Blue Beryl
Intelligent conversations about Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality.
Blue Beryl
Critique, Wonder, and Chinese Anatomy, with Lan A. Li
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Dr. Pierce Salguero & Dr. Lan Li
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Season 2
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Episode 9
Today I sit down with Blue Beryl's producer, Lan A. Li, a historian of Chinese science, medicine, and the body. We talk about their life-long practice of qigong, the limits of academic critique, and the integration of divergent epistemologies in studying Chinese anatomy. Along the way, we discuss Lan’s new book, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine, Lan’s relationship to Islam, and how to cultivate wonder through academic study.
If you want to hear more from experts on Buddhism, Asian medicine, and embodied spirituality then subscribe to Blue Beryl and don’t miss an episode!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Lan’s website
- Lan Li, “The Vital Other: Integrative Medicine and India” (2012)
- Lan Li, “Acupuntura e Moxabustão” (2023)
- Lan Li and Pierce Salguero, Jivaka Project Philadelphia (2015-2020)
- Pierce’s blogs on Grad School Hell, Metamodernism, and Polyperspectivalism
- Lan Li, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine (2025)
