The new plague on the eve of a great change: China’s cholera epidemic in the early nineteenth century

ABSTRACT The great plague that broke out in the early nineteenth century was the first time China had experienced a cholera epidemic. China was about to experience a great social and economic change that was unprecedented in history. Through a discussion of the great plague from both global and Chinese historical perspectives, the authors point out certain relevant features of Chinese society at the time, particularly in the context of profound and complex social and cultural implications that the plague carried with it.