The dragon and the snake: health practices among Chinese in the UK from an inter-disciplinary perspective

OBJECTIVES: This paper explores how ethnicity has been represented in research on the health practices of Chinese populations in the UK and suggests ways in which such research might be enriched by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. DESIGN: A systematic literature review of studies was conducted on research with 'Chinese' in the UK. RESULTS: The review highlighted that research with Chinese populations is frequently grounded in assumptions about the homogeneity of Chinese ethnic and cultural identities, and health practices, which undermines the generalizability of findings and conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: There was a lack of clarity surrounding the term 'Chinese' as an ethnic and national label that can lead to racialised constructions of ethnicity. An interdisciplinary approach is a valuable tool for enriching understandings of culturally-specific accounts of health and illness, and to address ways in which Chinese populations negotiate different health care systems and models of health.