针灸是我国古代劳动人民创造的一种独特的医疗方法，有着悠久的历史。几千年来，人们利用金属针具或艾炷、艾卷，在人体特定的部位进针施灸，用以治疗疾病，解除病痛，并由此创立了独具特色的人体经络腧穴理论，成为中国医学的一枝奇葩，在世界上享有盛誉。

Acupuncture is a unique medical method created by the ancient Chinese working people and has a long history. For thousands of years, people have used metal needles or moxa cones and moxa rolls to insert needles and perform moxibustion at specific parts of the human body to treat diseases and relieve pain. As a result, they have established a unique theory of meridians and acupoints in the human body, which has become a unique flower in Chinese medicine and enjoys a high reputation worldwide.

针灸由“针”和“灸”构成，是中医学的重要组成部分之一，其内容包括针灸理论、腧穴、针灸技术以及相关器具，在形成、应用和发展的过程中，具有鲜明的中华民族文化与地域特征，是基于中华民族文化和科学传统产生的宝贵遗产。

Acupuncture, composed of "needles" and "moxibustion", is one of the important components of traditional Chinese medicine. Its content includes acupuncture theory, acupoints, acupuncture techniques and related tools. In the process of formation, application and development, it has distinct cultural and regional characteristics of the Chinese nation and is a precious heritage based on the cultural and scientific traditions of the Chinese nation.

早在新石器时代，人们就用“砭石”砭刺人体的某一部位治疗疾病。《山海经》说：“有石如玉，可以为针”，是关于石针的早期记载。灸疗的产生是在火的发现和应用后形成的，秦汉时期的《黄帝内经》说：“藏寒生满病，其治宜灸”，便是指灸术，其中详细描述了九针的形制，并大量记述了针灸的理论与技术。春秋战国时期，针灸疗法已经相当成熟，出现了不少精通针灸的医生，《史记》记载的扁鹊就是其中的代表人物之一。扁鹊被誉为“中华医祖”，他起死回生的神奇针术以及救死扶伤的动人事迹为后人世代传颂，至今在河北内丘等地还保留有纪念扁鹊的鹊王庙、鹊王祠以及各种民间传统祭祀活动。在湖南长沙马王堆汉墓出土的《足臂十一脉灸经》和《阴阳十一脉灸经》、湖北江陵张家山汉墓出土的《脉书》中均记载有经脉的循行与主病。从四川绵阳双包山西汉墓出土的一具黑漆小型木质人形，其体表正背面标有纵横方向的经脉路径，是我国迄今发现的最早的人体经脉模型实物。

As early as the Neolithic Age, people used "bian stones" to prick certain parts of the human body to treat diseases. The Shan Hai Jing states: "If there is a stone like jade, it can be used as a needle," which is an early record about stone needles. The emergence of moxibustion therapy was formed after the discovery and application of fire. The "Huangdi Neijing" of the Qin and Han dynasties states: "When cold is stored and fullness occurs, moxibustion is the best treatment," which refers to the moxibustion technique. It elaborately describes the shape of the nine needles and extensively records the theories and techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, acupuncture therapy was already quite mature, and many doctors proficient in acupuncture emerged. Bian Que, recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian", was one of the representative figures among them. Bian Que is hailed as the "Ancestor of Chinese Medicine". His miraculous needlework that brought the dead back to life and his touching deeds of saving lives and healing the wounded have been passed down from generation to generation by later generations. To this day, in places like Neiqiu, Hebei Province, there are still ancestral temples and shrines dedicated to Bian Que, as well as various traditional folk sacrificial activities. The "Foot and Arm Eleven Meridians Moxibustion Classic" and the "Yin-Yang Eleven Meridians Moxibustion Classic" unearthed from the Han Dynasty tomb of Mawangdui in Changsha, Hunan Province, as well as the "Pulse Book" unearthed from the Han Dynasty tomb of Zhangjiashan in Jiangling, Hubei Province, all record the course of meridians and their main diseases. A small black lacquered wooden human figure unearthed from the Han Dynasty tomb in Shuangbao, Mianyang, Sichuan Province, has the meridians in the longitudinal and transverse directions marked on both the front and back of its body surface. It is the earliest physical model of human meridians discovered in China so far.