Explore the complex commercialisation of medical care in China with this pioneering study. BARU’s work meticulously details how market reforms, decollectivisation, and hospital autonomisation have reshaped healthcare, leading to a fragmented system. It delves into public hospital reforms, the medical-industrial complex, public-private partnerships, financing challenges, and growing health inequalities over four decades. Essential for scholars and researchers of Chinese studies, public health, health management, sociology, political economy, and policymakers seeking critical insights into global healthcare transformations.