BEIJING, Mar. 10 (Xinhuanet)-- The book Ten Thousand Letters, about the HIV/AIDS situation in China's countryside, has won the First Chinese Publications and Media Awards for the best book of 2004. The categories for the award include history, biography, arts and economy.

    The author, Gao Yaojie, an 80-year-old retired physician, has been committed to the prevention of AIDS and helping AIDS infected orphans since 1996 when she noticed an increasing number of AIDS victims in Henan. She is actually the one who alerted the Chinese medical authorities of the serious situation of the deadly affliction caused by illegal blood and plasma trading in Henan.

    In the book she compiled nearly 200 letters from AIDS patients all over the country that she selected from the over 10,000 letters she received in the past 10 years. With photos, it reveals a thrilling yet real picture of the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS situation in China¡¯s rural areas.

    A researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Science said the book was significant because it showed a retired doctor's sense of responsibility toward those tortured by the incurable disease. It is also a voice from the bottom of society that yearned for people¡¯s attention to the deadly disease.

    Gao will be awarded 50,000 yuan (US$6,000) for the prize. Like before, the retired doctor said she would spend the money educating people about AIDS.

    For years Gao has been printing hundreds of thousands of flyers and pamphlets to educate rural residents about AIDS. She has also spent thousands of dollars of her own pension to buy medicine for sick people in Henan. For her energetic endeavors, she was awarded the Jonathan Mann Award, a US$20,000 prize from the Global Health Council, in 2001.

    When the book was published, Gao rejected the money from the publishing house. Instead she asked for books of the same value and sent them to libraries, social organizations and individuals.

    "The more people know about the truth, the better we can prevent the disease. Education is the most powerful weapon we have," Gao said.

    Despite high praise from the media, Gao's book received little response from the market. In the Beijing Book Building, less than 10 books were sold in the first month. In Shanghai, only two books were sold at its largest bookstore, the Shanghai Book City. The book is not even available from online bookstores like dangdang.com.

    However, Gao said she was not disappointed and she was now planning new books. Three books are on her schedule: one about the life stories of AIDS victims in China, one picture book recording the AIDS situation in China and one about her story in the fight against AIDS.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)