"Broken Wings and Turn-Around: Tung Wah Hospital's Plague Trials and Renascence" Thematic Talk

Publication Date: 2026-10-15

"Broken Wings and Turn-Around: Tung Wah Hospital's Plague Trials and Renascence" Thematic Talk

In 1894, the bubonic plague broke out in Hong Kong. Tung Wah Hospital's insistence on treating patients with traditional Chinese medicine aroused the colonial authorities' suspicion, placing itself at a critical juncture for survival.

While the investigation committee generally awarded Tung Wah Hospital a positive assessment, it still made some recommendations, including the introduction of Western medicine and the appointment of medical experts to supervise, inspect, and submit quarterly reports to the government to assess whether the hospital should be allowed to continue its operation. Facing strict supervision, Tung Wah Hospital actively cooperated. By the end of 1902, all reports gave positive assessments, as a result of which, the Hong Kong authorities became more trusting of Tung Wah Hospital.

This talk will refer to the assessment reports from 1897 to 1903, as examples to analyse how Tung Wah Hospital, amid hardship, upheld its original mission of serving the Chinese community and promoted the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, becoming an important chapter in Hong Kong's public health history.

The thematic talk is sponsored by Tung Wah Museum Mr & Mrs Ho Cham Lau Po Lin Fund

Speaker: Dr. Joyce SO (Historian in Residence at the Jao Tsung-I Academy)

Date: Saturday,19 September 2026