ABSTRACT
Public health has been an important part of nation building in China throughout the twentieth century. Medical missionaries had travelled to China since the 1800s to cure disease and save souls, carrying with them the imperial promises of health and hygiene for all. By the late Qing and Republican eras, Chinese officials, modernisers, and intellectuals all weighed in on the importance of public health grounded in biomedical science, while Chinese scientists and physicians spearheaded efforts to improve nutrition and hygiene. Many rural and urban initiatives alike were funded by international philanthropic organisations that focussed on disease prevention. Epidemic prevention and military medicine were at the forefront during the Manchurian plague outbreak in 1910, the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45), and the Chinese Civil War (1945–49). The founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 brought continuations of earlier public health efforts, with important differences in structure and method, like mass health campaigns. Reforms after Mao Zedong’s death in 1976 included intensified attention to population planning and the decentralisation of medical services. Improving the health of China’s vast and diverse population has been a primary challenge in the twentieth century and beyond.
