Master Tung's Acupuncture

By Dr (TCM) Attilio D'Alberto | Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Wokingham

Master Tung's acupuncture (Tung's Magic Points, Tung's Orthodox Acupuncture) is a family-lineage style passed down for several centuries within the Tung family of Shandong, China, and brought into the wider world by Master Tung Ching-Chang (1916–1975) after he settled in Taiwan. It uses a unique set of acupuncture points — many located on the limbs — and is known for producing rapid, often immediate pain relief.

Master Tung's points are not part of the standard TCM repertoire. They sit alongside the classical 365 points as a separate, parallel system. Some are well-known: Ling Gu and Da Bai, on the back of the hand between the thumb and index finger, have become signature points in modern pain practice worldwide.

On this page

1. What is Master Tung's acupuncture?
2. The Tung family lineage
3. The Tung points
4. Signature points — Ling Gu and Da Bai
5. Conditions Tung's acupuncture suits
6. Tung's vs TCM acupuncture — the differences
7. Master Tung's acupuncture in Wokingham
8. FAQs

1. What is Master Tung's acupuncture?

Master Tung's acupuncture is a family-lineage tradition that uses several hundred unique acupuncture points clustered on the hands, forearms, feet and lower legs — with smaller sets on the head, ear and torso. It is predominantly a distal system: the points are usually located far from the area of pain.

Treatment is characteristically minimalist — often only two to six needles per session — and the patient is usually asked to move the painful area immediately after needling to confirm the response. Clinically, the system is best known for producing dramatic and often immediate change in pain, especially musculoskeletal pain.

2. The Tung family lineage

The Tung family of Shandong province in China is said to have practised this style for several hundred years, passing the knowledge from father to son in strict secrecy. The lineage emerged into the wider world only in the twentieth century, when Master Tung Ching-Chang (1916–1975) was forced to leave China after the civil war and settled in Taiwan. Master Tung treated patients in Taipei and began teaching outside the family, breaking the long tradition of secrecy. His most influential text, Tung's Orthodox Acupuncture, was published in 1973.

His student Dr Miriam Lee carried the lineage to the United States in 1966 and later trained Dr Richard Tan and others. Today the lineage is taught internationally by figures such as Susan Johnson, Wei-Chieh Young, Robert Chu and Brad Whisnant.

3. The Tung points

The traditional Tung text lists between 200 and 740 points (different lineages count differently), organised into “regions” rather than channels:

• Region 1 — fingers.
• Region 2 — back of the hand and palm.
• Region 3 — forearm.
• Region 4 — upper arm.
• Region 5 — foot.
• Region 6 — lower leg.
• Region 7 — thigh.
• Region 8 — ear.
• Region 9 — head.
• Region 10 — back.
• Region 11 — chest and abdomen.

Some Tung points coincide with classical TCM points; many do not. Selection is based on the affected channel (using classical theory in a way similar to Dr Tan's Balance Method), the body region and the type of pathology.

Dao Ma — the “guiding horse” technique

A defining feature of the system is Dao Ma (倒馬), in which two or three points lying in a line are needled together rather than singly. The points reinforce one another, and most of the best-known Tung combinations — Ling Gu with Da Bai, Zhong Bai with Xia Bai, the “Three Emperors” — are Dao Ma groups rather than individual points. Points are usually needled on the side opposite the symptoms, and the patient is asked to move the affected area while the needles are in place.

Points of the fingers

• Fu Ke (妇科, 11.24) — “Gynaecology”. On the back of the thumb, on the outer half of the distal segment; classically two fine needles are used. The principal Tung point for menstrual and gynaecological patterns, used for irregular or painful periods and as part of fertility treatment.
• Huan Chao (還巢, 11.06) — “Return to the Nest”. On the ulnar side of the ring finger, at the midpoint of the middle segment. Used in TCM for ovarian and uterine patterns, and traditionally paired with Fu Ke in fertility treatment.

