Watching "China from the Inside" from the Outside

Yesterday night, we finished watching all 4 episodes of the PBS show entitled "China from the Inside." It was an emotional ride; I was sad, mad, disappointed and hopeful.

I was especially disturbed by the environmental disasters - the polluted water, air, soil - prevalent in China; these are also the basic elements for sustaining human life, be you rich or poor. The images in the show are heart-wrenching. A village, now known as the "cancer village", has many sickly people lacking basic medical care and having no way of getting compensated for what have caused their cancer - deadly cancer-inducing pollutants in the river where they draw their drinking water. That makes me wonder, not for the first time, that the polluted water and air probably are the key culprits for my mother's cancer too. Obviously, she is not alone in this case. It pains me. It angers me.

On a positive note, the program interviewed activists, journalists and professors who are deeply concerned about these issues and passionate about making changes. I truly admire their courage, altruism and perseverance for taking real actions: exposing scandals, cleaning up rivers, planting trees, spreading "green" messages. Someday, I hope I have the guts to face the perils and contribute my share to make China a greener and cleaner place.

I took a stroll to PBS's forum on this show. There are insightful discussions on different subjects - assigning blames, searching for solutions, debating on the fate of Tibet, the future of China - all good food for thought.

I hope the Chinese in China will get to see this documentary too...