A 14-year-old boy is the only pupil studying at a village school near Dandong (丹东) in Liaoning province. His surname is Feng, and he is HIV-positive. He has been suffering from discrimination by his fellow villagers, and was rejected by the local elementary school. However, in the elementary school set up specifically for him, he enjoys complete freedom from discrimination. This is because there are only two people in the school: Feng, who is 14 years old, and Wang Lijun, 63 years old who teaches Feng and plays with him. more ›

The Golden Horse Awards (金马奖), considered the Oscars of Chinese cinema, has broken with its 48-year tradition of inviting the previous year's winners to present the next year's awards by announcing its decision to rescind its invitation to Lü Liping (吕丽萍) to its 2011 event. more ›

33-year-old "Chu Cao" or "Weeding" (锄草) was diagnosed with Hepatitis B in 1994 and has spent the past year campaigning across China to improve knowledge about the disease. In each of the 23 cities she has visited so far, she holds up a sign offering to buy dinner for whoever is willing to eat with her: more ›

Now here's something we've never heard being talked about in China before -- leper colonies. Below are quick links to two fascinating stories that aim to shed light on China's remaining leper colonies: more ›

Today is Global AIDS Day, so we thought we'd take a look at the state of HIV/AIDS in China and some of the important developments that have taken place over the last year. Bad news first: the total number of AIDS deaths in China jumped a crazy 20,000 from last October to now, putting the total deaths on record at 68,315, according to figures released earlier this week. While the jump in numbers is most likely due to more accurate recording methods, the government has promised to respond by stepping up screening for the disease and education campaigns among at-risk groups. more ›

Woman's thought bubble: "I've heard you can contract AIDS from holding hands or eating with an infected person." Man's thought bubble: "I believe I could get AIDS from a mosquito bite." Voice over guy: "Actually mosquito bites and and holding hands, eating with infected persons can not cause you to contract AIDS. Don't misunderstand AIDS. And even more, don't discriminate against AIDS carriers." "Good friends are friends, whether they have AIDS or not. Let our world not have misunderstanding or discrimination." - Yao Ming. more ›

Happy World AIDS Day! China's golden boy and long-time Houston Rockets player Yao Ming has agreed to join the United Nation's push to address discrimination among Chinese people towards those infected with HIV. The new awareness campaign follows the release of the first UNAIDS HIV/AIDS report in China last month, the results of which demonstrated the significant stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS in China's medical field as well as the general population. more ›

Today's post by Andrew Sullivan on his blog over at the Atlantic discusses the specter of racism within China, and the implications it could have on both the social and economic future of the country. As the ratio of retirees to workers is set to double within the next fifteen years, questions surrounding the economic sustenance will begin to necessitate an influx of emigrants to keep the economy growing. more ›

Yesterday was my first time to Shenyang city. And it was the first time I was so “warmly” welcomed by Shenyang people that I almost slept on the street last night. more ›

Renowned sexologist and sociologist Li Yinhe (李银河) writes in a recent blogpost on China's laws against gay blood donors. A group of lesbians in Beijing are now fighting for the right to donate blood: more ›

The plastic surgery industry, though a victim of the recession in the West, has experienced an unexpected and starting rise as the job market got worse in China. According to the LA Times: more ›