Kosuke Okahara, Japan
Vanishing Existence - Abandoned leprosy villages in China

Although leprosy is a disease that is completely curable by medicine and people are merely affected by this disease for a short time, there are over 600 leprosy villages in the southern provinces of China, housing over 40,000 ex-leprosy patients.

In the villages, there are some who are physically disabled, but no longer afflicted with leprosy. When multi-drug therapy became available in China in the 1980s, people were able to recover from this disease. However, these people are still living in these villages, isolated in remote areas because of the long-lasting discrimination against ex-leprosy patients.

In many of these villages, people do not have access to clean water and electricity, living in very difficult conditions. They receive money from the government – either very little amounts or up to 50 dollars. The economic situation of the villages is similar to the poor farming communities which have been left behind and ignored during China’s recent economic growth. However, these ex-leprosy patients face more challenges since many of them are disabled, and the average age of the villagers are over 60 years old.

In China, recent visible economic growth made city life richer. However, the rural areas have been left behind. It is said that the villages will disappear in 10 to 20 years since the villagers are getting older and will pass away. The existence of these ex-patients is being erased from the course of history, as if they had never existed and had never been victims of discrimination. This photo story is of the daily life of these ex-leprosy patients who exist in the shade of China’s recent economic boom.