The AIDS virus came to the quiet town of Gongmin in Zizhong
County of Sichuan
Province in 1997. Fate had dealt a cruel blow to group of
migrant workers from the village. These most unfortunate men then
found discrimination waiting for them when they returned to their
remote hometown.
Only Zhou Zaiguang, an ordinary countryside teacher, held out
the hand of friendship and treated them with the compassion they
deserved. This kind-hearted and thoughtful soul made a place for
them to meet in his own home, calling it the "AIDS Teahouse."
A tale of the AIDS virus
By the roadside, a tall elderly man came up the slope with one
grand-daughter on his left arm and another carried on his back. In
his right hand he held an umbrella against the midday sun. This
bright eyed and gray haired man seemed to be the very picture of
warmth and affection. This was Zhou Zaiguang.
With a gentle smile, he talked about the time he had met British
Prime Minister Tony Blair. When he arrived at the school gates, his
students led his grand-daughters around the playground. In a bare
unpainted classroom with old worn-out school desks, he gave the
students a candid lesson on HIV/AIDS.
Zhou is a native of Gongmin town. He had spent all his days
there and had not left his hometown until late in life when he
received an invitation to go to Beijing to meet the British prime
minister.
As one of the few educated people in the town, he is well
respected in Gongmin. In his many years of service in the local
central primary school, he had always been ready to teach across a
wide range of different subjects. He has taught the students
through all their grades bringing them whatever they needed to know
from reading and writing to arithmetic, from singing to
drawing.
Li Bencai, the present-day host of the AIDS Teahouse, was one of
his students. Li was the first from the town to fall victim to
HIV/AIDS. He contracted it when he was away in Shenzhen City.
When HIV/AIDS came to Gongmin this dreadful disease disturbed
the quiet life of the small town. Rumors spread as people voiced
all sorts of strange ideas at every street corner. Some said that
infection would spread in the air, or that mosquitoes could carry
it from person to person when they took their blood.
More confirmed cases were to follow. Simple villagers who had
once admired the get-up-and-go of the migrant workers now subjected
them to cruel discrimination.
But this was not the way for Zhou Zaiguang. While others slipped
into the path of blind discrimination, he worked tirelessly to
learn the real facts about HIV/AIDS. He found that the scientific
evidence pointed to just three channels for the spread of the
virus. He said that as a teacher it was only natural for him to
take a rational approach. After all, he actually believes in
science. He is not the sort of person who would exaggerate the
truth or unthinkingly look down on the unfortunate victims. What's
more, Li Bencai had been his student so he considered it was his
responsibility to help him.
Zhou's AIDS Teahouse opens its doors
? These were difficult days back in 1997. The mere mention of
AIDS was enough to make healthy people turn pale. Those who had
been infected didn't dare to go out for fear of infecting others.
But by then Zhou knew something of the disease. He sought to offer
some comfort to Li Bencai and four others infected with the virus.
"You can come and spend some time in my home if you feel you need
to stay away from other people. I would not be concerned about this
even if the whole town is nervous."
Before extending this invitation, Zhou held a family meeting. He
explained what he had found out about HIV/AIDS and spoke of the
hardships these local people carrying the virus were facing. His
kindly, elderly wife was first to confirm her support. His children
trusted their father's judgment and they gave their support
too.
And so in the spring of that year, Mr. Zhou's AIDS Teahouse
opened its door to Gongmin's HIV/AIDS sufferers. It became their
spiritual home where they could meet, talk, and play cards away
from all the discriminatory stares.
As time passed, people became more familiar with HIV/AIDS. This
together with the implementation of the China-UK
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project at the town in April 2002
meant the victims' circumstances improved considerably.
In May 2003, Li Bencai opened a new larger AIDS teahouse. By
then discrimination against the local HIV/AIDS carriers was a thing
of the past and Zhou Zaiguang closed his own teahouse. He said his
duty was finished now that the sufferers had been accepted back
into society.
Children play together, not separated by a
virus
The students were already familiar with HIV/AIDS for this was
not the first time Zhou had spoken to them on the subject.
Asked if they would be afraid to be around someone infected with
the AIDS virus, they answered together, "Never."
"Why are you not afraid?" he asked.
"There are only three channels for the spread of the AIDS
virus," they answered knowledgeably.
He went on to further reinforce their understanding that we
would not be infected through normal everyday contact. He was
careful to treat the difficult subject of sex in a sensitive manner
with his young audience.
There were two students whose parents were infected with the
AIDS virus in Zhou's class. However, they were soon accepted by
their classmates. At first, their fellow students would not play
with them or even study beside them as their father had the virus.
But Zhou taught them by example. He made a point of being beside
them and sharing food with them. Soon, other students accepted them
and began to play with them. Then they all had a birthday party
together.
Zhou meets Tony Blair
Zhou felt greatly honored when he was invited to meet British
Prime Minister Tony Blair in July 2003. And he was doubly fortunate
for he was the only healthy person among the delegation from
Gongmin town. All the rest were HIV/AIDS carriers.
During his visit to Beijing, Zhou was able to see round the city
in between attending training sessions held at the British
Embassy.
On his last day in the capital, Zhou visited Tian'anmen Square.
When he set foot on Jinshuiqiao Bridge, where generations of state
leaders have?reviewed the three?services of the armed
forces, many thoughts and emotions came flooding into his mind.
It was there that he experienced a sudden realization. This
increasingly prosperous nation belongs not only to the national
leaders, but also to all the Chinese people. Before this moment, he
had not known why he had cared so deeply about his unfortunate
fellow citizens. Now he had found the answer. China belongs to all
its people, healthy and HIV/AIDS carriers alike.
"We owe a duty of care to all our compatriots. We must never
abandon them. We must make sure we include them in society." This
is the goal that Zhou has pursued for so long.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ruyue, September 14, 2004)