ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a historical overview of the HIV/AIDS in China. There are four distinct stages in China’s handling of HIV/AIDS from the first encounter until the present time. Phase one – the introduction phase – provides information of how HIV/AIDS was first discovered in China; Phase two concerned China’s classification of HIV/AIDS as a western disease resulting in delayed action; Phase three was the diffusion period in China’s epidemics where HIV was spreading rapidly throughout key populations; Phase four is the current stage where rampant prevalence has seen the virus become sexually driven and generalised in certain populations. Additionally, this chapter examines the current situation of HIV/AIDS in China’s Yunnan Province and asks whether the cultural diversity within Yunnan adds to difficulties in delivering HV/AIDS programs.
