China announces $586 billion stimulus plan

Associated Press

A New Deal for China?

TIME

China’s 10 steps to boost its economy

Telegraph

China’s Stimulus: More Show Than Substance

Forbes

China’s ‘action plan’ on human rights meets with skepticism

LA Times

China gives Agricultural Bank $19 billion bailout

AP

Obama Presidency, Take One

New Yorker

No Strong Reactions From China’s Leaders

Washington Wireless

The bus pulls up to the terminus and the smattering of potential passengers crowd around the door, anxious to get one of the few seats in a vehicle designed for standing. I have a long journey ahead so I join the mad scramble, certain of only one thing; that the lady beside me trying to jump, what might be loosely called the queue, was not going to get on before me. A newly acquired skill in the careful positioning of elbows and briefcase ensure that I win my point without the loss of face that actually admitting we were competing would have involved. I settle into my hard blue plastic seat, hoping that no elderly late arrival will shame me into giving it up.

Since we are outside the city limits, my fellow passengers are a varied bunch. Behind me a farmer shouts into his mobile phone that he has set out on his journey and will be at the station in half an hour. Rather optimistic I surmise, but somehow resist the urge to correct him. In front is a middle aged gentleman whose demeanor suggests that he is a man of position wearing casual wear because of the heat. He is probably an academic returning home after the first classes of the year. A young woman with a mobile phone that thinly tinkles the soft centered pop music that is so popular here spends her time giggling girlishly into the aforementioned phone, oblivious to the rest of us. Some likely lads get on at the next stop, gangling all over the place in basketball outfits that are more Harlem that Handan, but the way they gape at me suggests that, for all their swagger, they are not long left the farms that raised them.

Approaching the city the remnants of country side give way to the rather grubby suburbs of Shijiazhuang. For those used to the images of Beijing sophistication, the reality of this second tier city might disappoint. The developments which have transformed the capital are only fleeting felt here, and new constructions glitter in the evening sun, towering over their more humble and more numerous neighbours. The “neighbours” are mom and pop affairs, endless series of haberdashers selling cheap version of Japanese pop fashions, followed by rows of hardware shops offering useful but hardly hardwearing plastic basins and finally the ubiquitous restaurants, dispensing noodles and lamb kebabs to the evening strollers. All the storefronts are attempting to seem new and modern, but one carries the slogan “Our whole heart and profit is at the service of the people”. It is probably considered too expensive to replace the glass onto which this improving communist motto is etched, but it has long since been drained of any meaning in Modern China.

Our bus is filling up now, with prim office girls trying, not quite successfully, to suggest that the normally travel by a car and they are actually returning to their own home and not their parents tired old two (barely) roomed apartment. Many are wearing the cheap clothing mentioned above which makes them, to writer’s eye at least, ,all look alike rather as Mao suits robbed their grandmothers of their individual allure. Commerce has been more successful than communism in this regard. A mother with babe in arms struggles on board, forcing the able-bodied among us to feign willingness to give up our seat. I loose and she graciously allows me to play peek-a-boo with her pudding-faced son in recompense. Her obvious delight in her son is touching and opens, briefly, in me that Pandora’s Box where thoughts of what-might-have-been are kept. Passing a building site, we pick up some construction workers. Grizzled young men with safety helmets still on, giving the (false) impression, that despite the statistics, their work is safe. The friends who board with them fill the last spaces on the bus with enormous piles of belongings carried in old fertilizer sacks, the newly arrived migrant’s trademark. There are so many of these now and they all have hopes of making it good in the “big smoke”. I think of the Irish arriving in America in the 1850’s looking for gold in the streets and I wish them better luck.

As we trundle through the gather dusk the movement of the bus creates a flow of slightly cooler air past the window. In it refreshing sensation, I feel the hand of God, moving from one passenger to another, gently blessing each one individually at the end of the day. I become almost tearful that they know nothing of the benediction that is bestowed upon them. In the murmur of bus-bound conversations I hear Our Lady whisper endearments in unhearing ears; reassuring mothers anxious for their children, men missing their homes… I, following her lead, glance at each companion in turn, whisper unspoken encouragements and add, as if to gild the lily, my blessing to His.

