To Say, Farewell
Country/Region:
Mainland China
Release Year: 2024
Release Year: 2024
Publish Date: 08 August 2025 00:00:00 UTC
Story:
In a Manhattan apartment in New York, there lived a 96-year-old solitary elderly person, Gao Yaojie. Seen as the first grassroots AIDS activist in China, Gao was forced to flee to the United States from China at the age of 82. The elderly woman’s long and tumultuous life mirrors the turbulent modern history of China. The film documents the lonely last three months of Gao Yaojie’s life. On 10 December 2023, Gao Yaojie passed away in New York.
Casts & Crews:

Wang Libo
Directors
Runtime:
88
minutes
Language:
Mandarin
Subtitles:
English
Tags:
#AIDS #activist #life
Director‘s Statement:
Initially, I merely intended to document the life of Gao Yaojie, a witness to modern Chinese history. However, as the filming progressed, I was gradually moved by the loneliness of the elderly in her later years. This once sensational figure who shook China and the world found solace in this apartment, which became her final refuge, a quiet and solitary island. I began to realize that this was not just a documentary shooting but also an emotional journey.
I hope this film can transcend the conventional framework of documentaries, becoming a vessel of emotions and offering a sincere reflection on history, life, loneliness, and death. May it reveal to the world the transcendent ‘compassion’ beyond love and life.
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Casts & Crews

Wang Libo
Director
Story:
In a Manhattan apartment in New York, there lived a 96-year-old solitary elderly person, Gao Yaojie. Seen as the first grassroots AIDS activist in China, Gao was forced to flee to the United States from China at the age of 82. The elderly woman’s long and tumultuous life mirrors the turbulent modern history of China. The film documents the lonely last three months of Gao Yaojie’s life.
On 10 December 2023, Gao Yaojie passed away in New York.