CCCH5057 China: Culture, State and Society
Shaping Health in China (Online)

This course is under the thematic cluster(s) of:

  • Sustaining Cities, Cultures, and the Earth (SCCE)

Course Description

[Discussion sessions and tutorials of this course will be delivered online.] 

This course will explore the factors contributing to health and well-being issues and the healthcare system in China. It will introduce the socioeconomic determinants of health from the World Health Organization (WHO) as a framework to guide students to reflect and analyse the population health issues in China. Participants will explore the physical, mental and social issues in China throughout this course, and have the opportunities to evaluate existing health-related issues and interventions.

This course is entirely issue-based and problem-oriented through experiential and problem-based learning to facilitate students’ exploration and reflection. Introduction of the essential concepts and theories will be uploaded to Moodle prior to the class. Students will engage in class activities and discussions within the class hours. 

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to apply their knowledge learnt to analyse, develop and evaluate health interventions. Subsequently, bring influence to healthcare practice and policy in their career.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Understand the theories and principles of human health in a holistic Fashion.
  2. Understand the development of health in China from a chronological and global perspectives.
  3. Demonstrate professional competence in analysing complex social problems with human health relevance.
  4. Evaluate policy initiatives from both science and humanities perspectives.
  5. Propose a social innovation project in a well-defined health issue with contextual consideration.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

Second semester (Wed)


Study Load

Activities Number of hours
Online course material 16
Discussion sessions 16
Tutorials 16
Reading / Self-study 36
Assessment: Essay / Report writing 40
Assessment: Presentation (incl preparation) 24
Total: 140

Assessment: 100% coursework

Assessment Tasks Weighting
Class participation 30
Group project 40
Reflective report 30

Required Reading

  • Bu, L. (2017). Public health and the modernization of China, 1865–2015. Routledge.
  • Guo, S. (2021). Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Planning and Global Positioning. World Scientific.
  • HKSAR Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau. (2019). Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. From https://www.bayarea.gov.hk/filemanager/en/share/pdf/Outline_Development_Plan.pdf
  • Islam, M. N. (Ed.). (2015). Public health challenges in contemporary China: An interdisciplinary perspective. Springer.
  • Li, L., & Jiang, Q. (Eds.). (2019). Introduction to Public Health in China (Vol. 4). Springer.
  • Summers, T. (2018). China’s Regions in an Era of Globalization. Routledge.

Required Website


Course Co-ordinator and Teacher(s)

Course Co-ordinator Contact
Professor A.K.C. Wai
Department of Emergency Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 3917 9859
Email: awai@hku.hk
Teacher(s) Contact
Professor A.K.C. Wai
Department of Emergency Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Tel: 3917 9859
Email: awai@hku.hk