Abstract:

"In Beijing stands the only hospital inChina to specialize in allowing people approaching the end of their lives to die with dignity. It was established ten years ago by Dr. Li Wei, who had been a barefoot doctor in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He saw much hardship during those years and vowed to help some of the people who survived. "Compared to a Western Hospital, this is a simple, basic facility. Care and respect permeate the atmosphere. Each of the elderly patients embodies the history of his or her generation. Entwined with their stories is film footage illustrating the turbulent times though which they lived. By focusing on the stories of a few people nearing the end of life, The Chinese Hospice lends a personal face to history."