2 Health and Hygiene in Late Qing China as Seen Through the Eyes of Japanese Travelers

Abstract

As an island country, Japan benefited over many centuries from importing knowledge as well as commodities from China. This chapter explores how the travel genre exerted its influence in transitional period from traditional to modern era, namely late Shogunate and Meiji periods in Japan and the corresponding years in late Qing China, with particular reference to medical culture. This exploration is set in the context of the emergence of new social and technological factors, notably the development of print media. The chapter also concentrates on Chinese hygiene as seen through the eyes of Japanese travelers, and key to this is to identifying the people who created the narratives on this subject and those read and consumed them. It focuses on the years 1862-1912, since 1911-12 marks a milestone as the end of both the Qing Dynasty and the Meiji period. Keywords: Japanese travelers; late Qing China; late Shogunate; medical culture; Meiji period; modern era