The “Gao Yaojie Biography” release event was held on March 4th at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI), Columbia University. The book, compiled by Boden Publishing House, vividly documents the life of the late AIDS activist Gao Yaojie in both words and pictures.
During the event, Professor Andrew James Nathan, Gao Yaojie’s guardian before her passing, presided over the gathering. Friends, scholars, young people, the biographer of Gao Yaojie, and Chinese democracy advocates who knew Gao Yaojie well came together to express the overseas Chinese community’s admiration and respect for her.
Gao Yaojie (December 19, 1927 – December 10, 2023) was an obstetrician and gynecologist who bravely exposed the truth about the widespread transmission of AIDS in rural Henan Province due to illegal blood selling in the 1990s, despite being monitored and suppressed by the Chinese government. In 2009, at the age of over eighty, she was forced to seek refuge in the United States, settling alone in an apartment in Manhattan’s West Harlem area with the assistance of Professor Nathan and becoming a visiting scholar at Columbia University.
Professor Nathan recalled how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Gao Yaojie in her apartment while she was bedridden, and with Clinton’s help, immigration officials came to her residence to conduct her naturalization ceremony.
Chung To, chairman of the Chi Heng Foundation, shared his experiences visiting AIDS-affected villages in China with Gao Yaojie. They had visited remote villages, supporting families of AIDS patients marginalized by society. He mentioned that despite government pressure and censorship, Gao Yaojie remained steadfast, always bringing love and care to those most in need.
David Rong, founder of Boden Publishing House, expressed his hope to one day erect a statue of Gao Yaojie in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to commemorate her selfless dedication and contributions.
Shiyu Lin, Gao Yaojie’s biographer, shared his weekly visits to Gao Yaojie since 2015. He mentioned that despite her advanced age and failing health, she never stopped writing. During her years in exile in the United States, she published 12 books, each filled with her calls for social justice and love for AIDS orphans.
Fengsuo Zhou, co-founder and current chairman of Humanitarian China, recalled his numerous visits to Gao Yaojie, praising her wisdom in solitude and her keen interest in current affairs, especially news related to China.
Mrs. Zhao, who assisted Gao Yaojie in her daily life, mentioned that despite her poor health in her later years, Gao Yaojie persisted in writing and even used a handwriting board to compose her writings.
Nicole, who interned at an immigration law firm in Flushing in 2019, met Gao Yaojie during that time. She would visit Gao Yaojie’s home every weekend to help with paperwork, an experience she cherished. Nicole reflected that every time she returned to campus from Gao Yaojie’s home, walking down the street watching the sunset, she felt she had done something meaningful.
At the end of the book launch event, a documentary produced by Shiyu Lin and friends about Gao Yaojie was shown. The film documented her life in the United States, allowing the audience to further understand the story of this resilient woman. The audience present was visibly moved.