https://www.scmp.com/rss/295999/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Since the onset of the Chinese revolution in the early 20th century, public health objectives have been an integral part of the Communist Party’s ideology. China’s overwhelming poverty, linked to the population’s poor health and hygiene, particularly in the countryside, signalled the country’s backwardness to the world. China was the “sick man of Asia” in many ways – leading both revolutionaries and social reformers to believe that improving the country’s health care would open the door for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3049393/coronavirus-chinas-health-and-politics-have-always-been-linked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3049393/coronavirus-chinas-health-and-politics-have-always-been-linked?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Feb 2020 02:00:13 +0000 Surrounded by hills and plains, close to the Mongolian Plateau, Beijing suffers from extremes of temperature. Every year after the harsh, cold winter, the sandstorm from the Gobi desert invades the city as spring approaches. The entire city is covered in dust and turns grey, colouring human life. It is the most miserable time of the year. Year in and year out, local residents have learnt to deal with this dusty season by covering their head and face with a scarf or wearing a mask. This year, the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1204076/deforestation-blame-beijings-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1204076/deforestation-blame-beijings-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The Dragon is gone; the year of upheaval is over. We are now celebrating the Year of the Snake. Chinese traditionally associate the snake with cunning and great wisdom. To have a snake in the house is good omen. It is believed that, in times of crisis, the snake, being resourceful, manipulative and deceptive, can keep the family from starvation. When I was researching the Great Famine of 1958 and 1962, a villager I interviewed told me that in his home village in Shaanxi province, every family... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1151102/why-cunning-snake-beloved-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1151102/why-cunning-snake-beloved-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000