[vehicles rumbling] [people chattering]
That's me with the camera.
Those guys are watching me because of the camera.
What is she filming? Why is she taking pictures of me?
Don't even try it, or I'll crush you!
Why are you taking my camera?
What follows is the story I captured
before they took the camera from me.
[speaking foreign language]
[dark, somber music]
[train rumbling]
[click]
Today is August 19th.
This afternoon I'm gonna meet with the national security agents.
Who will come to see me at 3 o'clock.
And investigate on what I've been doing during this summer.
I'm a little bit nervous.
I really wish I can film the conversation,
but of course, I couldn't.
There's no way to even take out a camera.
So what I did is
I put on this long dress, you can see this is an
ankle length...
dress.
And underneath the dress
I put on my shorts.
And I have my audio recorder in my pocket.
Hopefully...
I can...
[sighing]
get the audio of our conversation.
[people talking in foreign language]
Why did you come back this time?
I came back to do a topic on sex workers
I saw the report on Ye Haiyan
There were quite a lot of reports on her overseas
She posted photos and admitted that she's a sex worker
I am willing to provide free sex services
That was what she said
Yes, she said she would provide free sex services
[Nanfu] This is the famous photo of Ye Haiyan
or Hooligan Sparrow, as she's often called.
Sparrow went to work in the brothel for free,
to expose the realities of life for sex workers.
This was just one example
of Sparrow's confrontational style of activism.
[screams]
Place the condom on the men's genitalia
[woman] Hooligan Sparrow is the most well known
female activist using nudity to fight for women's rights
(Sex workers are part of society, please do not violate or hurt them)
[Nanfu] This campaign made Sparrow
known across China and the world,
as a women's rights activist.
Approximately 3 to 4 times
[indistinct]
[Nanfu] What I told them was a lie.
In reality I spent all summer with her.
[birds chirping]
To purify our school campuses
[vehicles rumbling]
[low buzzing]
It was my first trip back home to China,
after living in America for two years.
I had never met Sparrow.
But I knew like me, she came from a poor farming village
and had a hard life.
[plane buzzing]
When I landed in China,
Sparrow was busy responding to a breaking news story
from the island Hainan in the south of the country.
Report on Hainan elementary school principal taking school girls to hotel
Let's pay attention to reports from Hainan in regards...
On May 8th, head teacher of Hainan elementary school
discovered that 6 girls did not show up for class
After contacting the parents and searched all night without discovery
Report was made with local authorities
Authorities discovered them around WanNing and Hainan
After investigation, on the night of May 8th
two suspects brought the girls to a hotel
Suspect Chen is the principal of a elementary school in Hainan
Suspect Fung is an employee with WanNing City Dept. of Housing Management
The ages of the six girls range from 11 to 14
[Nanfu] Even though surveillance cameras
show the girls being let into the hotel room
by the principal and the government official,
the police said that there wasn't enough evidence
to convict them of rape.
[reporter] Police states that after going through the evidence.
There was no evidence found to suggest the two suspects had sexual behavior with the girls.
[Nanfu] When no charges were filed
the girl's parents released this photo.
They claimed she was still bleeding
four days after the incident.
That's when the story began to change.
[man] Suspect Chen offered two girls 10K to have sex with him.
Principal Chen offered to pay the girls to have sex with him.
In our country, the highest penalty for rape is death.
and sex with minor is a minimum of five years imprisonment
up to 15 years.
If the rape victim is a child prostitute.
The offender will only receive five to 15 years imprisonment.
Show by raising your hands.
One, two, three, four, five, six
Prosecute Principal Chen Purify our school campuses.
This is the first thing on our list.
The next one is to monitor the commissioner responsible.
Make sure we indicate that's the Education Commissioner of WanNing.
Last but not least, school principal taking kids to the hotel,
please have mercy on the children.
My principal takes me to the hotel, please have mercy on the children!
That's our slogan and others will follow
That's for sure.
So that last one will be just like that.
In China, most Government officials who commit rape of a minor
are not convicted, because it was paid for.
This incident in Hainan has happened numerous times in China.
That is why we came to Hainan to protest, we do not want the suspect to get away this time.
[Nanfu] That first day,
Sparrow asked me to help with my camera.
Hello, everyone, I am Ye Haiyan.
I am a women's rights activist.
In light of the recent incident, where the principal of a school took girls to hotels
and sexually molested them,
I have come to WanNing Hainan.
If anything were to happen in the process of investigation,
note that it is not something that I wish to see.
-What else do I say? -I don't know.
