Recording life's highs and lows

Wang Leijun Yong Kai / China Daily

SHANGHAI - Wang Leijun's biggest dream is to raise money to complete shooting a film about a 21-year-old HIV carrier.

The story is about how indifferent society is, the documentary maker said.

"The man makes a living by collecting garbage," he said. "He is not incapable of doing other jobs, but society won't let him do it. He had nightmares frequently after learning he was infected with the virus and dared not go home. I wondered why nobody helped him."

Wang, 28, has been working on the documentary for more than two years, but still has not finished it.

"Money is the greatest issue," he said. "Currently, I have no income and no funding."

Wang used to volunteer and earn about 4,000 yuan ($485) a month at the Chi Heng Foundation, a charity based in Hong Kong with offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

His role was to carry out promotions warning homosexual men about HIV/AIDS.

"I liked that job very much because I like to help those people who belong to society's vulnerable groups," he said. "I am one of them. I am a homosexual man, too."

However, Wang quit the job a few months ago. "That job no longer challenged me and I felt that I needed to find a better way to help those people and myself."

So, he decided to make his part-time interest in documentary filmmaking a full-time task. "I think film is a better way to urge our society to pay more attention, and provide more help and care to vulnerable groups. It has a larger audience and can be disseminated more widely."

Wang has no degree or background in filmmaking, which has caused some difficulties.

Luckily, he had friends who were involved in independent productions of short films. "I've learned a lot from a second-year student who specialized in film directing," Wang said.

Said the student, who has graduated from Shanghai University: "He knew nothing about editing. But he never felt ashamed about asking me questions, and he practiced a lot."

The only equipment Wang had was a video camera he bought a few years ago.

"I only know how to operate it in auto mode," Wang said. "Until now."

Wang said that the reason he was interested in making documentary films was he felt alone in society. "I want to express my feelings, why no one seems to care about me," he said.

Wang was born in an underdeveloped village in Central China's Henan province. He left his family when he was 19 because his parents were forcing him to marry a neighbor girl.

Wang ran away with nothing but his resident identity card and 1,700 yuan in savings.

He had several odd jobs - waiting tables, property sales, tending bar - before he joined the charity origination.

Wang's family still does not know about his sexuality because "I dare not tell them the truth." In fact, his father wants him to get married by October next year, he said.

Wang said he once rejected an offer from a famous documentary director to buy his first film, which was about a male sex worker who has undergone a sex change operation.

Wang has participated in many non-profit activities, "to earn a little money and make some new friends".

He joined the Living Library, a non-profit project that presents humans as "books" to inspire, overcome prejudices and break down barriers between people. In the Living Library sessions, the "books" tell the "readers" about their lives, then answer questions.

As one of the "books", Wang's likes to tell his story and share his experiences.

"I enjoy it very much," he said. "At least there is someone who likes to listen to me."

Wang is also helping to make promotional videos for the Living Library.

"He has his own thoughts about the life and his dreams," Ding said. "Nothing can stop him."