Abstract
Objectives : The rapid progress seen in the Chinese medical and pharmaceutical industries since the mid.Ming Dynasty, and the resulting surge in demand for medicinal herbs led to the emergence of dedicated medicinal herb markets. A representative example was the medicinal herb market of Qizhou (today's Anguo) in Hebei Province. This paper examines various factors that contributed to the transformation and growth of Qizhou into and as a major medicinal herb market of China. Methods : Along with the examination of geographical factors, this study attempts to link the development of Qizhou as a center for medicinal herbs trade with legends related to the Medicine Lord Temple (Yao Wang Miao), a local shrine dedicated to the mythical Medicine Kings. Results : The main argument of this study is that although the emergence of Qizhou as China's largest marketplace for medicinal herbs was significantly helped by its proximity to Beijing, a huge source of demand, as well as its convenient location easily accessible from all parts of the country, and the large herbal production from surrounding areas, the single.most important contributing factor was the body of legends attributing to this city a magical healing energy. Conclusions : The example of Qizhou may also suggest that in pre.modern eras, legends related to supernatural healing power, associated to a city or town, were as important contributing factors to its emergence and growth as a dedicated medicinal herb market as its location or ease of access.
