Chinese Understanding of Diankuang in a Metropolitan City in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Compared with other ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom (UK), the Chinese are least known. They have a long history of migration from mainland China, for example, to South-east Asia, and have always adopted a policy of “bending with the wind”-using strategies to blend in with local populations. This article is part of a larger project examining Hong Kong Chinese living in Manchester and their understanding of Western cosmopolitan mental illness categories (e.g., schizophrenia, depression, psychosis, and neuras-thenia) as well as their experiences of Western medicine. Diankuang, the focus here, is a common Chinese term for “crazy. ” Sixteen respondents were interviewed in depth. All knew of Diankuang, and they offered a range of explanations that match the “classical” version. Differences occurred regarding suitable treatment regimens; however, ill common with Western lay perspectives of “madness, ” Diankllang was regarded as something stigmatizing that taints family relationships. Some felt Diankuang was a condition that “threatened” everyday interaction and that its sufferers needed physical restraint.