TRIP TO LIJIANG – YUNNAN (CHINA)

from April 16 to May 3, 2002

^{In the past few years, we paid many visits to several places in Yunnan, to check out the various projects, which were carried out to help that Province’s leprosy patients. Yunnan is a Chinese Province still seen as very poor because the majority of the inhabitants belong to 26 minorities that are still far away from progress and development already existing in the large metropolis of the Chinese continent.}

^{In Gung Ming alone, capital city of Yunnan, anybody can notice the big contrasts between high-sky buildings and five-star hotels on one hand and the poverty of the outskirts on the other hand, as well as in other rural areas of that Province. During this trip, we realised that nowadays in Gung Ming there is a sort of invasion of products imported from Guangdong and other developed big factories of the country. Unfortunately prices are not at everybody’s reach, even less of the minorities. Only city’s rich businessmen and government employees are able to reach out to these goods.}

^{In Yunnan, following new directives from the central government of Beijing, the large green plantations of tobacco that we had seen in previous visits were replaced by the growing of other fruits, including large extensions of vineyards. That explains why at the moment the countrymen are going through a difficult and poor period of time. Consequently, in order to help them, the government had to cut down on expenses of several departments, including health structures, especially in the field of leprosy and skin disease treatment.}

^{Thus, the poor are becoming poorer and the gap between the rich and the poor is getting deeper and deeper, so that poverty is more and more visible, especially among this zone’s minorities.}

^{In spite of this, it seems there is a kind of race to the government’s big projects and everybody working within these structures seems to try to get as much as possible from the public enterprises. In this respect, I think it’s quite realistic to say that very few of the funds given by foreign ONGS to specific aims are entirely used as they are meant to. That means that the money does not go to whom the money would be intended for. That is to say, we remained with the impression that the poor and minorities are misused to get rewarded by other motives rather than the concrete help to a brother in great need such as for instance a leprosy patient.}

^{In Yunnan there are very few factories. Therefore, in order to live, people have to farm arid and mountainous land without the help of such technological tools as to lessen their efforts. Besides that, they must work in the most dangerous and bent places.}

^***

^{Following these considerations, let’s turn now to the concrete description of our trip and the meetings we had. The joy we brought to our dear leper brothers and their children was reward enough to the tiredness and fatigue we felt.}

^{This time, we have opted for Lijiang, which is situated at the footsteps of Tibet Mountain. The natural beauty of this place is indescribable: mountains, rivers, waterfalls and even Lake Luku shaped from an extinct volcano crater, which is situated at an height of 3.500 meters. In certain points of our trip, apart from the sense of fright caused by the precipices, we seemed to be in the Italian Alps.}

^{Maybe you’ll ask why Lijiang. Well, the reason why we usually go to a given place is because our intention is to pay a visit to a certain number of leprosy villages and their small schools. These are leprosaria and schools that we have built or repaired.}

^{We must remember that Yunnan alone is larger than Italy and that the leprosy villages in that province, with more than 45 million inhabitants, go beyond 110 dispersed by 16 districts. New leprosy cases are still numerous. More than ever, there would be the need to take preventive action to «track down» the disease. Unfortunately there is still a long way to go in order to find a system capable of working effectively.}

^{Following a meeting at the Gung Ming Centre of Skin Disease Prevention with those in charge of the local Health Centre, there was another meeting with a doctor who came from Bologna to set up a possible project for the entire region. Apart from an English interpreter, there were present a lady doctor and Dr. Wang Biao, whom we know since we began this kind of work in Yunnan and with whom we co-operate to carry out the social and humanitarian work as far as the leprosaria and small schools technical assistance is concerned.}

^{April 22nd, 2002}

^{Following the above-mentioned meeting, nine or us went on to another place, including myself, Sr. Maria Pia Cantieri, Sr. Deolinda Dalposso and Mir. Francisco Lio, a technician from our Macao’s Communications Centre. After 3 hours trip, in the afternoon we were able to pay a visit to Xing Yun leprosarium rebuilt by AIFO after the earthquake. There are now 54 leprosy patients helped by six countrymen. All of them were very happy to see us once again and all of them were given a sum of money equivalent to € 15,00 (fifteen Euros).}

^{April 23rd, 2002}

^{From Xiang Yun to Lijiang it took us one-day trip. We went through Dalì where we met with the Catholic priest of that diocese. There the church is being repaired, for it’s considered to be an artistic Chinese monument that certainly will turn a pilgrim goal and centre for many Catholics from China and from the outside world.}

^{April 24th, 2002}

^{In Linjiang we met with those in charge of three Wa Peng leprosaria. All in all, the leprosy patients of these villages (some of them were rebuilt to year ago or so) are 202. There are there 98 children. In one of the villages, there is a small school with 25 students whom we help to attend classes. As a matter of fact, we are now planning to help other 22 with a new small school. Others as well are attending public schools or are already working. As far as all students are concerned, our contribution is monetary or in other goods (even candies) that they have never seen.}

