Providing health care to the populous but poor nation has required flexibility and determination
Western influences from about the middle of the 19th century played a pivotal role in modernising and improving health care in imperial and post-revolutionary China. But these influences also came up against the forces of a long medical tradition, cultural pride, and xenophobia. Much has been written about the “barefoot doctors” and the move to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution from the mid-1960s.1,2 This article explores the less well known period that preceded it.
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I thank Professor Antonia Finnane, Professor of Chinese History at the University of Melbourne, for teaching me about this period of Chinese history and inspiring the writing of this article.
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