[Apprentices in traditional Chinese medicine: the process of becoming a national policy]

At the beginning of the New China, the first National Health Administration Conference and the first National Health Conference established the health administration policies of the New China, but ignored the training of Chinese medicine successors. After 1954, the policy towards Chinese medicine changed gradually. In 1956, the Ministry of Health issued the Instructions on Carrying out the Work of Apprentices with Chinese Medicine, and developed the National Plan for Apprentices with Chinese Medicine from 1956 to 1962 (Draft). Although their initial implementation did not go smoothly, it was still one of the important policy measures to train and cultivate new practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and ensure TCM successors in the New China.