Master Tung’s Five Zang Channel System and Clinical Applications

By Chuan-Min Wang, DC, LAc and Steven Vasilakis, LAc

Tung’s Acupuncture was originally a closely guarded oral tradition that was exclusively passed down within the Tung family. Master Tung Ching-Chang broke this tradition and accepted his first disciple outside the family in 1962 in Taipei, Taiwan, over 48 years ago.

Since then, Master Tung’s system has gained a tremendous amount of momentum and popularity. It is currently one of the most sought after and highly esteemed schools of acupuncture, characterized by its simplicity, ease of use, and great clinical efficacy.

Although Tung’s acupuncture is famous for it’s unique set of acupuncture points, the unique points are just part of a much bigger picture. Tung’s acupuncture is a complete system that includes its own channels, unique points, diagnostic methods and needling techniques. Furthermore, Tung’s acupuncture is based on a five zang (six fu) channel system that is unique to the Tung system, and different from the traditional 14 channels of acupuncture. The five zang channel system however, is not widely known of, as it has been obscured in most of the literature regarding Tung’s acupuncture. Luckily, two previously unreleased documents clearly demonstrate how Master Tung utilized this channel system in the diagnoses and treatment of disease.