Gao Wu, styled Mei Gu, was a native of Siming (present-day Ningbo, Zhejiang). He was accomplished in both astronomy and music theory. In his youth, he was fond of military strategy and archery, and during the Jiajing period (1522-1566), he passed the military examination. In middle age, he turned to the study of medicine, specializing particularly in acupuncture and moxibustion. He placed great emphasis on the principles of acupuncture and moxibustion, and for this purpose, Gao authored The Essential Principles of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (also known as The Summary of Acupuncture and Moxibustion or The Essentials of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) to trace its origins, and compiled Zhenjiu Juying to distinguish its developments. He believed that "without tracing its origins, one would be ignorant of the excellence of the ancient laws, hence I have compiled the Summary book; without investigating its developments, one would not know the flaws of later modifications, which is why the Juying was compiled." Gao excerpted important discussions on acupuncture and moxibustion from Neijing and Nan Jing, reorganized them, and divided them into titled sections, compiling The Essential Principles of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, which covers various aspects such as nine needles, needling techniques, tonification and drainage, meridians, and back transport points, making it useful for beginners in acupuncture and moxibustion. His work Zhenjiu Juying collected the theories and therapeutic experiences from more than ten acupuncture and moxibustion texts before the 16th century, and also recorded Gao Wu's own insights and developments on certain issues. It is one of the better works on Acupuncture and Moxibustion from the Ming Dynasty and an important document in the history of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Additionally, recognizing that the positioning of acupuncture points differed among men, women, and children, Gao Wu designed and cast bronze statues of men, women, and children for acupuncture and moxibustion in the mid-16th century as standards for point location. These were the earliest privately cast acupuncture and moxibustion bronze statues in history, but unfortunately, they have not survived to the present day.