Natural Plague, Manmade Dilemmas: Satirical Art in Disorder in Cholera

More than two decades after the publication of Disorder in Cholera by Chi Li, a sudden pandemic has brought this satirical work to the attention of literary enthusiasts. Deriving from the past experience of Chi Li as an epidemiologist, this novella recounts fragments of the lives and experiences of members of a small epidemic prevention station during a cholera epidemic, and reveals the multiple pitfalls of epidemic prevention and governance systems in China. This study tries to look into the satirical art from the perspective of Wen Da, interpret the multiple manmade dilemmas during the natural epidemic, and finally, offer insights for modern epidemic prevention and control.