China's "First Civilian AIDS Fighter"

Gao Yaojie was not the first, nor the only one to know the truth, but she was among the earliest to reveal it to society and the world. For 27 years, she spoke out until the end of her life.

In retrospect, the Henan Provincial Health Department knew the truth but did not disclose the 1993 report from the Zhengzhou CDC, which found 542 HIV-positive cases—double the national total reported that year. The report was unpublished, leading Dr. Wang Shuping from Zhoukou Hospital to report to the central government in Beijing two years later about the burgeoning AIDS epidemic in Henan.

In 1995, Henan began cleaning up blood stations without disclosing the reasons, causing them to go underground and become uncontrollable. Uninformed farmers continued selling blood, and patients remained untreated, making 1995 the worst year for the epidemic.

Dr. Zhang Ke from You'an Hospital reported the issue locally, but an official dismissed it, saying it would resolve once people died. Gao Yaojie, searching for the truth, followed the graves, a method she called "digging black holes."

In 2000, during the peak of deaths, those who knew the truth were silenced. Wang Shuping was dismissed, local journalist Zhang Jicheng was fired, and Professor Gui Xien, who discovered the epidemic in Wenlou Village, was expelled. Gui advised Gao Yaojie to stop speaking out, but she insisted, knowing she had to speak before it was too late.

In the fall of 2000, Gao Yaojie exposed the epidemic through interviews with China News Weekly and The New York Times. The following August, under international pressure, China’s Ministry of Health disclosed the Wenlou Village epidemic, investing over 2 billion yuan and establishing more than 400 blood stations to control the blood-borne spread.

Five years had passed since Gao Yaojie discovered the first case. By 2002, the number of HIV infections in China was increasing by 30% annually, with 70% of cases transmitted through blood. If unchecked, the country would have 10 million AIDS patients by 2010, endangering the entire nation.

In November 2003, I visited Shuangmiao Village in Henan’s Zhecheng County. Amidst the winter rain and snow, children slept on straw mats without warm clothing. Among them were 52 AIDS orphans. My lead came from Gao Yaojie.

Gao Yaojie single-handedly brought attention to these children. By the end of that year, she was honored as one of CCTV’s “People Who Moved China.” Alongside Dr. Jiang Yanyong, she brought unprecedented public health transparency to China.

In 2023, we lost both Jiang and Gao. Some wondered why Gao Yaojie continued to speak abroad after being recognized domestically. I use my program as an example. In 2003, when we filmed in the village at 4 AM and left before dawn due to safety concerns, my colleagues had previously been detained for seven hours and escorted back to Beijing. The program could only specify a vague location, and we couldn’t provide donation addresses.

After airing, no officials took responsibility. Instead, all donations, including 1 million yuan from CCTV’s 5,000 employees, were confiscated by local governments.

This was my work. Many tasks remained unfinished, but Gao Yaojie persisted. Our documentary, “Central Plains Chronicles,” captured her journey of collecting 100 cases of blood-borne infections to expose the truth after courts refused to accept lawsuits from the infected.

In 2007, as Zhang Jingya’s condition worsened, her mother couldn’t reach Gao Yaojie, whose phone and internet were cut off because an American organization planned to award her. She was under house arrest until international media exposed it, and Hillary Clinton wrote multiple letters, prompting Hu Jintao to allow Gao to accept the award.

That spring, 13-year-old Zhang Jingya passed away. On the award stage, Gao Yaojie wore a black dress with white flowers, made by an AIDS patient. She declared, “I mourn for the millions of deceased.”

Some criticized her for returning to China unscathed after receiving the award, questioning her subsequent departure. Gao Yaojie’s return wasn’t straightforward. She first went to Shanghai to notarize a document outlining her famous “Three No’s” principle: no cash donations, no organizations, and no groups.

She rejected offers from the Henan Red Cross to fundraise abroad and from provincial officials to publish a book glorifying local AIDS efforts. She maintained her independence, understanding its price.

Gao Yaojie never accepted donations, spending her own money, awards, and royalties on her work. Her home was her office, and her husband, who supported her until his death in 2006, was her assistant.

Despite a modest lifestyle, she invested over a million yuan in AIDS patients and education, sending materials nationwide. In 2009, she discovered that books she had mailed were confiscated.

In my twilight years, I had no choice

A month later, her phone and internet were cut off again due to another international award. This time, she left China, stating, “In my twilight years, I had no choice.” She had no platform to speak.

After her death, I discussed with her biographer Lin Shiyu, who told me about Gao’s resolve from a young age. Deprived of education, she attempted suicide, writing, “Better dead than enslaved.”

In 2007, her son, under pressure, knelt and begged her not to accept the international award. Gao Yaojie, in tears, wrote, “I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Her son had endured imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution due to her. Being her child was challenging; her daughter, having lost her job and moved abroad, once wrote, “You walk a path of national disdain, destined for a lonely, miserable death.”

Gao Yaojie’s final years in the US were difficult. She wrote ten books, documenting nearly a century of Chinese history through her eyes.

If you are indifferent to others’ suffering, you do not deserve to be called human

She believed in documenting history for future generations, saying, “If I don’t, I betray history.”

Professor Andrew Nathan told me, “Gao Yaojie had no political interest, only the duty to tell the truth.”

Despite disagreements over her opposition to promoting condoms for AIDS prevention, even her critics respected her. Her moral integrity was unwavering, as illustrated by her sympathy for her aide collecting recyclable bottles for extra income.

Her anti-AIDS newsletters bore the message: “If you are indifferent to others’ suffering, you do not deserve to be called human.”

Gao Yaojie longed to return to China but remained abroad due to health issues. In 2018, her son visited her once, knowing it might be their final farewell.

In her last years, she was confined to her room, only free in her dreams. Despite her condition, she continued writing until her death.

She wished for no ceremonies after death, only to have her and her husband’s ashes scattered in the Yellow River, their homeland.

Today, we remember her with this documentary, reflecting the land and people she cherished.