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Liu Du-zhou, originally named Liu Rong-xian, was born on October 9, 1917, in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province. In his childhood, due to his frail health and frequent illnesses, he often sought treatment from Chinese medicine doctors, personally experiencing the efficacy of Chinese medicine and gradually developing an interest in it. Because of his weak constitution, his father chose the path of Chinese medicine for him when selecting a career. At the age of 16, he formally apprenticed under the local renowned doctor Wang Zhiyuan in Yingkou, determined to study Chinese medicine, thus taking the first step in his long career in Chinese medicine.

From 1931 to 1932, he studied the basic theory of Chinese medicine under Wang Zhiyuan at the De Yu Tang in Yingkou, systematically learning the classic works of Chinese medicine, as well as foundational knowledge such as the "Medicinal Property Rhyme" and "Formulary Songs." From 1933 to 1936, he followed his teacher at the Zhiyuan Pharmacy in Dalian to learn clinical knowledge and skills.

After six years of study, he spent another year learning Chinese medicine clinical practice under Xie Siquan at the Shoumin Pharmacy in Dalian. Mr. Xie once told him, "In learning Chinese medicine clinical practice, nothing surpasses the two major categories of external contraction diseases and internal injuries. To study external contraction diseases, one must read Zhang Zhongjing's 'Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases,' and to study internal injuries, one should read 'Yizong Jinjian: Essential Methods for Treating Miscellaneous Diseases.'" Thus, that year he focused on Ke Yunbo's "Lai Su Ji of Cold Damage Diseases" and "Yizong Jinjian: Essential Methods for Treating Miscellaneous Diseases." This had a very important influence on his subsequent academic path.

In 1938, Liu Du-zhou began practicing medicine at the Zhiyuan Pharmacy in Dalian. To remind him of the professional ethics of practicing medicine and to strive to save patients from the suffering of illness, his father formally gave him the courtesy name "Du Zhou" (Ferry Boat). In May 1945, Liu Du-zhou moved to Beijing with his family. In the winter of 1946, he participated in and passed the "Special Examination for Physicians/Doctors of Chinese Medicine" in Beijing. From May 1947 to the end of 1950, he practiced medicine under his own name at Qianliang Hutong in Dongsi, Beijing. During this period, he was appointed as a professor at the North China College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, teaching the basics of Chinese medicine. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, he participated in the "Advanced School of Chinese Medicine" organized by the Ministry of Health to study basic Western medicine knowledge, graduating in 1951 after a year of study. He was then assigned to work in the Chinese medicine internal medicine department at the North China People's Hospital in Beijing's Temple of Heaven. Later, he served as the head of the Chinese medicine department at the Yongdingmen Joint Clinic and the director of the Dahongmen Joint Clinic in Nanyuan District, Beijing.

In 1956, the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Government decided to establish Chinese medicine colleges in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai to revitalize the Chinese medicine industry. This was a significant event in the healthcare system, and various departments placed great importance on the establishment of the Beijing College of Chinese Medicine, making every effort to recruit talented individuals for the faculty. Upon recommendation, Liu Du-zhou joined the Beijing College of Chinese Medicine to participate in Chinese medicine teaching. He successively served as the deputy director and director of the Cold Damage Diseases Teaching and Research Group, and concurrently as the director of the Golden Cabinet Teaching and Research Group. In 1978, he became a professor at the Beijing College of Chinese Medicine and began training master's students in Chinese medicine. In 1985, he became one of the first batch of supervisors for doctoral students in Chinese medicine nationwide. He also served as a member of the college's academic committee, the title evaluation committee, the degree evaluation committee, the textbook compilation committee, and the editor-in-chief of the "Journal of Beijing College of Chinese Medicine." In his teaching, he worked diligently and earned the support of the masses. In 1983, he was recognized as an advanced worker in the national health system and an advanced worker in the Beijing education system. In 1985, he was awarded the title of Beijing Model Worker. From 1978 to the present, he has served as a representative in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th National People's Congresses. Since 1985, he has been a member of the Academic Evaluation Group (Medical) of the State Council's Academic Degrees Committee. Since 1987, he has served as a standing council member of the All-China Association of Chinese Medicine (renamed the China Association of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy in 1991).

Liu Du-zhou joined the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party in 1956 and has served as the Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party since 1984.

