Group 3 of isolated
Dayingpan Village today has more than 20 lepers.?
Dayingpan Village is a poor Yi ethnic village situated in
indigent Yuexi County inside Sichuan Province. In January 1959, in
order to control strains of lethal and contagious leprosy, the
Yuexi government sent all lepers to what is now known as Dayingpan
Village. Ever since then Dayingpan has been known as "leper
village" or "ghost village".
Prejudice and misunderstanding have isolated Dayingpan villagers
from the outside world for 40 years. Most of the lepers have never
left their village ever since they settled down. Moreover, outside
prejudice has inflicted great mental pressure on the descendants of
these lepers. Although many of them have never contracted leprosy,
their parent's tragedy has been passed on to them, making their
lives and chances for study unfavorable.
8 pupils living in a dormitory. 72 pupils
living far from Dayingpan Primary School live in dorms and return
home on weekends.
Dayingpan villagers have no identification cards or birth
certificates, making it unclear how many people actually live in
this village. Locals there said over 1,000 people living in
Dayingpan but no one could give a specific number.?
Nearby residents called Dayingpan children "leper kids". Since
1959, the Dayingpan population has consistently expanded, thus
changing the population structure. People outside of Dayingpan
refuse to marry residents, causing much intermarriage in the
village.
Dayingpan used to be a quarantine area meant to treat lepers.
But currently it is isolating several hundreds of healthy people
from the outside world. Nine hundred and forty normal people,
confirmed as never infected with leprosy, still have no birth
certificates and identification cards because they were born inside
the "leper village". Consequently they have lost their right to
work, or study outside of this village, as well as the right to
move to other places.
In 2004, a charity group, the Wings of Hope, rebuilt Dayingpan
Primary School, gaining Dayingpan children access to primary school
education.
The Dayingpan Primary School was originally established in 1978.
A total of 80 students had studied there before 2004.
Currently the Dayingpan Primary School has a three-story
classroom building, a two-story dormitory, a canteen and a public
bath. This is Dayingpan children's favorite place. They attend
school free of charge and receive nutritious and delicious meals at
no cost.
42 Dayingpan students of Xinmin Junior
Middle School have to cross a mountain and the icy Yuexi River even
during freezing winters because they are not allowed to board at
this school.
Since 2005 Dayingpan pupils who graduated from the primary
school could attend Xinmin Junior Middle School in town. But they
were not allowed board at this school.
Because of this rule 42 junior middle school students must get
up at about 5 AM and go to the Xinmin Junior Middle School by
moonlight. They have to cross a mountain and wade across the cold
Yuexi River. Usually it takes them two hours to get to Xinmin
School. In the evening they return home via the same
route.?
Local disease control center data indicates that few descendants
of lepers have been infected with the disease. All the students who
attend the junior middle school have received strict medical
checkups at the disease control center and have been issued health
certificates.
Ashuowuguo, a third-grade
pupil, 10 years old. She is one of the primary laborers in her
family on weekends.
On weekends Dayingpan children have to do many heavy manual
labor. Geqiliuniu, a fifth-grade student, has several household
chores during the weekends. She feeds pigs, collects firewood and
cooks dinners all day long.
Geqiliuniu has 5 sisters and brothers. Her 17-year-old sister is
already married; she and her other two elder sisters are studying
at the Dayingpan Primary School. Geqiliuniu also has a 5-year-old
sister and 4-year-old brother. Her father works in a small mine in
the nearby mountain and her mother works in the fields.
"Before they go to school, they must do household chores every
day," Geqiliuniu's mother said. "The elder children look after the
younger ones. We all must work very hard to feed so many
mouths."
Sichuan Province is planning to invest 2 million yuan in order
to build a Dayingpan Junior Middle School in 2008 so that more
pupils can further their studies. The new school is expected to
accommodate 300 students.
Poverty, large families, deep-seated unsanitary habits and
terrible living conditions all compound the fundamental problems of
leprosy in Dayingpan Village. Given the present situation, more
thorough efforts are needed to completely defeat this disease.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, January 7, 2008)?
