Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai
Body, Society, and Nation tells the story of China’s unfolding modernity by exploring the changing ideas, practices, and systems related to health and body in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Shanghai. The pursuit of good health loomed large in Chinese political, social, and economic life. Yet, “good health” had a range of associations beyond individual well-being. It was also an integral part of Chinese nation-building, a goal of charitable activities, a notable outcome of Western medical science, a marker of modern civilization, and a commercial catchphrase. With the advent of Western powers, Chinese notions about personal hygiene and the body gradually expanded. This transformation was complicated by indigenous medical ideas, preexisting institutions and social groups, and local cultures and customs.

This study explores the many ways that members of the various strata of Shanghai society experienced and understood multiple meanings of health and body within their everyday lives. Chieko Nakajima traces the institutions they established, the regulations they implemented, and the practices they brought to the city as part of efforts to promote health. In doing so, she explains how local practices and customs fashioned and constrained public health and, in turn, how hygienic modernity helped shape and develop local cultures and influenced people’s behavior.

1128179831
Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai
Body, Society, and Nation tells the story of China’s unfolding modernity by exploring the changing ideas, practices, and systems related to health and body in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Shanghai. The pursuit of good health loomed large in Chinese political, social, and economic life. Yet, “good health” had a range of associations beyond individual well-being. It was also an integral part of Chinese nation-building, a goal of charitable activities, a notable outcome of Western medical science, a marker of modern civilization, and a commercial catchphrase. With the advent of Western powers, Chinese notions about personal hygiene and the body gradually expanded. This transformation was complicated by indigenous medical ideas, preexisting institutions and social groups, and local cultures and customs.

This study explores the many ways that members of the various strata of Shanghai society experienced and understood multiple meanings of health and body within their everyday lives. Chieko Nakajima traces the institutions they established, the regulations they implemented, and the practices they brought to the city as part of efforts to promote health. In doing so, she explains how local practices and customs fashioned and constrained public health and, in turn, how hygienic modernity helped shape and develop local cultures and influenced people’s behavior.

45.0 Out Of Stock
Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai

Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai

by Chieko Nakajima
Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai

Body, Society, and Nation: The Creation of Public Health and Urban Culture in Shanghai

by Chieko Nakajima

Hardcover

$45.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Body, Society, and Nation tells the story of China’s unfolding modernity by exploring the changing ideas, practices, and systems related to health and body in late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Shanghai. The pursuit of good health loomed large in Chinese political, social, and economic life. Yet, “good health” had a range of associations beyond individual well-being. It was also an integral part of Chinese nation-building, a goal of charitable activities, a notable outcome of Western medical science, a marker of modern civilization, and a commercial catchphrase. With the advent of Western powers, Chinese notions about personal hygiene and the body gradually expanded. This transformation was complicated by indigenous medical ideas, preexisting institutions and social groups, and local cultures and customs.

This study explores the many ways that members of the various strata of Shanghai society experienced and understood multiple meanings of health and body within their everyday lives. Chieko Nakajima traces the institutions they established, the regulations they implemented, and the practices they brought to the city as part of efforts to promote health. In doing so, she explains how local practices and customs fashioned and constrained public health and, in turn, how hygienic modernity helped shape and develop local cultures and influenced people’s behavior.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780674987173
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Publication date: 07/02/2018
Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs , #414
Pages: 328
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Chieko Nakajima is an independent scholar who has taught at the University of Michigan, DePaul University, and Assumption College.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures ix

Acknowledgments xi

List of Abbreviations xv

Introduction 1

Western Medicine and Science in China 11

Body, Society, and State in Republican China 15

Colonialism in Shanghai 18

An Overview 22

1 Caring for the Sick, Helping the Poor: The Development of Hospitals in Shanghai 26

Christianity and Medical Care: Missionary Hospitals 31

Seasonal Diseases and Elite Activism: Summer-Disease Hospitals 50

Chinese Medicine and Western System: Traditional Chinese Hospitals 60

Conclusion 73

2 Protecting Life, Controlling the City: The Origins and Development of the Shanghai Municipal Public Health Bureau 76

The Public Health Administration of the Nanjing Government 79

Public Health Administration in Prewar Shanghai 86

Shanghai Public Health Bureau during the War 111

Conclusion 125

3 Teaching about Health, Mobilizing the Masses: Hygiene Campaigns in Shanghai 129

From Community Service to State-Sponsored Event 133

Campaign Strategies 147

Conclusion 177

4 Selling Hygiene, Supporting Nation: Health, Hygiene, and Commercial Culture 181

Development of Light Industries and Interest in Chemistry 186

Ideals of Clean Bodies, Public Health, and a Strong Nation 195

Personal Hygiene Items in Commercial Advertisements 199

The Sociocultural Significance of Commodities 209

Doing Business in Shanghai: Fang Yexian and Chen Diexian 214

Conclusion 222

Conclusion 226

Health and Hygiene in post-1949 China 228

Reorganizing Medical-Care Facilities 232

Organizing Hygiene Campaigns 240

Science, Policing, and Mass Mobilization Programs 244

Appendix 1 Shanghai and Its Foreign Concessions 251

Appendix 2 The Lecture Outline for the 1942 Summer Campaign 255

Glossary 259

Bibliography 265

Index 303

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews