This work explores the cultural history of pharmacy in early modern China, examining both the nature of drugs and the trade in medicine. It presents a comprehensive inquiry into China's transformation during this period through the lens of pharmacy, which encompasses both commercial enterprise and classical medicine. The narrative challenges the notion of intellectual stagnation and highlights the dynamic interplay between elite and popular culture in pharmacy's history. Despite a decline in state-commissioned pharmacopeias after the sixteenth century, the enduring presence of Chinese pharmacy shops worldwide underscores the resilience of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The study begins with the decentralization of book culture and fiscal policy in the sixteenth century, revealing pharmacy's significant role in late Ming public discourse. It notes that in the early 1600s, factional politics spurred amateur pharmacological investigations among the literati just before the Qing conquest. The eighteenth century marked a shift as the Qing court moved away from pharmacopeia towards a demedicalized natural history. Concurrently, long-distance trade fostered the growth of urban pharmacy shops, leading to new insights about the natural world. By utilizing a wealth of primary sources, this work makes a vital contribution to the understanding of Chinese history and the history of medicine.