-You have not done this before? -No, I have not.
How do I say it?
There are sometimes a lot of suppression.
Or being locked up in a psychiatric ward
or detention facility.
This kind of situation could take place any time.
So in light of these situations,
many will have to make a preamp statement
stating that they have no suicidal tendencies
Hi, everyone, I am Wang Jianfeng from Jiangsu.
I am a civilian
and a victim.
My name is Shan Lihua from Jiangsu,
a woman fighting to safeguard legal rights.
We should all stand up
and appeal Abolition of the Crime of Whoring Jurisprudence.
I am going to pick up my pen and camera
and show everyone that there are a lot of illegal phenomenon.
I want to expose these phenomenon.
If something were to happen to me, it must be the doing of the people involved.
I ask that you redress an injustice for me
If anything happen,
please try to find me
and please.
[car engine revving]
Long ago, Hua Mulan Joined her father's army
Today's warriors Take up arms for the people
Let's march Let's march
As soldiers We have big responsibilities
As women We suffer big injustices
[laughing]
The Women's Red Revolutionary Detachment
The main reason that I am doing this is because I am a mother.
I am a single mother.
I have a daughter, whom is 13
When my kids were young, every little scratch on them would freak me out.
It's the same for all mothers.
Things that happened to me, if she had not died, I may not have survived.
[vehicles rumbling] [people chattering]
Out of the way!
Can you shoot that?
Yes.
For which agency do you work for?
I can't talk to you.
[Nanfu] See this guy taking a picture of me.
At the time I didn't know why,
but now I think he might have been secret police.
That's how they got my information.
Purify our school campuses. Prosecute Principal Chen.
The head of the department of education should resign!
Our country does have protective laws.
The law does exist, but it is not well enforced
Take up legal arms! Fight for your rights!
So I thought I would printout these legal provisions
for people to take home and read.
[Nanfu] One of the men who asked for pamphlet,
had been watching me when I first setup my camera.
It would take me weeks to realize
who was watching us and why.
[vehicles rumbling]
Wait, I'll register you.
Go ahead.
It's a scandalous crime to abuse 13-year-old girls.
Where are you from?
[siren wailing]
All over.
-I am from Jiangsu. -I am from Zhengzhou, Henan.
She's from Beijing.
Which media are you with?
I am not with the media.
Shall we go over and check it out?
[Nanfu] This was the first time
I ever filmed in public in China.
I was so afraid of losing my camera
that I went back to the van.
Will they be okay?
Police
They are just holding down the fort,
they don't want to forcefully take us away,
I think they will be gone shortly.
Let's just watch our every step.
Locals are on your side.
Don't be afraid,
we're doing this to ask for justice.
You think it will be dangerous to continue filming?
I will go and film it.
Shoot, I'll cover you.
Purify our school campuses. Prosecute Principal Chen.
Screaming like that is useless.
This principal has sexually abused his students.
As a principal luring 6th grade girls to a hotel.
He is worse than a beast.
He must be severely punished.
[Ye Haiyan] I thought the police were going to make arrests.
But I also understand, if arrests were made,
the conflicts will grow even greater.
So I sort of gambled.
If they were smart, they would know not to arrest us.
Nothing serious, or otherwise it will be seen by the whole country.
Hurry!
[door closes]
Police kept asking what department we are from, so now I do the same to them.
I want to know what department, agency you are with.
There's another incident in Henan today.
On May 26th, the head of Archives in Sichuan
laid naked on a 7-year-old girl.
The little girl screamed for help.
When her mother came in, he slapped her saying,
"If you say one word, I'll kill you.
I'm playing with your daughter, so what?"
The society is all acting on the
Crime of Whoring Jurisprudence
law is especially created for the officials.
Those sons of bitches.
[somber, light music]
[birds cawing, water gushing]
(Protesting Education Dept. and Woman's Rights losing its voice by Wang Yu)
(Crime of Whoring Jurisprudence Punish sexual offenders begin in WanNing)
(Don't let your silence indulge more sexual offenders on the school campus, by Wang Jianfeng)
(By Wang Jianfen)
(Sexual molestation of young girls, protesting Education Dept.)
(Women's federation exist in name only. Women's rights in China are dead)
All of us that gathered here have all experienced some difficult times.
I should say most or all have had encounters with the authorities.
I feel when women are at work, they forget their gender.
Full-time activists have no gender,
but regardless, we are still women.
Women's activist! Yeah!
One, two, three!
Women's activist! Yeah!
Take a picture with my phone.
[click]
[Nanfu] The next day Sparrow went back
to her home city, Bobai,
a few 100 miles away from where the protest was.
She was worried about her daughter
who was at home alone.
I followed lawyer Wang back to Wanning city in Hainan.
The main purpose of my trip
was to represent the girls that were victimized.
To protect and safeguard their rights.
Also to learn more insight about the case.
Your rights are violated, you need to be brave and to protect your rights.
Do you understand?
Just come over, not a problem.
Who is threatening you? Tell me.
I will go to him.
We are on the side of justice.
They are the ones that broke the law. They should be afraid.
Hello?
She said that she's been told by a Government official
that they are watching her every move.
I told her she has nothing to worry about.
We are here and we will protect her.
She says, you are protecting me now, but what will I do once you guys are gone?
[whirring]
[Nanfu] We lost the trail of the father.
But the protest was a success.
Sparrow once again went viral with the picture.
People all over the world
made their own versions of the same sign.
Women's rights activist Ye Haiyan...
Well known Women's rights activist Ye Haiyan...
Women's rights activist Ye Haiyan...
Principal, get a room with me leave the kids alone.
Women's rights activist Ye Haiyan in Hainan protesting
With so much attention focused on the case,
the government began to react.
On May 30th, Women's rights activist Ye Haiyan
was attacked by a dozen men and women in her home in Guangxi.
People are saying that this attack was triggered due to the event of May 27th
where the principal of an elementary school took underage girls to a hotel.
It is deliberate retaliation by the locals.
[Nanfu] When it happened,
Sparrow was on the phone with a reporter.
Everything was recorded.
[man] You were there on the 27th...
[Ye Haiyan] There are five of them...
There are five women outside my house harassing me.
[man] So they are right outside now harassing you?
[Ye Haiyan] Yes, they are now inside my home There are seven of them.
They are hitting me.
Hit her!
Get out of here.
Hit her!
Get out!
This is my house.
This is illegal.
Who's there?
Police!
I don't know what you want or if you are here to kill me.
Get out of here!
What have I done? Why are you screaming?
I didn't break any laws, why are you shouting at me?
We don't care about the law.
[vehicles rumbling] [people chattering in foreign language]
-Are you Yaxin? -Yes.
Everything took place inside the house?
At first it all took place inside the house.
Then my mom chased them out with a knife.
They came in and started hitting my mom.
Do you remember what they were saying as they entered the house?
It was recorded on the phone.
[Ye Haiyan shouting]
Why are you harassing me and hitting me?
Why are you filming me?
Go ask the courts.
Ask the police station.
[Nanfu] The people Sparrow recorded
were the owner of the brothels
where she had worked during her activism for sex workers.
This is my house!
[shouting continues]
-If you enter, you are trespassing. -I didn't enter your home.
Then do whatever you like outside my home.
I am coming in...
I am here, this is my home.
I am here and if you enter, I have the right to defend myself.
Your house? Which house?
I'm going to destroy your phone.
[Nanfu] It seemed strange to me
that they came knocking at Sparrow's door
the day after the Hainan protest.
Even though she worked in the brothels
more than two years ago.
[zoom, news reel music]
Today we have a special guest, Ye Haiyan.
Special guest Ye Haiyan, also known as Hooligan Sparrow.
Why is it during your time of undercover, you said that you would provide free sex services.
I work for prevention of Aids.
I do not wish to see any of the sex workers infected.
So I needed to know if they have the means to protect themselves.
To know their health status and environment conditions.
So I must find out for myself.
(Social Visibility)
[woman] Why would you advocate Legalization of prostitution?
[Ye Haiyan] If you don't legalize it, these workers are hidden in the dark.
It is difficult to protect them.
Many of them disappear and are never seen again.
Have you ever encountered that kind of situation?
There is someone I knew that was killed back in 2006.
People are asking what's the point? There are so many people in China.
You are just one person, what change can you expect?
I am just one person, but I can fill up a spot.
[Nanfu] Right after this interview
Sparrow's office was raided and vandalized
in the middle of the night.
[Ye Haiyan] Around 9 p.m. on the 23rd,
8 men showed up and started breaking everything.
They warned us not to reopen the office, otherwise they will be back.
We have reported this to the police, but they said nothing.
Just that they investigated and that this is normal.
The police said this is nothing, no need to make a fuss.
I don't believe this is the doing of the gang, but it is of the Government.
[Nanfu] Sparrow never found out who raided her office.
And now, after the Hainan protest
the brothel owners were at her door.
I believe they are breaking the law and that my safety is at risk.
I tried calling the police and couldn't get through.
I was given a different number and now I would like to make a report.
[Nanfu] The police arrested Sparrow
and released two images as evidence.
Accusing her of assaulting the people
who broke into her apartment.
[Wang] This is not in accordance with the law.
All you have is a photo of an injury.
Not a complete photo.
Whom is the injured party?
Is it for sure the men whom had the conflict with Ye Haiyan?
You can't prove with that photo.
[buzzing, clicking]
[Nanfu] Over the next few days
I followed lawyer Wang
as she gathered and filed documents
to sue the police for unlawful detention.
And to try to free Sparrow.
Detention center looks like this?
Looks a lot like school, but darker.
It's terrible.
[Nanfu] We found Sparrow's daughter Yaxin
waiting at the detention center
with her mother's boyfriend, Haobo.
[Yaxin] We have been waiting for a long time, why have I not seen my mom?
Visitation.
-We are here for visitation. -They need to check our ID.
Who are you visiting?
Ye Haiyan.
Here is my ID.
And my professional card.
Open it.
Give it to me.
Photography is not allowed here.
Sorry, it's my assistant. She doesn't know the rules.
You can't shoot here!
[Nanfu] The police posted a sign on the door,
"No Filming."
I filmed it, using my special glasses with a micro camera.
I also filmed these guys.
They've been following us all day.
We request a visitation.
Is the person in charge around?
Not around? Then you come and collect the documents.
Which documents?
Visitation documentations.
To see Ye Haiyan.
After many tries, we were still not granted visiting rights.
So I gave up.
Because I had to catch a flight back to Beijing,
as I was due in court for a case.
[rain pattering] [thunder rumbling]
[Nanfu] Lawyer Wang left.
And I stayed with Yaxin at Sparrow's apartment.
She was writing as essay for school
entitled, An Unforgettable Encounter.
I remember that day when he came to our house.
He is a big brother with glasses.
Tall and thin.
I thought he was my mom's friend.
I found out later that he was a reporter.
I know what a reporter is.
I was surprised, as being a reporter is a great profession.
I had once wanted to be a reporter.
He asked me a lot of questions.
For example, did your mom hurt anyone?
I told him, no.
After the interview, the article was released.
I couldn't wait to read it.
I was very angry.
He distorted what I had said.
It was like a fictional novel.
He made my mom out to be a criminal,
who refuse to admit to her wrongdoing.
It made me really upset.
I was so upset that I wanted to rip apart the magazine.
Who said reporters write true stories? Bullshit!
Reporters were my idol,
but there and then the image was shattered.
It's just like the image I have of the police.
[vehicles rumbling, honking]
[Nanfu] Over the next several days
many activists came to visit Sparrow's apartment
to show their support.
[speaking foreign language]
What is your name?
My name is Zeng Guoyong.
Where are you from?
I am from GuangDong.
You heard of Haiyan?
I know of her by her nickname Hooligan Sparrow.
She is an activist for the sex workers.
-Have you seen her in person before? -No.
-You have never seen her before? -No.
I know of her and her nickname through internet.
So you are here because?
Why are you here?
I am an onlooker, also a part of society that's looking to change.
[Nanfu] Zeng Guoyong was one of the first.
But everyday more and more people came.
It was hard for me to grasp everyone's intentions.
[fan whizzing]
[water pattering]
I came today mainly to discuss with you...
We'll happily go to prison at any time.
Like Liu Shasha, who's become a professional prisoner.
It's nothing to us.
[Nanfu] It became clear to me that this activist
wanted me to leave.
He told me that many people had been arrested
and interrogated for trying to visit Sparrow.
He said it was to dangerous for me
to stay any longer.
What time did you book it for?
One or two o'clock is fine.
Then I will bring you some breakfast tomorrow...
Finish breakfast and leave before everyone leaves for work.
You should give me
your hard disk.
I'll give it back to you in the train.
Do you have it on you?
No.
You haven't shot too much?
No, I think it'll be fine.
[train honks, rumbling]
[Nanfu] I left the next day
and then I started getting messages
about more activists being detained.
I'M BEING HELD AT YULIN. THEY'RE HITTING ME. HELP ME, QUICKLY.
Even my family a thousand miles away
called to say they were visited by national security agents
wanting to know where I was.
With Sparrow still detained,
people all over the world started a campaign
to show their support for her.
It seemed to work.
Sparrow was released after 13 days in jail.
[vehicles rumbling]
That's when I returned to Sparrow's home in Bobai city.
Action!
I am Ye Haiyan, this is my home and also my office.
