To Live is Better Than to Die — an AIDS family in Henan Province

Over the past week I’ve been neglecting the Chinese stories I usually cover because the news in the US has just been so overwhelming. So let me take a moment to point you to an important post over at EastSouthWestNorth on the new film, To Live is Better Than to Die, a documentary on an “AIDS family” in Henan Province.

This is an amazing story. It’s not just the lives of the family that are remarkable, but the story of how the film was made against all odds. Needless to say, the Chinese government fought the producer Chen Weijun at every step of the way, confiscating the film and forcing him to start all over. But he persevered, and the world is better for it.

The article consists mainly of an interview with Chen, as well as some background on how he made the film. It is achingly sad, and an important reminder of “the other side of China,” the side that the government doesn’t want us to know about.

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