Modern Medicine in Twentieth-Century Jiangxi, Anhui, Fujian and Sichuan: Competition, Negotiation and Cooperation

Abstract

With Chinese efforts to modernise medicine at the turn of the twentieth century, many intellectuals feared the loss of cultural integrity that would ensue, as modern medicine was tied to the very imperialists that were the cause of China's problems. Historians have proven Chinese intellectuals' fears to be well-founded, as, for example, studies have determined that in Old Beijing and Tianjin, modernisation brought conceptual shifts in the understanding of healing that brought a decline to the traditional understandings and practices of healing that were the very basis of Chinese culture. Examples from missionary writings in this study support the findings of historians; however, they also reflect missionary frustration, as the Chinese fought to maintain their traditional healing traditions while thwarting missionary power, asserting authority and control. This study examines the negotiation, competition and cooperation that occurred among a small number of missionaries and local Chinese who accepted modern methods of healing in the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, Fujian and Sichuan while seeking to maintain cultural integrity and autonomy.