Apricot Grove Project

History

In Chinese, the term “Xinglin,” which means “Apricot Grove,” is used to describe competent and compassionate medical care provided with an open heart to improve the condition of the world. This term originates from the “Shenxian Zhuan” (Biographies of Divine Immortals), where the Daoist philosopher Ge Hong (283-343 C.E.) tells the story of the physician Dong Feng who lived during China’s Three Kingdoms period (220-280 C.E.).

Dong Feng was widely recognized for his skill and altruism. When he cured a patient of a disease, he asked that one apricot tree be planted and tended in a nearby grove. For those with a more serious disease, he asked that five trees be planted. During his lifetime, Dong Feng saw many patients, and over time, the apricot grove grew to over 100,000 trees.

Wealthier people who came to the grove to gather apricots were asked to leave a bushel of rice in the public granary, which in turn was used to feed those who did not have enough to eat. Thus, from medical skill and a spirit of compassion, grew a grove of trees that also alleviated food shortages in the local community. Because of his work, Dong Feng is considered one of China’s great sage-physicians.

To this day, in China, the term “Xinglin” and the idea of the apricot grove express the qualities of medical skill, ethics, and humane care, as well as the process of using nature’s patterns to promote meaningful change.

Who We Are

The Apricot Grove is a global collaboration of healthcare workers, scholars, artists and other interested individuals who come together to support human transformation and enhance global well-being through the study and practice of traditional medical knowledge.

Mission

Our passion is to train the most knowledgeable and competent Chinese medicine professionals in the world, based on a deep study of nature and the original writings of the field, to bring new paradigms to both Chinese and Western medicine.

We invite you to join the community!