Great Wall hike raises awareness for HIV/AIDS

Last Sunday, more than 140 people from China and overseas took part in a four-hour long march across the Great Wall to raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS and to bring an end to the prejudices faced by those in this country who suffer from the disease.

Last Sunday, more than 140 people from China and overseas took part in a four-hour long march across the Great Wall to raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS and to bring an end to the prejudices faced by those in this country who suffer from the disease.

This is the third consecutive year the China AIDS Walk has been hosted at the Great Wall.

Unsuspecting tourists on the Great Wall were swarmed by a sea of people in red t-shirts, laughing and waving flags.

Swept up in the euphoria, some tourists hastily pull out their cameras to capture the moment, though many are not quite sure what is going on. Taking a closer look, they see the charity's logo emblazoned on the red shirts and written on the flags and signs, reinforcing their positive message, "I am willing to live/work/have sex with HIV positive people."

Hugs were freely exchanged between those infected with HIV/AIDS and those who were there to support them.

"Building awareness is challenging; it takes ongoing work in every country," said American Nathan Keltner, 35, who made the trek with his partner.

In China, there remains widespread discrimination and condemnation against those who suffer from HIV/AIDS, exacerbated by a lack of understanding about the disease. The impression of the general public towards HIV/AIDS has been tainted by highly publicized media reports of an entire village in Henan Province being stricken with the disease through the unscrupulous practices of blood merchants reusing needles that have been contaminated with the virus. Consequently, many of those who have contracted the disease in China suffer the fate of pariahs, cast out from and condemned by society at large.

According to a Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention report released recently, there were 436,800 people with HIV/AIDS in China by the end of 2013.

To further promote understanding and greater acceptance of those infected with HIV/AIDS in the country, China AIDS Walk will hold similar events in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, for later in the year.

Supporting the ones you love

"[Events like this] bring attention to issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, which can lead to research funding and further advances in treatment," said Keltner, who knows a number of people who have been infected with the virus.

Keltner has been living in Beijing for six years. He regularly attends educational programs, talks, and other community drives, especially those to do with issues affecting the LGBT community.

"It's really great to be around people who really care," he said.

Another person who was there to support his HIV positive friends was Liu Xiaoguang, 28, who works in advertising.

Liu admitted to initially believing in many of the myths that he is now working to dispel about HIV/AIDS.

"At first, I was terrified by the thought of AIDS," said Liu. "But I've come to realize that most of the time, the reason people are afraid is due to a lack of knowledge."

"Now, I think of AIDS as being no different from diabetes," he said.

New Yorker Colin Shepard, 42, who has just moved to Beijing, brought his wife and two children with him. He said he hoped that it would serve an educational purpose for his children.