The Warriors of Qiugang
January 17, 2011 by Eugene
Filed under China, Education and Environmentalism, People and Lifestyle
The Warriors of Qiugang is a 39-minute short video co-produced by Yale Environment 360 with filmmakers Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon. The video tells the story of how the villagers in the Qiugang village, Anhui province in China, worked with an environmental NGO, Green Anhui, and fought together to protect their environment and health against chemical pollution from the nearby Jiucailuo Chemical plant.
The unlikely hero in the video is farmer, Zhang Gongli, who leads the villagers’ fight to shut down the chemical plant by using China’s federal environmental laws to put pressure on the factory owners and the local government. He is a reluctant hero:
I feel scared, I really don’t want to be a hero. But the next generation will suffer. We risk our lives for their happiness.
Watch this moving and powerful short video. China is still struggling to balance environmental protection and economic development. But China’s future looks green with the help of concerned citizens and committed NGOs.
Source and image credit: Yale Environment 360
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The Warriors of Qiugang has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Congrats!