Technician of traditional Chinese medicine devotes 3 decades to pill-making
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E-mail CNTV, May 3, 2016
Today, in our special series "Craftsman in China", we meet a chief technician at the country's biggest producer of traditional Chinese medicine. The industry calls for nimble fingers, and skills handed down through the generations. Zhang Dongmei has been making pills for more than three decades, and she credits her mother for her dedication.
A small round pill seen as the "almighty medicine" in the traditional Chinese medicine. It weighs only 3 grams, but is more expensive than gold of the same weight.
This is Angong Niuhuang Wan, boasting more than two hundred years of history. According to the Chief Technician Zhang Dongmei, these pills are still made by traditional skills in present days.
"The pills must be round, smooth and shiny. They are moist and soft with the same color. And the total weight must be exactly three grams," Zhang said.
It's been 34 years since she took over her mother's job at Tong Ren Tang, and she has never looked back.
"Just after one and half month of rolling the materials, I felt it was enough and I really wanted to move on to the next important step: making pills. But I failed in making those pills. Then I realized I still needed to concentrate on the very beginning," Zhang said.
Zhang took a long time to lay her foundation of making pills. She had to spend more than one year practicing in rolling materials, before starting to make pills. But again, the process wasn't a bed of roses.
"When making the pills, we have to take up our elbows and balance the power. We have to get the right way for the medicine tube to roll with the wood board. Then balance the strength from arms and waist," Zhang said.
Now Zhang has a serious occupational health hazard: lumbar disc herniation. She has to constantly take painkillers despite after visiting the doctors.
"I always try to persuade her to go to the hospital, but she always says she has so many unfinished work. Basically she doesn't take a break on weekends, and works from 8 am to 8 pm," said Zhang Chunping, husband of Zhang Dongmei.
Procedures of making Angong Niuhuang Wan are all by hands, including coating and waxing. This is because only hand-made pills could offer the best quality.
"One of the ingredients is musk, which contains many tiny fluff. We must take them all out by hand. It's a tedious and boring but rather critical as it affects purity of the medicine. And there must be a strict standard in your heart that what purity is," Zhang Dongmei said.
"I cleared the musk seven times when I started. But my teacher told me that was still not qualified after she examined it. I was so disappointed and pressured," said Zhang Na, apprentice of Zhang Dongmei.
Thanks to people like Zhang, her mother and Zhang's apprentice, the medicine is well received in China.
"This is a life-saving medicine. My friend in Nanjing asks me to buy this particularly," said a customer from Beijing.
"You inherited all the ancient prescription. I admire you so much!" said a customer from Taiwan.
Zhang has devoted her whole life to making these pills, and she is satisfied as the medicine helps people. She said her mother must be very proud of her for inheriting the skills and craftsmanship.
