Zhangshu medicine customs refer to the Zhangshu medicine culture customs that have been passed down for thousands of years in the Zhangshu area, with Chinese medicinal materials processing techniques and medicinal materials trading customs as the main body. Zhangshu medicine customs first began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Jian'an period, Ge Xuan, the founder of the Lingbao School of Taoism, settled in Gezao Mountain, collected herbs and made elixirs, and pioneered Zhangshu medicine. Later, his nephew Ge Hong inherited Ge Xuan's mantle, collected herbs and practiced medicine, and made elixirs and medicines. He traveled between Zhangshu Gezao Mountain, Nanchang Xishan, Xiajiang County Yushe Mountain, and Guangdong Luofu Mountain, making Zhangshu medicine collection and diagnosis gradually become a specialized industry. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Zhangshu pharmaceutical personnel had a simple division of labor. In the sixth year of Baoyou in the late Song Dynasty, Zhangshu Town built the "Pharmacist Courtyard" to worship the Medicine Buddha, worship the King of Medicine, and seek divine healing. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the "Pharmacist Courtyard" was rebuilt and renamed "Pharmacist Temple". During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhangshu pharmaceutical industry reached its peak and enjoyed the reputation of "the general collection of northern and southern medicinal materials." During this period, Zhangshu drug dealers formed the "Medicine King Association", and the "Medicine Master Temple" was renamed the "Medicine King Temple" and Sun Simiao was enshrined as the Medicine King. On April 28th (Sun Simiao's birthday), a temple fair was held at the Medicine King Temple to attract drug dealers from all over the world to exchange ideas. During the Jiaqing and Daoguang years of the Qing Dynasty, the Zhangshu Medicine Gang was formally formed and became one of the three major medicine gangs in the country. In the 13th year of Guangxu, Zhangshu drug dealers raised funds to build the Sanhuang Palace, which became a trading place for drug dealers and a center for drug gang activities. After more than 1,800 years of evolution and development, Zhangshu Pharmaceutical has formed its own unique customs of medicinal material trading, medicinal material preparation, medicinal diet, and medicinal industry beliefs. These customs have become an important part of Zhangshu's traditional medical culture, and are also an important reason why Zhangshu Pharmaceutical has formed its brand advantage and is famous both at home and abroad. The customs of medicinal material trading can be divided into customs such as medicine stalls and drug stores, medicine markets, medicine docks, and the general collection of medicinal materials in Sichuan and Guangdong, north and south. Medicine stalls and drug stores Medicine stalls began to appear in Zhangshu during the Three Kingdoms period. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zhangshu Town not only had medicine stalls, but also two types of pharmacies (one that sold medicine and the other that sold medicine exclusively), and foreign medicinal materials also began to be traded in Zhangshu. Medicine Market and Drug Fair In the Tang Dynasty, the distribution of medicinal materials in Zhangshu Town had begun to take shape. Locally produced Citrus aurantium, Citrus aurantium, dried tangerine peel, and Perilla leaf began to be exported in batches, and medicinal materials from neighboring counties and prefectures also came to Zhangshu for centralized transportation. Medicinal materials from Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan and other places were transported to Zhangshu Town for trading via Dayuling Road, Ganjiang River, and Yuanhe River. As a result, a medicine market dedicated to the trading of medicinal materials appeared in Zhangshu Town. From the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Song and Yuan Dynasties, a "medicine market" with daily markets appeared. Medicine warehouses came into being, and drug stores and factories were gradually opened. Drug Wharf During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, the Ganjiang River was diverted, and Zhangshu became the intersection of the Ganjiang River and the Yuanhe River. The scale of Zhangshu's medicinal material distribution has been expanding. At this time, the emergence of medicine docks changed the business model of Zhangshu Pharmaceutical Industry. The original retail-oriented business model was changed to wholesale-oriented, and drug stores specializing in wholesale began to appear. It also led to the gradual increase in the number of foreign drug dealers opening businesses in Zhangshu, and some Zhangshu drug dealers with strong capital began to go out of Zhangshu and radiate to the whole country, forming the first large-scale outward expansion boom. The general collection of medicinal materials from Sichuan and Guangdong in the north and south In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, Zhangshu Pharmaceutical Industry entered its golden age. The drug market was unprecedentedly prosperous. At its peak, Zhangshu had nearly 200 drug stores, stores, shops, and villages. In the early years of Daoguang, the number of people engaged in the pharmaceutical industry in Zhangshu Town accounted for more than 30% of the total population, and there were more than 300 pharmaceutical professionals. In order to open up the market and control the source of medicine, some Zhangshu drug dealers with strong capital continued to go out of Zhangshu and go to all parts of the country. The process of preparing Zhangshu medicinal materials can be subdivided into the identification, selection, cutting, roasting, processing, and storage of medicinal materials. Identification of medicinal materials, commonly known as "knowing medicine", relies on hands, eyes, mouth, nose and ears to distinguish the authenticity and quality of medicinal materials. Shaking and selecting medicinal materials means selecting and grading medicinal materials. As the saying goes, "shaking the medicine will dry out the dust". Cutting medicinal materials includes washing, moistening and cutting, each with its own characteristics. Washing medicine includes washing, soaking and soaking. Some medicinal materials need to be soaked for a long time, while some grass medicinal materials need to be "washed in water" and cannot be soaked. Moistening medicine is for the convenience of cutting. Moistening medicine pays attention to "moistening skills". The importance of moistening skills lies in not losing the effective ingredients of the medicine. Cutting is to process the medicinal materials into slices, segments, blocks, silk and other styles according to their shape and texture. The most important thing for Zhangshu to cut medicinal pieces is "knife skills". The best knife skills of each store are called "first knife". Medicinal material roasting is also called repairing. It is the most distinctive traditional craft of Zhangshu Pharmaceutical Industry. It mainly plays the role of removing impurities, correcting odors, reducing or eliminating toxicity, and even changing the performance of drugs. Generally, there are three methods: water, fire, and water and fire, and the fire method is the most common. In addition, there are medicinal diet customs and medicine industry belief customs. Zhangshu has a rich variety of medicinal diets, including medicinal vegetables, medicinal cakes, medicinal cakes, medicinal porridge, medicinal powder, medicinal soup, medicinal wine, etc. Medicinal diet inherits tradition, scientific innovation, strict formula, rigorous material selection, emphasis on cooking skills, and taste. It is finely cut, reasonably matched, cooked at the right temperature, and cooked in the right way. The color, fragrance, taste, and shape are all good, achieving a therapeutic effect. Zhangshu medicine industry belief customs are a historical culture with obvious regional and industry characteristics. The gods enshrined include Fuxi, Shennong, Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, Huangfu Mi, Sun Simiao, Li Shizhen and other thirteen medical masters.