by Ruth
In my latest book, Zenith of Tea (coming March 30th 2026; special $2.99 pre-order at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GNNFT2XM; watch the teaser video at https://youtu.be/uA22giijcf0), the female protagonist, Mijen, opened a teashop in Vancouver Chinatown and also treated patients using acupuncture. To ensure my description was accurate, I did extensive research on the subject and found some interesting facts.
1. High demand, low approval
By 1920, Vancouver’s Chinatown was a bustling, self-sustaining world. If you were a Chinese immigrant at the time, “mainstream” Canadian doctors were often either too expensive, too racist, or too confused by your pulse. Traditional Chinese medicine wasn’t an “alternative” choice back then. It was the lifestyle.
To the average 1920s Vancouverite, Mijen’s needles probably looked more like medieval torture than healthcare. Non-Chinese patients were rare.
2. The legal “Wild West”
Mijen wouldn’t have had a framed license from the Province of B.C. hanging on her teashop wall. Mostly because the government didn’t think her job existed. In 1920, the law was busy regulating “real” doctors. Acupuncture lived in a massive legal gray area. Mijen’s authority didn’t come from a government seal; it came from the fact that her patients didn’t die and actually felt better. In Chinatown, your reputation was your permit.
As long as Mijen stuck to treating her own community, the authorities looked the other way. However, treating a white patient could result in a “practicing medicine without a license” charge.
3. The Long Wait for Legitimacy
If Mijen were around today, she’d be shocked to learn it took until 1996 for British Columbia to legalize acupuncture.
So, was acupuncture common? Absolutely. If you had a backache in Chinatown in 1920, you knew exactly where to go.
Was Mijen licensed? No, but she was likely the most trusted person on the block.
