Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao paid his second visit to China's worst AIDS-hit villages in Henan Province, a day before the 20th World AIDS Day.
It was Wen's fifth face-to-face talks with AIDS patients or their family members since 2003.
"What's your name?"
"Zhang Shuwan."
"Do you remember how your parents were dying?"
"No, I don't."
This was a dialog between the visiting Premier and Zhang Shuwan, a 10-year-old girl, whose parents died of AIDS seven years ago, at the Chinese Red Ribbon Home, an orphanage at the Wangying Village of Lugang Township in Shangcai County on Friday morning.
Wen was accompanied by Henan's Communist Party chief Xu Guangchun and Governor Li Chengyu.
Upon learning that all the orphans are studying hard and with good results, Wen said with smile: "I have come to see, because I have kept you in my mind."
"You are very unfortunate for losing your parents at a young age, but you are very lucky, as well, since there are lots of people in the country who have taken care of you and showed concern for you," said the premier, advising the children to walk out of the shadow of losing parents.
He expressed his hopes that these children will study even harder to make themselves useful for the people, the nation and the society, in the future. He asked them to be happy and take an optimistic attitude toward life.
Afterwards, the premier sang a song together with the children. He also visited their dormitory, played table tennis, and had lunch with them.
Wen first visited Shangcai County in 2005 on the eve of Spring Festival, China's traditional Lunar New Year.
The county in Henan is well known for high AIDS incidence caused by illegal blood deals in 1990s. Among 38 worst AIDS-hit villages in Henan, 22 are located in Shangcai.
The premier's second stop was Wenlou village, home to 373 HIV carriers, one tenth of the village population. And 360 of them have developed AIDS.
"I came here two years ago," Wen told some AIDS patients and medical staff, while visiting the village's clinic.
Kong Chunyi, one of the patients and a worker of the village's mushroom factory, said he has been quite fine with the help of the government's special policies for this group of people.
The Chinese government provides AIDS patients, who have been covered by social security umbrella, with free medicine; provides free consultation to all those who are voluntary to consult on the disease; provides free schooling to AIDS-caused orphans; and provides free consultation, medical check, and medical treatment to pregnant women from areas which have been made exemplary for comprehensive control over AIDS, so as to reduce the spreading of HIV between mother and infant; and make all AIDS patients accessible to financial assistance from the government.
Source: Xinhua
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