Weekend Long Read: A Little-Known Chinese Cancer Village in Houston

Chinese people tend to flock together, even when seeking medical treatment abroad.

When I went to Houston, Texas, in 2012, it was for cancer treatment. I joined a wave of Chinese people who opted to go private in the U.S. We all shared one corner of the city, known by us patients as America’s Chinese cancer village.

I rented an apartment at the 8181 Fannine-IMT community in Houston. The community was close to MD Anderson Cancer Center, a supermarket and a number of drugstores. Most tenants in the building were medical staff, visiting scholars and patients. When patients from China filled in their details at local cancer hospitals, they normally put the community as their address.