Dr Huang Huang’s Tribute

In Memory of Mark: The Journey of an Australian Torchbearer of Jingfang Huang Huang (International Jingfang Institute, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine)

I was shocked to learn that Mark passed away yesterday at his home in Australia. For a long time, I was speechless. Outside my window, the chill of early spring lingers; in Nanjing, the magnolias are just about to bloom. Yet that devoted son of Jingfang in the Southern Hemisphere will never see this spring again.

My connection with Mark began in October 2010. That year, while I was lecturing on Jingfang in Brisbane, an attentive and handsome young Australian in the audience left an unforgettable impression on me. After class, he told me in halting Chinese that he had fallen in love with Jingfang back in 2008, when he attended my lecture in Melbourne. Two months later, he came to Nanjing with a group to copy classical formulas; in 2014, he brought fifteen doctors to observe clinical practice. From then until the eve of the pandemic, he brought groups to Nanjing almost every year. Over sixteen years, we moved from teacher and student to fellow practitioners, and ultimately to trusted friends.

Mark’s passion for Jingfang bordered on obsession. He was thoroughly familiar with formula combinations, classical pattern identifications, and key clinical applications. When I lectured in Melbourne in 2017, he was already capable of serving as a teaching assistant. His precise explanations in English enlightened the students and deeply gratified me.

Last August in Brisbane, he rented a church to host a large-scale Jingfang training course—more than eighty seats were completely filled. After class, we strolled along the Gold Coast, where he spoke at length about his vision of establishing a Jingfang academy. His eyes shone with determination. At that moment, I felt confident that the promotion of Jingfang in Australia could safely be entrusted to him.

Mark possessed the bearing of a true scholar. At the Cao Yingfu Academic Symposium in Jiangyin in 2017, his presentation was clear and methodical. At the Shenzhen International Jingfang Conference in the autumn of 2024, his views were distinct and compelling. During his doctoral studies under my supervision, he chose as his topic “The Wuling Powder Pattern and Pituitary Tumors,” arguing from both literature and clinical perspectives for their similarities and proposing the hypothesis that pituitary tumors could be treated with Wuling Powder. This aligns entirely with clinical reality—I myself have several successful cases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he treated many patients with Chailing Decoction; the joy on his face when he shared his results at academic conferences remains vivid in my memory.

In his final days, he left these words: “In my next life, I will continue to promote Jingfang.” When I read this, tears streamed down my face. He was only in his early fifties—the prime of life for advancing Jingfang—yet he departed so suddenly. This is not only a personal loss to me, but a loss to the entire cause of promoting classical formulas.

Yet what Mark leaves behind is his sincerity toward Jingfang, his warmth toward fellow practitioners, and his deep love for Chinese culture. That love has transformed into a spiritual force that inspires us to keep moving forward. Jingfang originates from China, but it is a treasure of human civilization and should benefit all humanity. To promote Jingfang is a life’s honor, and Mark demonstrated this with his life.

We had many plans for this year: the International Jingfang Conference in Toronto, clinical observation activities in Nanjing, preparations for the Jingfang Academy in Australia… But Mark will be absent from them all. According to Chinese belief, where there is birth, there is death. Yet his sudden departure still fills me with sorrow. May he, in heaven, still wear his signature smile. And may he have the chance to visit the Medical Sage Zhang Zhongjing, and tell our venerable master: in the distant Southern Hemisphere, there was once an Australian named Mark who devoted his life to spreading his teachings.

Mark, may you rest in peace. Among the torchbearers of Jingfang, your name will forever shine. Those of us who remain will carry on the work you left unfinished and let the light of Jingfang illuminate even more corners of the world.

Huang Huang

(March 1, 2026)

Nanjing International Jing Fang Research Institute