We pull up at the Railway Station, (it was more than half an hour). The bus empties quickly and our solidarity is lost. I ask God that he may allow His hand to stay with each one as they disperse and that Mary’s words will get past unhearing ears to lodge deep in comprehending hearts. I turn and head for the mad scramble of the ticket office, all recollection lost. But for a moment, a brief moment, this is how I prayed on the No 31 bus.

If you liked this article, please consider visiting Our Projects Page.

Last month, Bricks closed its Brick 3 project for which Bricks and the good Dr. Zang were very happy about.  Just yesterday, we received an email from Dr. Zang again thanking the donors of Brick 3 for the help they have extended to the Zhen Guan Ai  AIDS Center for purchasing the AIDS scanner.  He also sent some pictures of the scanner being used in the clinic.

Again, on behalf of Dr. Zang and his clinic,  we thank the people who donated for Brick 3.

If you liked this article, please consider visiting Our Projects Page.

Tags: AIDS, bricks, Jilin

Bricks contributor Vivencio Mercado writes this second part of his feature article for Bricks about living with AIDS in China. Recently, Bricks visited an AIDS support group in Tianjin that sought funding for expansion. Mr. Mercado came to Tianjin with Fr. Loftus for the meeting. He writes about his experience on meeting the people of Tianjin Hai He and the people who support them and reflects on the situation of PLAs (persons living with AIDS/HIV) in China. Some of the pictures that you are about to see are obscured to protect their identity.

You can read Part One HERE

Sr. Claire

Bricks came to know about Tianjin Hai He through Sr. Claire Zhai who used to be a volunteer worker for The Red Ribbon Foundation in Ditan Hospital in Beijing. I asked Sr. Claire what she thought about working with persons with HIV/AIDS.  Simply put, her answer, which she gave in Chinese, was that it was not a job. Watching her, I noticed that’s how she behaved. She had this easy going and relaxed manner with the group. She didn’t impose either nor does she treats herself like some “visitor” or “guest”. She’s just there. Sr. Claire is a Catholic nun who has been involved with AIDS work for more than three years, first with Ditan as a volunteer worker and now through Jinde doing consultancy work with AIDS support groups like Tianjin Hai He. Not only did she introduce the group to Bricks but she also introduced the group to the local church where they regularly meet. Sr. Mary Yang, one of the sisters in the Tianjin Cathedral, know Sr. Claire and her work with PLAs. She got in touch with Sr. Claire and offered the group a meeting room in the cathedral which they could use for their regular meetings.

Mr. Liu

Not all the members of Tianjin Hai He are like Xiao Xuen, Da Hua and Li Hu. There are  also the quiet ones, the ones who are still coming to terms with them being HIV+, like Mr. Liu. He only found out two months ago and I could still see that from his interaction with the group, he was a bit reserved and quiet and perhaps even a bit afraid. It was his first time to go to a public meeting with the other members through Da Hua and Li Hu’s persuasion. During the interview, he says that he was thankful for having found a support group that could actually understand his situation. He is somehow fortunate to have found Tianjin Hai He.

700,000 faceless men, women & children

Not everyone living with HIV/AIDS is fortunate enough to find a support group like Tianjin Hai He. A joint study by the WHO, UNAIDS and the Chinese Health Ministry estimates that are 700,000 Chinese living with HIV/AIDS, which accounts to .05% of the population. Although education and awareness has fast been improving in the past decade especially with the top leaders in the government putting priority on the issue, this does not translate to the change in perception of HIV/AIDS among many Chinese. The stigma that comes with the disease is the more debilitating factor than the disease itself. One becomes faceless with HIV/AIDS. And “face” is important in Chinese culture. “Losing face” means to temporarily lose a certain sense of propriety and pride which the Chinese hold so dear. With HIV/AIDS,  the “lost of face” goes to a whole new level, it becomes permanent. PLAs are “removed of the face”. They become faceless. They don’t exist. In many cases, coming out in the open is a social death sentence. Not all families are as accepting. Not all employers are as understanding. Not all hospitals are as accommodating. With HIV/AIDS, one becomes the unwanted guest in the family, a liability in the workplace and a mere statistic in the medical profession. .05% of the population does not exist because of AIDS and support groups like Tianjin Hai He become the sanctuary for men and women living with HIV/AIDS as many of them become all of the above.

