about dao hut
Learn about Dao Hut’s founder Dr. David White, our practice history, our logo and more.
David White 百川 - Founder
David White started his journey into acupuncture and Chinese medicine at the age of 14, while studying traditional Chinese martial arts and cultivation practices. After finishing school he immediately enrolled at the Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SITCM) where he graduated with distinction and honours. This led to an internship at the Anhui Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, P.R. China, where David was fortunate to study with some exceptional teachers seeing hundreds of patients every day (it is here he was bestowed the name 百川 or “hundred rivers” by Dr. Cai). Here he honed his skills in both medicine and culture before returning to Sydney to start his own practice in the CBD. David was also fortunate to be asked to head the acupuncture and acupuncture technique programs at SITCM, where he subsequently taught as a senior lecturer for twenty years. During this time he built a strong clinical base through private practice and research. In 2005 he completed his Masters of Applied Science (Acupuncture) with a distinct focus in neurophysiology, and in 2006 David was invited to study under Sydney’s longest serving physician, Dr. David Tai (Western and Chinese medicine practitioner). Over the next decade David White and David Tai saw nearly 100,000 patients together, focusing on pain syndromes, neurological disorders, and post-accident paralysis rehabilitation. Here Dr. White (acu) was invited to assist in-patients at Royal Rehab Sydney for post-stroke and spinal cord injury management. This led to work in the Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) spinal injury and intensive care units offering acupuncture under the supervision of surgeons and medical staff. In 2008 David was fortunate to be accepted into the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the University of Technology, Sydney, in the Department of Health Sciences. Here he researched the impact of classical source literature in Chinese medicine, and modern evidence based research on the individual practitioners and education programs in the west.
In 2009 David was invited to attend as co-founder the inaugural conference of the International Society for the Study of Classical Acupuncture (ISSCA) in Portland, Oregon. Here he connected with like-minded colleagues studying classical Chinese medicine. These conferences turned into wonderful scholar retreats where varying ideas on the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic) were explored. Once these conferences stopped, David started his own educational facility, the Institute of Neijing Research (INR) in 2012. Since then the INR has become the foremost clinical education platform for students and practitioners around the world to study this wonderful classical text. David has authored and contributed to many articles, books, and other papers on this specialised subject. It is here that David also fell in love with traditional Chinese teas and their powerful contribution to cultivation practices. He is currently in the middle of teaching an intensive two year clinical Neijing study program to over 50 students in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM).
David has one goal in mind: to study and practice effective medicine, martial arts, and cultivation techniques with complete authenticity. In doing so, he has sought out many wonderful teachers in his time, from 26 + years of study under John Dolic, 20 years under Dr. David Tai, 5 years under Prof. Hoc Ku Huynh, 2 years under Dr. Daniel Deng. His study in martial arts includes a Black Belt in Chungdokwan Taekwondo, a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu under Liam Resnekov, Instructor Level Training under Ray Floro, and he is holder of one of the few Liangshi Baguazhang lineages under John Dolic, and many years of boxing, kickboxing and more. Today, David still focuses on his Baguazhang and BJJ training.
After two plus decades of running his private practice Classical Acupuncture Sydney, David has relocated to Lenah Valley, Tasmania and opened Dao Hut. This Hobart acupuncture clinic and cultivation centre is the amalgamation of a lifetime of dedication by David and he looks forward to supporting all people, from all walks of life, with any ailment through these wonderful, time tested, traditional methods.
“Medicine should be taught and practiced from one’s heart-mind with complete authenticity, and with the singular goal of guiding others to a greater sense of self.”
— David White, Dao Hut
behind the image…
Our logo came about through serendipitous events. Around twenty-two years ago the master dharma-artist Tashi Mannox created our logo, but not for us. It was originally an un-named commissioned piece for the late Isabella Blow and the famous milliner Philip Treacy. Many many years ago, David happened to commission his own artist for a tattoo, this image was presented to him - and was foolishly taken from Tashi without his permission. This information recently came to light and David reached out to Tashi to correct this wrong-doing. A conversation ensued, the history of this image was discussed, and the licensing and original artwork found its way to Dao Hut. It is a logo that emanates not only the beauty of the simplicity and reverence of Tashi's dharma art, but also the precision of calligraphy, the coming together of different worlds, different colleagues, walking separate paths, but with a similar goal.
As Tashi himself wrote: "The design of the logo is based on the all seeing wisdom eyes of a Dharma protector, who has the ability to see into the past, present, and future. The style is of Tibetan ribbon clouds, that twist and to turn to form the pattern, which end aspiring heavenly to their end point. This also represents freedom of movement and playful spontaneity of a liberated mind, yet at the same time their required trained discipline to form the dancing cloud like design".