The Scientization of Chinese Medicine during the Republican Period The scientization of Chinese medicine occurred partially under the influence of the Western states. The medicine in China was correlation-oriented, which impacted the axiomatization of the ideas and the search for roots and causes. 1 Initially, the state opposed scientization being reluctant to provide support. 2 Starting the mass production of drugs based on the Westernized model of medicine reflected the need for a metamorphosis in the state associated with biomedicine. 3 The state faced destabilization due to the unification of the doctors struggling for professional interests. The unions of the medical professionals indicate the onset of socialism in the republican state that later transformed into post-socialist. Ethnic Classification in the Early Years of the PRC Seeing the international rivalry as the competition between nations, the state justified the principles of social Darwinism and eugenics as similar to the social hierarchy of the Confucian era. 4 Ethnic classification project identified dozens of ethnicities dwelling in China, and the diversity became recognized by the state. 5 The classification has differentiated between the communities. Initially, the diversity clashed with the communist state, but the crisis handled via thorough organization and documentation of groups and communities. The reduction of homogeneity and recognition of diversity are the signs of a socialist state. Post-socialist China showed growing individualism in a majorly collectivist culture. Mao’s Medical Reforms in the Rural Areas Mao’s China was a state with a goal to modernize medicine as one of the spheres of professional knowledge helping the whole nation to become more powerful. 6 Mao’s reforms gave the push to the professionals who were not as active at implementing the change. 7 The pluralistic orientation complicated the state maintenance but was a step towards more social equality. 8 The shift from the republican to socialist state is demonstrated via the growing equal opportunities and the link of the cultural diversity with medical pluralism. One-Child Policy The one-child policy was actively promoted by the state with the engagement of various resources such as science, sociology, and medicine to name a few. 9 The outcomes of the policy were troubling as it caused a backlash in the population and undermined the authority of the Party. 10 The careful calculations as to the state’s resources in correlation with the population size reflect the socialist view aiming at equality and better wellbeing of a reduced population. Quality and Quantity Discourse of One-Child Policy One-child policy stimulated the sense of selfhood as it put the families before difficult moral choices. In the rural communities, male children were preferred to girls, and that created individual dilemmas in the families. Since the policy was based on scientific findings and explained using various spheres of knowledge, the science served as the main stimulus of the policy promotion. Social contentions in China occurred due to the image of the nation whose benefit is more important that the benefits of the individuals. Psychotherapy