Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to several AIDS-hit villages in Shangcai county in Henan province in November has left villagers with great hope of leading better lives.

During his November 30 visit, his second to the county, Wen met farmers who had contracted HIV through illegal blood sales in the 1990s and orphans whose parents had died from AIDS.

Premier Wen Jiabao talks with AIDS orphans in the village of Xinhe,

Shangcai county, Henan province, on Nov 30. Li Xueren

The premier met Kong Chunyi and other AIDS patients at a clinic in the village of Wenlou, which is home to 373 people infected with HIV, a 10th of the village's population.

"I remember he asked me more than a dozen questions," Kong said. "He asked, 'When were you diagnosed with HIV?', 'When did you begin to take medicine?', 'What kinds of medicine?', 'Did the medicine have any side effects?', 'Are you the only one in your family who suffers from AIDS?', and other questions," Kong said.

He said the premier inspected the clinic and talked with patients who were receiving transfusions. Wen then went further into the village, shaking hands and talking with villagers standing on the roadside.

Wenlou is a vegetable production base but its products do not sell well due to prejudice by some outsiders. Wen called for greater public awareness about the disease so as to eliminate prejudice against AIDS patients.

"You can tell them the premier has eaten Wenlou's vegetable today," he told villagers.

He then visited the homes of two HIV-infected villagers, Cheng Caixia and Hou Qiuxia. Wen was glad to learn Hou's daughter had passed the university entrance examination last summer and was away studying. More than a dozen students from the village enter college annually.

"Good fortune will come after hardship, the future of the village is bright," he said.

Wuhan University Professor Gui Xi'en, who had visited Shangcai county more than 30 times, accompanied Wen on his visit. He said the situation in Wenlou has greatly improved in recent years with the help of the government and society.

The county is well known for its high incidence of HIV caused by the illegal blood deals. Among the 38 worst AIDS-hit villages in Henan, 22 are in Shangcai.

A report released in November said China had 223,500 HIV contracted cases, including 62,838 AIDS patients, by October, while about 700,000 were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS.

Xinhua