Death Discourse in China’s Changing Culture of Health

This book brings together contributions by sociolinguistic scholars working on “death discourse” in the Chinese mainland, to explore how contemporary China navigates the delicate intersection between traditional death taboos and modern medical communication.

Focusing on three critical areas, mainly the living will, bad news breaking, and hospice care, the book reveals the profound discursive and social transformations reshaping China's healthcare landscape, exposing the dynamic tensions between age-old longevity ideals and emerging concepts of quality death and open death planning. Based on empirical insights into sociocultural change patterns, “death discourse literacy” was conceptualized as a framework for navigating cross-cultural end-of-life conversations.

An essential book for researchers, practitioners, and students in health communication, discourse research, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies. It will also benefit professionals and care givers in end-of-life health planning and care, such as doctors, nurses, medical social workers, psychotherapists and counsellors, family members and volunteers.