Points of the hand

• Ling Gu (靈骨, 22.05) — in the depression on the radial side of the second metacarpal, at the junction with the first metacarpal, noticeably more proximal than LI 4. Used for lower back pain, sciatica, hip and leg pain, and for breathlessness and fatigue. Avoided in pregnancy.
• Da Bai (大白, 22.04) — on the radial side of the second metacarpal near LI 3. The Dao Ma partner of Ling Gu; also used for cough and wheezing. Avoided in pregnancy.
• Zhong Bai (中白, 22.06) — on the ulnar side of the back of the hand, proximal to the junction of the fourth and fifth metacarpals, near TB 3. Used for Kidney-type lower back ache, tiredness, tinnitus, dizziness and fluid retention.
• Xia Bai (下白, 22.07) — about 1 cun proximal to Zhong Bai in the same groove, and its Dao Ma partner.
• Shou Jie (手解, 22.01) — on the palm, between the fourth and fifth metacarpals, at the point the little fingertip reaches when a loose fist is made. Used to settle a patient who feels faint or unwell during needling, and traditionally for calming and for withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.

Points of the forearm

• Xin Men (心門, 33.11) — “Heart Gate”. On the inner border of the ulna, about 1.5 cun distal to the tip of the elbow. Used for palpitations and chest tightness, and — through the Tung correspondence between elbow and tailbone — for coccyx pain.

Points of the foot

• Men Jin (門金, 66.05) — between the second and third metatarsals, at or close to ST 43. Used for one-sided and temporal headache, cramping abdominal pain and period pain.
• Huo Ying (火硬, 66.03) and Huo Zhu (火主, 66.04) — between the first and second metatarsals, in the region of LV 3. A Dao Ma pair used for headache and for palpitations and chest tightness.

Points of the lower leg

• Zheng Jin (正筋, 77.01) and Zheng Zong (正宗, 77.02) — on the Achilles tendon, the first level with the top of the heel bone and the second about 2 cun above it. The principal Dao Ma pair for neck stiffness and spinal pain. Avoided where there is Achilles tendinopathy or previous rupture.
• Ce San Li (側三里, 77.22) and Ce Xia San Li (77.23) — about 1.5 cun lateral to ST 36, with the second 2 cun below. Used for facial and dental pain and temporal headache.
• The “Three Emperors” — Tian Huang (天皇, 77.17) below the medial condyle of the tibia near SP 9, Di Huang (地皇, 77.19) mid-way down the inner lower leg, and Ren Huang (人皇, 77.21) near SP 6. Needled together as a deep tonifying Dao Ma for Kidney and Spleen deficiency, fatigue and gynaecological patterns. Shen Guan (腋關, 77.18), just below Tian Huang, is the key point of the group and is also used for frozen shoulder through channel correspondence.
• Zu Qian Jin (足千金, 77.24) — on the outer lower leg, used for throat pain and for sciatic-type pain down the leg.
• Si Hua Shang (四花上, 77.08) — on the front of the lower leg, about 3 cun below the kneecap on the outer side of the tibial crest, close to ST 36. Used for cough, wheezing and chest tightness, and for knee pain; often paired with Si Hua Zhong (77.09) below it.
• San Zhong (三重, 77.05–77.07) — three points 2 cun apart on the outer lower leg, the lowest about 4 cun above the tip of the outer ankle bone on the front border of the fibula. A three-point Dao Ma used for thyroid and neck swellings, breast lumps, facial paralysis and recovery after stroke, alongside conventional care.

Points of the thigh

• Tong Guan (通關, 88.01), Tong Shan (通山, 88.02) and Tong Tian (通天, 88.03) — on the midline of the front of the thigh, 5, 7 and 9 cun above the upper border of the kneecap. The main Tung group for palpitations, chest tightness and fatigue; classically only two of the three are needled at one time.
• Zhong Jiu Li (中九里, 88.25) — on the outer thigh, roughly midway between the hip and the knee on the Gallbladder line. A major point for sciatica, hip and lower back pain, recovery after stroke, and for itching skin conditions.
• Ming Huang (明黃, 88.12), Tian Huang (天黃, 88.13) and Qi Huang (其黃, 88.14) — on the inner thigh, Ming Huang at the midpoint with the others 3 cun above and below. A Dao Ma group used for liver-related patterns, tiredness, eye symptoms and gynaecological complaints.

