China Scene: Central

Isolation a fact of life on remote lepers' colony

Wang Zhiguo, the chief of the leper hospital in Huanggang, Hubei province, hopes people will try harder to help and understand lepers.

Wang, 60, said he faces much discrimination and that few of his relatives and friends understand why he would want to work with lepers.

Wang and his wife have been working on an isolated leper colony for more than 36 years.

Wang lives with 38 lepers and looks after their daily lives.

(Chutian Metropolis Daily)

Mother relieved to learn she won't have to share room

Tang Hongying, a 53-year-old widow, has been suffering from paranoia ever since her son announced his plans to get married in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.

Tang lives with her son in the apartment left by her late husband, though the room is under her son's name.

Tang has long feared that she could end up sharing the apartment with her future daughter-in-law, who is unemployed, if her marriage to her son ever ended.

Her fears were soothed recently when officials from the local women's federation told her that she would never have to share the apartment because it is premarital personal property.

(Wuhan Evening News)

(China Daily 03/27/2008 page6)