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A group of former miners from the mountainous villages of Sichuan take on the government in their bid to get compensation for the deadly lung disease pneumoconiosis. He Bing is a fighter. He has pneumoconiosis; his father has pneumoconiosis, as does his brother. Another brother has already died from the disease. Together with his comrade in arms, Chen Xiezhong, He Bing travels back to the dust-filled mines where they contracted the disease in order to file a lawsuit against the government. Chen Xiezhong has done more than anyone to bring the miners together, but the disease eventually took its toll and he passed away in 2012. As a final gesture, he donated his corneas for research at the hospital that had taken care of him in his last months.

The miners are under constant pressure, harassment, and intimidation from the local authorities who see them as threats to social stability. But they never give up. The battle for compensation is continued by Hu Qihong, who grew up in the same village as Chen Xiezhong, and who has now married, Zhao Mingxiu, the widow of another villager who died from pneumoconiosis. We travel back home with Hu Qihong to see first-hand the devastation that this terrible disease, combined with the heartless attitude of local officials, has wrought in this picturesque but profoundly sad mountain village.

Director’s Note:

Pneumoconiosis is the by far the most prevalent occupational disease in China. Statistics reveal that China is home to over six million people with pneumoconiosis. Many of them have already died of this disease, and more will follow.

Our film crew investigates the stories of several workers from Muchuan County in Sichuan, who have all contracted pneumoconiosis while working in the mines. We focus on the worker activists who are standing up for their rights and demanding compensation. Life is hard and the challenges are many, but these enlightened individuals are striding out on the rocky path in defense of their rights.

At the time the film was completed, a large number of workers with pneumoconiosis from remote parts of China, were still flocking to the coastal cities in search of work. Many others were stuck in the mountains, helpless, awaiting death.

They have done their best, but their plight goes largely unnoticed. Their lives come and go like dust, occasionally flickering under the sun, then disappearing into nothingness in the blink of an eye.

We hope that this film can arouse public interest in this terrible disease and the struggle of China’s workers so that their lives can improved by greater interaction with society at large.