Watch the names: Tian Huang appears twice in the system — 77.17 on the inner lower leg (one of the “Three Emperors”) and 88.13 on the inner thigh (with Ming Huang and Qi Huang). They are different points with different uses, so the number matters as much as the name.

A note on numbering: Tung point numbers, region groupings and some locations differ between lineages and published texts, because the system was transmitted privately within the Tung family and later recorded by different students. The numbers above follow the most widely published convention.

4. Signature points — Ling Gu and Da Bai

The pair of points known as Ling Gu (“Spirit Bone”) and Da Bai (“Great White”) are located on the back of the hand between the thumb and index finger, just proximal to and just distal of the junction of the first and second metacarpals. Used together, they are one of the most widely deployed point combinations in modern pain acupuncture worldwide. They are particularly indicated for:

• Sciatica and lower back pain.
• Neck and shoulder pain.
• Headache, particularly occipital and vertex.
• Hip pain.

Other well-known Tung points include the “Three Emperors” on the lower leg (used for fertility, hormonal and Kidney-related conditions), the “Big Bone” (Da Gu) for shoulder, and “Foot Thousand Gold” for sciatic-type lower limb pain.

5. Conditions Tung's acupuncture suits

Master Tung's acupuncture is most strongly indicated for:

• Acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain in any region.
• Sciatica and radicular pain.
• Frozen shoulder, tennis and golfer's elbow.
• Headache and migraine.
• Acute sports injuries.
• Post-surgical and post-traumatic pain.

The lineage also includes points for fertility, hormonal and internal medicine conditions, but the pain applications are what brought Master Tung's style its international reputation.

6. Tung's vs TCM acupuncture — the differences

• Unique point system — Tung uses points not in the standard TCM repertoire.
• Distal needling — Tung points are predominantly on the limbs, far from the painful area.
• Few needles — treatments often use only 2–6 needles.
• Movement therapy — the patient is asked to move the affected area during the treatment to test the response.
• Speed — the system is known for producing immediate effects in pain conditions.
• Lineage transmission — knowledge of the points and their indications was traditionally passed within a family rather than codified in mainstream texts.

7. Master Tung's acupuncture in Wokingham

My own training is primarily in TCM acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, but I incorporate Master Tung's points — particularly Ling Gu, Da Bai and the Three Emperors — in pain treatment where they are the right fit. Tung's distal approach pairs well with TCM-style local treatment and is especially useful when needling near an acutely painful area would be uncomfortable.

To discuss whether Tung-style distal needling suits your pain pattern, contact me at my Wokingham clinic.

8. FAQs

What is the difference between Master Tung's acupuncture and Dr Tan's Balance Method?

Master Tung uses a unique set of family-lineage points not found in standard TCM. Dr Tan's Balance Method primarily uses classical TCM points but selects them using a six-system framework. Both are distal-needling systems and Dr Tan was strongly influenced by Master Tung's tradition. Many modern practitioners use both.

Is Master Tung's acupuncture only for pain?

It is best known for pain, but the lineage includes points for fertility, hormonal, gynaecological, gastrointestinal and emotional conditions. Pain is where the rapid effect is most easily demonstrated.

What are Ling Gu and Da Bai?

Two of the most widely used Tung points, located on the back of the hand between the thumb and index finger. They are used together for sciatica, back pain, neck and shoulder pain, headache and hip pain.

Are Tung points safe?

Yes — the points are located on the hands, forearms, feet and lower legs in areas that are routinely needled in standard acupuncture practice. Safety considerations are the same as for any acupuncture.

How many sessions do I need?

For acute pain, 3–6 sessions often produce sustained improvement. For chronic pain, 6–12 sessions is a typical initial course, with maintenance as needed.

To discuss whether Master Tung-style distal needling could help you, contact me or book a consultation at my Wokingham clinic.

Related reading: About acupuncture | Dr Tan's Balance Method | Dry needling | Acupuncture for pain