The Famous Doctor Ho of Yunnan

We walk 6 km in search of the famous Dr Ho of Yunnan Province.  Dr. Ho's clinic is signposted by the large pasteboards of newspaper articles leaning against the walls.

Dr Ho is 90 years old  with a thin white beard and clear sparkling eyes.  He is clearly very lucid and moves with ease around his house/clinic showing us the many articles written about him and sharing his philosophies of life.  As we entered his clinic,  Mrs Ho appeared in the next doorway, small in stature and wearing her blue Naxi dress.  Some of the walls in this waiting area were covered with postcards, business cards and thank you letters.  The air was heavy with the scent of fresh herbs, remedies and old papers.

The walls of the clinic were decorated with more news paper articles and photos of the Doctor. Inside the walls were covered with postcards, business cards and thank you letters.  The air was heavy with the scent fresh herbs and old papers. Dr Ho certainly looks authentic, with his white thready beard and his intellectual demeanor, clad in a white doctor’s coat.  Dr Ho just seemed to exude enlightenment. He showed us letters from  western doctors declaring that their patients had been miraculously cured during their visit with him.



Although it seems Dr Ho has been propelled to something of a celebrity status as a result of the many articles written about him, his story remains remarkable.  He graduated from Nanjing university in 1949 but illness forced him to return to his home village of Baisha. He began to study herbal medicine, learning about the many plants growing on nearby Jade Dragon Mountain, in the hope of curing himself and he now claims to have knowledge of over 2000 herbal remedies. He cured not only himself, but also began to cure other people.

During the Cultural Revolution, Dr. Ho was forced to work in harsh conditions on Jade Dragon Mountain.  His philosophy shines through when he says that he has no regrets in life, because he has used every hardship to his advantage. During his time working on the mountain he was able to closely study the plants and for years afterwards he made regular trips to collect specimens.