The past does not matter

With a regular venue, the sisters’ support and backing from the local CDC, Tianjin Hai He has evolved into a more organized, established and secure group. They have a hotline where members who are not yet ready to face other members can call for counseling and advice. They have a website/blog (managed by Xiao Xuen), an email address and a QQ messenger account for Internet and web gatherings. Recently, Li Hu attended a major training conference about cultivating AIDS support groups like Tianjin Hai He. I was impressed. What Fr. Loftus noticed was the business card that Li Hu handed out to everybody. It was nothing fancy, but it was a Tianjin Hai He business card. It meant that they were serious. It’s a good omen. The group plans to network with other AIDS support groups and they are being encouraged by the sisters and the local CDC to do so. It is very evident that knowledge about treatment and ways to prevent infection are not the only things that matter when someone has HIV/AIDS, it’s also connecting with other PLAs. From what I saw that day, the latter is more important than the former.

The disease and the social and emotional complications that comes along with it seem to have made a unique bond between these men. I looked at them during the meeting and I saw fear, yes, but not as much fear as I thought one would possess when one is faced with HIV and AIDS.  As I looked at them I saw other emotions too. Like joy when Da Hua told the group that he has finally told his family that he is HIV+ and the family is dealing with it and slowly learning to understand it. I saw concern on their faces when one member, Yun Ming was telling the side effects of his new cocktail drugs. Each was willing to share their experience that might help him deal with it better. I also saw hope in their eyes. I also saw hope in their eyes when they were talking with us, especially with Sr. Claire.  I saw the same hope when they thanked Sr. Mary who had offered them the room to use on a regular basis.  It was the same hope that I saw when they were talking to CDC representative who regurarly come to their meetings.  People like them give them hope that Chinese people can actually accept them without any sort of judgment and that they actually understand. Hope that translates to many things like living this reality they call AIDS and that happiness is possible. As Da Hua pointed out to us “The past doesn’t matter anymore. We must think of tomorrow.” Living with AIDS doesn’t have to mean the end. Life after AIDS is possible. I see it in the faces of these men.

If you liked this article, please consider visiting Our Projects Page

Tags: AIDS, bricks, Tianjin

On May 19, 2008 Bishop Joseph Li Liangui of Xianxian Diocese and vice-chairman of Jinde Board of Directors held an emergency meeting at Jinde. He later flew that evening to the worst hit areas in Sichuan province accompanied by Fr. Paul Han, vice-director of Jinde Charities and Mr. Wolfgang Gerstner and Ms Christina Grawe of Caritas Germany members. They arrived in Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan at midnight and were met by Fr. Li Zhi Gang, administrator of Chengdu Diocese who arranged for their board and lodging.

Early on May 20, despite of the long journey and aftershock tremors, Bishop Li, with the help local people went to Sichuan Deyang city and Shi Fang city to visit the sisters who were giving services to the victims of the disaster. In the afternoon, the team returned to Hongbai town of Shi Fang city, 30 km from Wenchuan, the quake epicenter. They were not able to go visit Wenchuan as the road was blocked. Continue Reading »

Tags: bricks, Jinde Charities, natural disasters, Sichuan, Wenchuan Earthquake

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Jinde Charities, China’s largest Catholic charity, will be launching concerted disaster relief efforts to the towns and counties affected by the Sichuan earthquake. Bricks shall be working with Jinde Charities in mobilizing donations for the relief operations. We shall be posting details on how to help very soon.

Tags: Wenchuan Earthquake

New York Times columnist Howard W. French writes about the poverty overshadowing China’s economic boom in its heartlands. He focuses on Henan Province, the country’s grain capital and also one of China’s poorest provinces. Read the article after the jump Continue Reading »

Tags: poverty news