Qichun County, once the birthplace of a noted Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) medical sage,has witnessed tremendous social change and economic prosperity.In recent years, this small and age-old county in Hubei Province has been dotted with vigor and vibrancy. The agriculture based economy, in this capital of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) thousands of years ago, is now being rapidly replaced by the modern health industry.

In the spirit of liberating thoughts and seeking comprehensive development,Qichun County Government has been committed to developing local cultural resources passed down from Li Shizhen(also Li Shih-chen, 1518-1593), the ancient medical sage. By developing the brand of Li Shizhen, the government intends to accelerate the adjustment of urban industrial structures, transforming local economic development modes and speeding up the integration of regional development and national strategic planning for the development of TCM. By integrating domestic and international resources and cooperating with top enterprises, the government adopts the“medicine and tourism linkage” strategy to promote the local health industry guided by the principle of “seeking development through innovation, getting upgraded in the development path, and reaching an overall growth by continuously upgrading the county.” Qichun, the ancient “Millennia Medicine Town” has now renewed its vitality from the new born mugwort (Artemisia argyi) industry. This rejuvenated medical county is now turning a new page in history.

This collection is a rare record of Qichun’s arduous journey towards the development of the local health industry and a vivid account of the founding of the“Capital of Chinese Mugwort” in an attempt to promote Li Shizhen culture, revitalize the TCM industry, and boost the “Healthy China” program to the fullest. At the 500th anniversary of the birth of Li Shizhen,we sincerely hope that our readers and TCM practitioners will remain true to our ancestors, always keep our missions at heart, and devote ourselves to the research of TCM while also inheriting the wealth of knowledge before us, which will surely yield more new products and benefit the human world.

前 言

醫(yī)圣故里千帆競,蘄陽大地萬象新。近年來，湖北省蘄春縣發(fā)生著翻天覆地的變化。這個千年藥都正在破繭化蝶，以農(nóng)耕為主的時代正在被以現(xiàn)代中醫(yī)藥健康產(chǎn)業(yè)為主的工業(yè)化時代所取代。

蘄春縣解放思想求發(fā)展，系列開發(fā)李時珍人文資源，高舉高打李時珍品牌，加快城市格局調(diào)整和發(fā)展方式轉(zhuǎn)型，加快融入?yún)^(qū)域發(fā)展戰(zhàn)略和國家中醫(yī)藥發(fā)展戰(zhàn)略規(guī)劃布局，整合縣內(nèi)外資源，攜手央企，大力實施“藥旅聯(lián)動”戰(zhàn)略，積極推進(jìn)大健康產(chǎn)業(yè)布局，在創(chuàng)新中發(fā)展，在發(fā)展中提升，在提升中不斷壯大。 “千年藥都”從一棵艾草煥發(fā)新活力，振興藥都，而今邁步從頭越。

謹(jǐn)以此輯記錄該縣發(fā)展大健康產(chǎn)業(yè)的艱辛探索，創(chuàng)建“中國艾都”的生動實踐，弘揚李時珍文化、振興中醫(yī)藥事業(yè)、推進(jìn)“健康中國”建設(shè)的不懈追求。使命呼喚擔(dān)當(dāng)，使命引領(lǐng)未來。在紀(jì)念李時珍誕辰500周年之際，鼓勵廣大讀者和中醫(yī)藥工作者，不忘先祖，努力前行，傳承中醫(yī)藥文化，投身中醫(yī)藥研究，多出成果，造福人類。

被賦予蘄春精神（仁和智毅）的“蘄春四寶”