ABSTRACT
This article reviews and reflects critically on the parallel but asymmetric development of traditional Chinese Medicine (herein CM) and modern Western or scientific medicine (WM) in Hong Kong, before and after her sovereignty was returned to China in 1997. It is notable that, whereas Chinese and Western cultural elements mingle and mix in almost every aspect of living in Hong Kong, CM and WM are conspicuously segregated, and an appropriate mix of the two medical systems remains elusive. The historical and sociopolitical context of CM development explains why it has not taken a path similar to that in Mainland China. While the two systems remain segregated, Chinese and Western medicines are often “mixed” at the individual case level, as patients’ heathcare-seeking behaviors are in reality often dual and mixed. The future scene of CM in relation to WM in Hong Kong depends much on finding ways and means to address interface issues between traditional CM practitioners and the practitioners of Western medicine, and to facilitate their communication.
