ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Acupuncture Diplomacies with Southeast Asia and Latin America in Cold War Taiwan: Wu Wei-Ping and Cheng Yeu-Ping.

• In Event: ‘Beyond Bandung: Histories of Scientific, Technological and Medical Assistance between Decolonising Nations during the Cold War’ 2

English Abstract

After the 1955 Bandung Conference, newly independent countries in Africa and Asia not only shaped postcolonial solidarity but also paved the way for ‘South-South collaboration’ in the international political agenda. Since the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was one of the participants, this new diplomatic platform offered opportunities and threats for the Taiwanese government (the Republic of China, ROC) to compete with the PRC for the reputation of ‘One China’. Drawing mainly on archival documents from Taiwan, this article argues that acupuncture experts from Taiwan acted as diplomats in the context of diplomatic competition and upheld the alliance of ‘South-South collaboration’ during the Cold War.

This article highlights two reputable acupuncturists, Wu Wei-Ping (吳惠平) and Cheng Yeu-Ping (程毓斌), and their roles in medical diplomacy. Wu Wei-Ping was born in Jiangsu, China, and moved to Taiwan in 1949. In June 1971, during the Martial Law period, to sustain relations with political allies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs permitted Wu’s travel to treat Marshal Lon Nol in Cambodia, Southeast Asia, who suffered from a stroke and paralysis. Wu’s trip was endorsed by the Taiwanese government, which issued numerous diplomatic statements. Cheng Yeu-Ping was also born in Jiangsu, China, studied biomedicine in Japan, and became Wu’s student after 1949. In 1973, Cheng was assigned to Panama, Latin America, to treat the mother of the Panamanian military leader Omar Torrijos. These acupuncturists used their medical skills to support Taiwan’s international relations after the United Nations withdrew.

Author

• Po-Hsun Chen, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University