^{On the same day, we met also with those in charge of Wing Seng leprosarium, which was built lately and has not yet been occupied for the lack of water supply. There are there 63 leprosy patients and 15 children living together with them. In this case too, a small school in a place that already existed and was used by the leprosarium medical staff.}

^{April 25th, 2002}

^{After a few hours trip, we reached a place where there is a project of construction of Ta Sien leprosarium to shelter 22 lepers, five of whom are young and the remaining old folks.}

^{As there are high mountains around, we could only reach a structure where there are some doctors and which is tens of kilometres away from the leprosarium. In addition, the medical hospital/dispensary is some kilometres away from a village inhabited by «Yi» minority.}

^{Three lepers came towards us: two of them were old and one was young and, by the way, he was the son of one of the old. We talked for quite a while about the chance of building a centre aimed at assisting the lepers (those already cured) but also serving as a rehabilitation centre for all those who live together with their families and who are much more than those living inside the village. In fact, apart from leprosy, there are other infection diseases that need to be treated.}

^{The doctors of Ta Sien County’s Health Centre showed us their concern and fear that the leprosy patients would not be well accepted by the population in general. In fact, in that place there are still many taboos remaining as far as this skin disease is concerned and so we could not go there. Anyway the leprosarium’s couriers, so to speak, took the responsibility of bringing the money as well as other items we had carried for them.}

^{But at the moment of our departure it was decided that, instead of building a new-brand leprosarium, it would be more practical to make repairs on the old leprosarium, for the majority of the patients who live there are old people that little by little tend to disappear. And, in fact, at the moment, we are expecting the final phase of the project, which will be studied by them and then sent to Macao for appreciation.}

^{April 26th, 2002}

^{From Linjiang we went to Nin Lang and along the way we paid a visit to Wing Seng leprosarium, where we met all the lepers and their children, sharing with them some money and other eatable items. We visited in person the new leprosarium that is not yet occupied and tried our outmost to solve the problem of water supply, so that the leprosy patients can inhabit as soon as possible such beautiful and comfortable premises.}

^{Afterwards we visited Nin Lang leprosarium where there are 94 patients and 67 children who attend classes for six years now in our small schools. This year a group of pupils will finish their elementary school. Then some of them will be able to attend public school.}

^{Besides those who live in this well built new leprosarium, others live with their relatives in the dry and arid mountains that surround the leprosarium, but nevertheless their children attend our school. Now, this poses a new problem: how is it possible to help so many poor people? Maybe it’s necessary to think about a new project, which is not yet clear in our minds but that they are already studying so that afterwards we can evaluate in Macao.}

^{The meetings here were very moving. One of the lady patients for instance told us she didn’t know how to express her gratitude and therefore there she was bursting into tears of joy. On the other hand, the children formed two rows to receive us with thanks songs. Their strong and clear voices touched us very deeply.}

^{Inside that leprosarium, patients are being helped by two young ladies. They are in charge of preparing the meals. At the same time, all were given our contribution in money for the adults and in cakes for the children. The teachers, on the other hand, were given some money to buy didactic materials and games for their students to play with. Instead, as far as Gung Ming is concerned, we bought books to teach children handiwork, for more and more there is a lack of preparation in this particular field in order to have the young people ready for the future.}

^{April 27th, 2002}

^{On the 27th we began our return trip to Macao. On the way home, we crossed near Lake Luku where we could get in touch with the famous «Musuo» minority where women are the head of the family.}

^{April 28th, 2002}

^{The 28th April was a journey day too. And, after seeing many mountains and valleys, thanks to God, we finally arrived at Gung Ming.}

^{April 30th, 2002}

^{On this day, we paid a visit to two leprosaria, which are one hour away from Gung Ming. They were built by us, AIFO, and that is Ta Yen leprosarium and Ton Cin leprosarium. In both the leprosaria there are 45 patients.}

^{We remained very happy with the betterments that took place. In fact, we realised there was already water supply for personal use, such as bathrooms with solar energy heating system, as well as private and functional kitchens. In addition, every patient has his/her own room and is given by the government (in spite of every difficulty) a subsidy that is enough for tem to live.}

^{Among the leprosaria we visited this was the first where we saw there was already a recreation facility with a TV set for the patients to get together. On the other hand, the authorities had already ordered a parabolic antenna to be set up because the place is situated in a mountainous zone. Besides, we must add that in so many years of getting help to leprosy villages in Canton and Yunnan, this was the first time that, on our asking whether there was any special need, we were told they had everything and only thanked us for everything we had done for them.}

^***

^{Besides the 32 hours train journey from Macao to Gung Ming and vice-versa, along mountains and valleys, we did more than 1.400 kilometres. For that reason, we will never forget those precipices! But the good Lord has protected us indeed and so, safe and sound, we finally returned to our basis in Macao.}