Introduction

Acupuncture and moxibustion is an important part of the Chinese medicine and it plays a role in the prevention and treatment of disease by means of stimulating acupoints to dredge channels and collaterals and regulate qi and blood.The acupuncture therapy itself is safe，however，wrong manipulation of the acupuncturist may cause such accidents as temporary pain in mild cases or severe injury in an organ or organs in serious cases，or even death.The research team led by prof.Yan Zhen-guo then made many essential studies and compiled a series of textbooks and set up the teaching of Acupoint Anatomy to meet the need for the clinical development of acupuncture.The course is a cross-subject one combining the Science ofAcupoints and Topographic Anatomy ，is a study in the transformation from scientific payoffs into teaching practice and is also an innovative subject integrating modern and traditional medicines in the field of the integration of TCM and Western medicine.

1.The nature and tasks of the course

Acupoint Anatomy is a subject studying the hierarchical structures and adjacent structures of the acupoints as well as the accidents and prevention of acupuncture and is a bridge course between the basic and clinical medicines.The learning aims at grasping the body surface location of the acupoints，manipulation method，clinical indications，needle-inserting layers，adjacent structures，the acupuncture accident and prevention and so on in order to lay a good foundation for further clinical practice to improve the treatment effect of acupuncture and avoid acupuncture accidents.

2.The history of the course

The research team led by professor Yan Zhen-guo at the teaching department of the Human Anatomy，Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has completed a series of investigations into 361 meridian points and 78 extra points since 1975.To reflect the hierarchical structures in different angles，depths and scopes，the following experimental process has been made： ① meridian labeling and point locating on the corpse； ② cryogenic freezing；③3 various kinds of sectional cutting through the points.The relation between the direction，angle，and depth of the needle insertion and anatomical structures has been illuminated by observing and analyzing the acupoint sectional and anatomical structures with no injury of sectional and hierarchical structures.The Applied Anatomy and Acupoint Hierarchical Structure ，the first teaching material，has been written on the basis of the research result mentioned above and the teaching of the material for the undergraduates and postgraduates was firstly set up respectively in 1978 and 1981.

With the development of acupoint morphological investigation，more scientific payoffs have been obtained and 4 volumes of Illustration of Acupoint Sectional Anatomy were published respectively in 1983，1986，1990，and 2002.“Acupoint Sectional Anatomy Show Room”was opened at Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1980 and it was reconstructed and renamed “Human Body and Acupoint Anatomy Exhibition Hall”.Many domestic and foreign scholars and visiting groups have visited the Hall and many experts have given praise to the Hall.

Essentials of Commonly Used Acupoint Anatomy was published in 1990 and it acted as the textbook for undergraduates and postgraduates. TCM Applied Acupoint Anatomy was published in 2001 and it acted as the textbook for Shanghai postgraduates. Commonly Used Acupoint Anatomy Multimedia（Disk） -one of“Ninth Five-Year-Plan” Key Textbooks for Shanghai Higher Education was published in 2001. TCM Applied Acupoint Anatomy-one of National Higher Education TCM University Textbooks was published in 2005. Acupoint Anatomy one of “Eleventh Five-Year-Plan” Nation-grade Textbooks for General Higher Education was published in 2013 and was given Award of Excellent Textbook of Shanghai General Higher Education Universities in 2015. TCM Applied Acupoint Anatomy -one of National “Twelfth Five-Year-Plan” Textbooks for Higher Education in Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry was published in 2014.

“Acupoint Anatomy Lab”was approved as first batch three-grades Lab for TCM Scientific Research by State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China in 2003.Much research has been carried out at the lab for many years and the lab has become a fine platform for the course teaching and scientific research and has played a leading role in the course teaching.

“Yan Zhen-guo Top Teacher Working Room”was set up by Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2005 and Yan’s team members collected and studied his academic idea and teaching experience and followed and developed Yan’s academic opinion and teaching methods and brought up an excellent teaching team of acupoint anatomy course.The team won Excellent Teaching Team（Foreign Education）Award of Human Anatomy of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2015.

The acupoint anatomy course was approved as one of excellent courses at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2011，one of key course construction projects by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission in the same year，and one of Shanghai Municipal Key Course Construction Projects in 2012.The projects provided a fine net teaching platform for the college students.The platform received the third prize for the 11 ^th Shanghai Municipal Education and Scientific Research Excellent Achievements in 2015.

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine still emphasizes the example and radiation effect from acupoint anatomy course.The team has opened acupoint anatomy course at Hongkong Baptist University TCM College since 2001 and has offered program for the short-term foreign students from Japan and South Korea since 2003 and for the postgraduates from Japan Zi-qing College since 2008.The team and lab has made contributions to the TCM going globally and dissemination.

（ The Introduction is translated by Shan Bao-hi ）