Background: China Cal is based in Kunming (昆明), the capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China and in Dali (大理）400 kilometers to the west, not far from the border between Yunnan and Burma. The China California Heart Watch (China Cal) was founded in 2006, in order to address the problem of the exploding epidemic of cardiovascular disease in rural China (See below).   The province of Yunnan is one of the poorest in China. Yunnan’s GDP per capita was $1,840 in 2008, ranking 29 out of the 31 provinces and less than 1/5 of Shanghai’s. Like most of the country, Yunnan is experiencing an increasing wealth gap. Large cities have benefited the most from recent economic development, but little wealth has trickled into the countryside. This economic divide exacerbates the issue of poverty in rural areas.
Health Care: 1979 was the beginning of “opening up and reform” (改革开放) in China, marking a move away from the old socialist system and ushering in market based economic reforms. Since then, China has experienced break neck economic growth and surpassed Germany in 2008 to become the third largest economy in the world. Public health programs that flourished under the socialist system deteriorated after the economic reforms. The majority of people found themselves without access to basic medical services. In the countryside, the system completely fell apart. In recent years, largely due to research done by others like the China Cal researchers, the government has implemented a rural health care system. However, the initiative is limited in its coverage and has been slow to implement.
Cardiovascular Disease: China Cal organizes mobile clinics in the countryside.  During the conduction of these clinics, China Cal scientists and volunteers collect survey data regarding high blood pressure and heart disease. Hypertension during the 1980s and early 90s was rare in this part of China but its prevalence now approaches 40%.  Cardiovascular disease of other sorts (heart attack, stroke, etc) is also increasing in rural areas.   In the midst of its economic transition, China’s health care system is ill equipped to deal with this exploding epidemic. Greater attention and resources must be given to rural areas in order to address this problem.  China Cal aims to meet this challenge providing medical services, training local practitioners, and conducting research to document the rise of cardiovascular disease in rural China.