The manuscript by Qing Dynasty imperial physician Wang Bichang. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) imperial physician Wang Bichang's manuscript which records 540 kinds of prescriptions, has been valued at 216 million yuan ($31.4 million).

Wang Bichang was born in 1764 and was selected for the Imperial Hospital during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820) in the Qing Dynasty. He spent nine years in office. Before Wang left the Imperial Hospital to return to his hometown, he recorded his medical knowledge in Liao Fu Ji in 1810. Many kinds of difficult and rare diseases were included in Liao Fu Ji, including cancer, tumours, hematuria and hematemesis.

The manuscript was discovered among a pile of scripts by Peng Ling, a director of the China Association of Collectors. Yao Boyue, a professor from Peking University firmly believes that the manuscript is the original written by Wang Bichang, judging from the paper material and handwriting.

Tuo Xiaotang, a former head from China Guardian Auctions, said that in 2007, Ren Xigeng's 50 kinds of secret prescriptions were sold for 2 million yuan, with each prescription valued at 40,000 yuan. Ten years later, the price is estimated to have risen 10 times. If each prescription is estimated at 400,000 yuan, the price of the complete Wang Bichang manuscript could reach 216 million yuan.