Nursing Shifts in Sichuan: Canadian Missions and Wartime China, 1937-1951

Nursing Shifts in Sichuan explores how the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) evacuated to Chengdu, Sichuan, during the Japanese occupation in 1943, leading to the establishment of the second university nursing program in Canada. PUMC alumnae helped restart degree programs in China thirty-five years later, highlighting the resilience of educated women in transnational relations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2022
Publisher: University of British Columbia Press

Nursing Shifts in Sichuan provides a captivating glimpse into one of the most significant developments in early-twentieth-century healthcare in China. In 1943, the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) was compelled to relocate to the Canadian West China Mission in Chengdu, Sichuan, as part of a remarkable mass migration to Free China during the Japanese occupation. The refugee PUMC was graciously hosted by the Canadian West China Mission for a period of three years. During this time, the PUMC played a pivotal role in revolutionizing nursing practices at the Canadian mission, establishing the second university nursing program in the country. Regrettably, both programs were shut down by the new Communist government in 1951.

Thirty-five years later, when China reopened its degree programs, it was PUMC alumnae who played a crucial role in restarting them. In the context of the contemporary era characterized by exponential growth in East-West educational exchanges, Nursing Shifts in Sichuan serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of transnational relations and a testament to the indomitable spirit of educated women.

Weight: 620g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780774865722