China and the Cholera Pandemic: Restructuring Society under Mao

Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign led to a catastrophic famine and the global cholera pandemic of the early 1960s. To affirm its legitimacy and prevent transmission of the disease, the communist government committed to social restructuring. Xiaoping Fang demonstrates how China's pandemic was a significant social and political influence during a dramatic transition for the People's Republic, with disease control and prevention being integral components of its restructuring initiatives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2021
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign, launched in 1958, aimed to rapidly collectivize agriculture in China, resulting in disastrous consequences. The global cholera pandemic of the early 1960s exacerbated the situation, spreading rampantly through infected waters along southeastern coastal China. Faced with a political crisis and the seventh global cholera pandemic in recorded history, the communist government undertook social restructuring to affirm its legitimacy and prevent disease transmission.

In the Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang Province, the area most severely affected by cholera at the time, Xiaoping Fang demonstrates how the pandemic in China went beyond a mere health incident. It became a significant social and political influence during a period of dramatic transition for the People's Republic.

China and the Cholera Pandemic delves into the government's large-scale, covert anticholera campaign as a means of disease control and prevention. This campaign played a crucial role in the government's restructuring initiatives, aimed at restoring social order. The subsequent establishment of an emergency disciplinary health state further reinforced these aims through quarantine and isolation measures, which had profound impacts on the social epidemiology of the region. These measures divided Chinese society and reinforced hierarchies based on factors such as place, gender, and socioeconomic status.

The Great Leap Forward campaign and the cholera pandemic not only resulted in significant loss of life but also left lasting social and economic scars in China. The legacy of these events continues to be a subject of study and debate, highlighting the complex interplay between politics, society, and public health in the country's history.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 154 x 228 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780822966838