Li Shizhen (1518-1593) During his childhood, Li Shizhen worked in his family's herbal shop and accompanied his father on visits to patients. His father had dreams of his son becoming a civil servant, but Li repeatedly failed the official examinations and was obliged to remain in the family business. In 1552, he began work on his materia medica, a compendium he wished to be free of the errors of past publications. During these years, he was admitted to the Academy of Medicine in Peking, a prestigious institution for promising and famous physicians. Disappointed with the experience, he returned to his hometown and traveled all over China, visiting such provinces as Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi and Hubei to gather information for his book. The Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) was not published until 1596, three years after Li's death.