VEE-TV meets some Chinese dragons
Photographer Louise Gibson travelled to China for VEE-TV to see the world’s fastest economy and find out what life is like for some of the 20 million deaf people who live there.
Louise, 30 met some of them in a park in Beijing, where up to 200 deaf people meet every Friday afternoon.
The Chinese elders tell Louise that 25 years ago, the Communist government would not have let them meet in large groups like that. One of the biggest changes now is that deaf groups are able to congregate and communicate. Unfortunately, the Government will not allow deaf people to become active as group politically.
Photographer Louise Gibson travelled to China for VEE-TV to see the world’s fastest economy and find out what life is like for some of the 20 million deaf people who live there.
Louise, 30 met some of them in a park in Beijing, where up to 200 deaf people meet every Friday afternoon.
The Chinese elders tell Louise that 25 years ago, the Communist government would not have let them meet in large groups like that. One of the biggest changes now is that deaf groups are able to congregate and communicate. Unfortunately, the Government will not allow deaf people to become active as group politically.
Deaf people are not allowed to drive – although VEE-TV tracked down one man who was breaking that rule.
They are also not able to protest or organise demonstrations to improve the rights of deaf people. Many deaf people cannot find work and are forced to depend on their families or turn to crime to exist.
Louise did find some hopeful signs though. She visits the Da Bao factory which was set up by the Government to give work to deaf people.
Louise loves photography as it allows her to see people’s emotions through their faces. She is thrilled when she visits a school in Dali in the Yunnan provinces where a group of deaf children are learning photography.
In China, the words for deaf and dragon sound very similar, so many deaf people refer to themselves as dragons.
As Louise says: "Dragons are free, they fly through the sky like birds, flying freely, never letting anyone hold them down. That's what Deaf people want – to be just like dragons."
Some information about some of the projects set-up in China to improve the lives of deaf people.
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party websites
Information about deaf people in China.
http://deafness.about.com/od/ internationaldeaf/a/chinesedeaf.htm
Articles about deaf culture in China.
www.theinterpretersfriend.com/indj/ dcoew/china.html
An article about the project China Sign.
www.idcs.info/ resource_library/developing.html
Information about deaf community development workshops in China.
www.idcs.info/ professionals_at_work/deafbydeaf_in.html
About the Women's Kingdom, China's matriarchal society.
www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/ 2005/07/introduction_tolinks.html
Book review of Deaf Children in China by Alison Callaway
www.chinadevelopmentbrief.com/ node/206
They are also not able to protest or organise demonstrations to improve the rights of deaf people. Many deaf people cannot find work and are forced to depend on their families or turn to crime to exist.
Louise did find some hopeful signs though. She visits the Da Bao factory which was set up by the Government to give work to deaf people.
Louise loves photography as it allows her to see people’s emotions through their faces. She is thrilled when she visits a school in Dali in the Yunnan provinces where a group of deaf children are learning photography.
In China, the words for deaf and dragon sound very similar, so many deaf people refer to themselves as dragons.
As Louise says: "Dragons are free, they fly through the sky like birds, flying freely, never letting anyone hold them down. That's what Deaf people want – to be just like dragons."
Some information about some of the projects set-up in China to improve the lives of deaf people.
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party websites
Information about deaf people in China.
http://deafness.about.com/od/ internationaldeaf/a/chinesedeaf.htm
Articles about deaf culture in China.
www.theinterpretersfriend.com/indj/ dcoew/china.html
An article about the project China Sign.
www.idcs.info/ resource_library/developing.html
Information about deaf community development workshops in China.
www.idcs.info/ professionals_at_work/deafbydeaf_in.html
About the Women's Kingdom, China's matriarchal society.
www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/ 2005/07/introduction_tolinks.html
Book review of Deaf Children in China by Alison Callaway
www.chinadevelopmentbrief.com/ node/206