This volume analyses the transition of Chinese medicine during the modern era, and the development of product and service niches in selected countries: China, Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. By investigating the major actors behind the transition, it explores in what way and to what extent these actors affect the transition. It argues that the transnational transition of Chinese medicine is caused not only by spontaneous cultural and social factors, i.e. population growth, technological innovation and acculturation, but also by hegemonic political and economic factors such as Western influence, adoption of the philosophy of modern state, and global commodification of indigenous medical specialties.

Md. Nazrul Islam is an Associate Professor at the General Education Office, BNU-HKBU United International College. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Hong Kong; an MSc in Community Health and Health Management from Heidelberg University; and a Bachelor’s (First Class Honours) in Anthropology from Jahangirnagar University. Dr Islam has held visiting positions at the University of British Columbia, the University of Hong Kong, and Ateneo de Manila University. He is the author of Chinese and Indian Medicine Today-Branding Asia, published by Springer (2017).