Intimate Communities : Wartime Healthcare and the Birth of Modern China, 1937-1945

At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit (http://www.luminosoa.org) www.luminosoa.org to learn more. When China’s War of Resistance against Japan began in July 1937, it sparked an immediate health crisis throughout China. In the end, China not only survived the war but emerged from the trauma with a curious strength. Intimate Communities argues that women who worked as military and civilian nurses, doctors, and midwives during this turbulent period built the national community, one relationship at a time. In a country with a majority illiterate, agricultural population that could not relate to urban elites’ conceptualization of nationalism, these women used their work of healing to create emotional bonds with soldiers and civilians from across the country that transcended the divides of social class, region, gender, and language. At publication date, a free ebook version of this title will be available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit [www.luminosoa.org](http://www.luminosoa.org) to learn more.When China’s War of Resistance against Japan began in July 1937, it sparked an immediate health crisis throughout China. In the end, China not only survived the war but emerged from the trauma with a curious strength. __Intimate Communities__argues that women who worked as military and civilian nurses, doctors, and midwives during this turbulent period built the national community, one relationship at a time. In a country with a majority illiterate, agricultural population that could not relate to urban elites’ conceptualization of nationalism, these women used their work of healing to create emotional bonds with soldiers and civilians from across the country that transcended the divides of social class, region, gender, and language. A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. When China's War of Resistance against Japan began in July 1937, it sparked an immediate health crisis throughout China. In the end, China not only survived the war but emerged from the trauma with a more cohesive population. Intimate Communities argues that women who worked as military and civilian nurses, doctors, and midwives during this turbulent period built the national community, one relationship at a time. In a country with a majority illiterate, agricultural population that could not relate to urban elites'conceptualization of nationalism, these women used their work of healing to create emotional bonds with soldiers and civilians from across the country. These bonds transcended the divides of social class, region, gender, and language. "When China's War of Resistance against Japan began in July 1937, it sparked an immediate health crisis throughout China. In the end, China not only survived the war but emerged from the trauma with a curious strength. Intimate Communities argues that women who worked as military and civilian nurses, doctors, and midwives during this turbulent period built the national community, one relationship at a time. In a country with a majority illiterate, agricultural population that could not relate to urban elites' conceptualization of nationalism, these women used their work of healing to create emotional bonds with soldiers and civilians from across the country that transcended the divides of social class, region, gender, and language"--Provided by publisher When China's War of Resistance against Japan began in July 1937, it sparked an immediate health crisis throughout the country. In the end, China not only survived the war but also emerged from the trauma with a curious strength. Intimate Communities argues that women who worked as military and civilian nurses, doctors, and midwives during this turbulent period built the national community, one relationship at a time. In a country with a majority illiterate, agricultural population that could not relate to urban elites' conceptualization of nationalism, these women used their work of healing to create emotional bonds with soldiers and civilians from across the country that transcended the divides of social class, region, gender, and language Cover 1 Half Title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Illustrations 12 Acknowledgments 14 Prologue in Triptych 18 Introduction 22 1 Policing the Public in the New Capital 42 2 Appearing in Public: The Relationships at the Heart of the Nation 73 3 Healing to Kill the True Internal Enemy 112 4 Authority in the Halls of Science: Women of the Wards 141 5 Mothers for the Nation 180 Conclusion 214 Notes 224 Glossary of Personal Names and Terms 276 Bibliography 288 Index 310