Kathlene Baldanza

During the late imperial period, Chinese states extended their reach into the borderland provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, and even briefly colonized northern Vietnam (1407-1427). This southern expansion exposed Chinese sojourners and settlers to southern diseases (for instance, malaria-like fevers induced by miasmas), but also new medicines and medical techniques. My project draws on medical guides, gazetteers, compendium of materia medica, and other texts from both sides of the border to trace the flow of medical knowledge between the two countries. My project shows that the climate and diseases of the Sino-Viet borderlands hindered the colonial expansion of both states, even as rich medical resources spurred colonial desires.