforms(146-145 BCE) that began after the suppression of the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms. The bureaucrat yigong(chang) would have expected to participate in the public health policy of the empire or kingdom as an acupuncture expert. They would have also expected to contribute to the welfare and health of the privileged intellectual group and the public, hoping to ascend in status and class. Conclusions : By investigating the social characteristics of the authors who composed the Neijing, its various aspects would be newly understood.