Dedicated to the research of the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases"

Liu Du-zhou focuses on the study of classic works of Chinese medicine, especially the theoretical system of the six-meridian differentiation in the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases." Liu Du-zhou believes that studying the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" must be combined with the "Neijing," "Shennong Bencao Jing," and "Jingui Yaolue." This not only helps to comprehensively and correctly understand the six-meridian differentiation theory system but also provides a source and foundation for learning the works of later medical practitioners. He has devoted decades to research, integrating ancient and modern knowledge, drawing from various schools, and combining his own insights. He has authored books such as "Popular Lectures on the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," "Fourteen Lectures on the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," "Interpretation of the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," "Essentials of the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases," and "Newly Compiled Classified Formulas of the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases." These works, both theoretical and clinical, introduce the six-meridian differentiation theory system of the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" in a clear and accessible manner, earning widespread acclaim from readers. In particular, "Popular Lectures on the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" and "Fourteen Lectures on the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" have been reprinted multiple times domestically and translated into Japanese by the Toyo Gakujutsu Shuppansha for publication in Japan. Additionally, he served as the chief editor, organizing the compilation of the first specialized reference book since the study of the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" began—the "Dictionary of the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases."

The core of the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" is the differentiation of syndromes based on the six meridians. However, for a long time, there have been differing opinions on the essence of the "six meridians." In response to various academic viewpoints, especially the view that "the six meridians are not meridians and collaterals," Liu Du-zhou, from the standpoint of dialectical materialism, emphasized that the essence of the six meridians is indeed meridians and collaterals. He believed that the six-meridian differentiation of syndromes in the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" developed on the basis of the six-meridian differentiation method in the "Neijing·Re Lun." The six-meridian differentiation is based on the physiological and pathological changes of the six meridians (three yin and three yang) and their interconnected zang-fu organs. Without the six meridians and their interconnected zang-fu organ tissues, the six-meridian differentiation would be like a castle in the air. The primary issue to address in six-meridian differentiation is distinguishing yin and yang, using the two principles of yin-yang to encompass the six meridians, and then further exploring the exterior and interior of the disease location, the cold and heat of the disease condition, and the deficiency and excess of the disease state. However, if differentiation only reaches the level of yin-yang, exterior-interior, cold-heat, and deficiency-excess, it is still insufficient. This is because it has not yet been specifically linked to the pathological changes of the human body's zang-fu organ meridians and collaterals, and thus cannot clearly and profoundly explain various complex pathological changes to guide clinical treatment. Therefore, six-meridian differentiation must be based on meridians and collaterals, and through them, be applied to specific zang-fu organ tissues, making the differentiation concrete and achieving the goal of differentiation to guide treatment. He believed that correctly understanding the essence of the six meridians is crucial for correctly applying the six-meridian differentiation theory to guide clinical treatment, which is a vital issue in studying and researching the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases."

Liu Du-zhou also placed great importance on the role of the outline syndromes of the six-meridian diseases. Each of the six-meridian diseases in the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" has an outline syndrome. The outline syndrome refers to a group of symptoms that reflect the basic physiological and pathological characteristics of each meridian and its related zang-fu organs, and it has a relatively universal significance for the differentiation of a particular meridian. For example, the outline syndrome of Taiyang disease states: "Taiyang (EX-HN5) disease is characterized by floating pulse, headache and painful stiff nape, and aversion to cold." "Floating pulse" reflects the healthy qi resisting external pathogens on the body surface; "headache and painful stiff nape" reflects the obstruction of qi and blood in the Taiyang (EX-HN5) meridian due to pathogenic invasion; since the Taiyang (EX-HN5) meridian connects to the brain and neck, the head and neck are the specific areas governed by the Taiyang (EX-HN5) meridian, hence headache and painful stiff nape are unique symptoms of Taiyang (EX-HN5) meridian disease; "aversion to cold" appearing together with "floating pulse" reflects the injury to defensive yang, which cannot warm the body surface. This combination of one pulse and two symptoms reflects the basic pulse and symptom characteristics of Taiyang (EX-HN5) meridian disease, revealing the pattern of Taiyang (EX-HN5) disease primarily affecting the exterior. Therefore, mastering the outline syndrome in clinical differentiation allows for a clear and comprehensive understanding. Additionally, Liu Du-zhou believed that the six-meridian differentiation method was originally established for the invasion of pathogenic factors and is not limited to cold damage diseases alone. It should be recognized that the differentiation method seeks evidence from the six meridians, and since the six meridians differ, the physiological and pathological characteristics of the interconnected zang-fu organs also vary, leading to different symptom characteristics for each meridian. The outline syndromes of the six-meridian diseases reflect the common characteristics of each meridian's symptoms. Therefore, mastering the outline syndromes of the six-meridian diseases not only allows for understanding their differentiation patterns in cold damage diseases but also extends their application to the differentiation of miscellaneous diseases. As the Qing dynasty physician Ke Yun-bo said: "Zhang Zhongjing's six meridians establish principles for all diseases, not just for cold damage diseases alone. The treatment of cold damage and miscellaneous diseases follows the same principles, all governed by the six meridians."