This is my desk.
These are related to my works for the sex workers.
Try to be brief.
My name is Ye Haiyan, this is my office.
Then open the door, come in...
Go on and say, "This is where I work."
[Nanfu] Sparrow was with a reporter
from South China Morning Post.
Her editor had asked her to do a video.
But she had trouble with her camera.
And I remember when I bought this camera
they told me I could take video with it.
But I just don't know how to work it.
[Nanfu] So I offered to help.
But I feel that the suppression, keep it short...
Sexual abuse on girls, and so on, and that's it.
It's that simple.
I am Ye Haiyan...
I am Ye Haiyan and this is my office.
I am Ye Haiyan.
First, "I am Ye Haiyan." Then, you open the door.
I am Ye Haiyan.
[Nanfu] As news spread that Sparrow had been released,
more reporters came.
Could this be somewhat related to your upbringing experience...
You started speaking up for the sex workers back on 2005 or 2006...
When did you get your diploma?
I went in today and pass out some tissues and a condom...
I do the same exact thing the next day.
They would wonder why I give them stuff all the time.
Then we bring up our country, these stuff are provided to you by our country.
You tell them that it is from the government?
Yes we tell them that because they believe in the government agencies.
When I was having sex for free, one guy told me,
"Why are you so nice? Where are you from?"
I said I was from Beijing, the government sent me.
I like to have a sense a humor, don't want it to be too serious.
A prostitute straight from Beijing, for free.
Communism is great, even sex is free.
I was worried about you.
I have been quite happy the last few days.
As long as there is a computer, I am happy.
Let's go to the park.
-We haven't been to the park for awhile. -OK.
[Nanfu] Before they could go to the park
we could hear crowd gathering downstairs.
[crowd shouting]
I could barely understand the dialect.
But they held up signs saying,
"Sparrow you whore, get out of the city."
[speaking foreign language]
People hired, that's the phenomenon in China today.
Government has the resources and they can hire anyone.
Yes, it's me speaking.
I just returned from detention facility and found crowds gathered outside my home.
I am concerned about the safety of my family and friends.
So I am calling to report the situation and hope you can protect our safety.
I feel most are not here on their own,
most are just trying to survive and don't want to offend anyone.
Personally I have no problem with the overall situation,
but I cannot forgive myself of the harm that I have brought to my kid and family.
I can endure any physical pains
What I cannot endure is seeing the ugliness of the world
and feeling of despair.
I think that part is most harmful.
We have long called the police, but they have not showed.
People downstairs are causing chaos.
I request that you clear the crowds downstairs.
What's your badge's number?
[Nanfu] The police finally showed up an hour later.
But it had nothing to do with our calls for help.
-So you are arresting us all? -I didn't say that.
You're here for an interrogation.
You're a lawyer, you know that if you refuse to show your ID,
we'll take you in.
It's your decision.
Fine, take me in.
Show me the summons, and I'll go.
I am asking you for your identification.
ID.
If you refuse to provide, that's your business.
You think about it.
Are you threatening me?
I am not threatening you.
[Nanfu] When the lawyers handed over their IDs
I knew it was time to switch to my special glasses.
[crinkling]
Why are you wearing the glasses?
-Take them off. -Why? What's with them?
Let me see them.
Why?
Your glasses...
They're just glasses.
It's just regular glasses.
Why would I give them to you?
They look sophisticated.
[Nanfu] The police broke my glasses.
But they didn't find the memory card.
Since the police didn't do anything
about the crowd downstairs,
we went to the police station
to apply for citizen protection for Sparrow.
I was hoping the police can assist and conduct an investigation.
You tell me who they are.
I don't know who they are.
I don't know who they are either.
Weren't you just there?
I didn't see anything.
I didn't see anyone, can you provide some evidence?
The police took pictures, too!
Those are our pictures.
You are the party involved, it is your responsibility to provide evidence.
Agent Zhong, are you mad because you're hungry?
I'm not mad. I just want proof.
I told you I am not authorized to accept your documents.
You can't? Why were you at Ye Haiyan's earlier?
I didn't want to. Why did you call us?
Please get out!
[Nanfu] One of the lawyers
photographed the officer's ID photo on the wall.
This was posted on social media
with the caption explaining
that the police refused to accept
Sparrow's application for citizen protection.
The message was reposted 1,500 times.
With 550 comments.
You are deliberately creating obstacles for the police.
First, you must understand that China is not a society with rules of law.
L'écriture n'est pas jolie.
[Nanfu] When we got back to the apartment
we found a note from the landlord.
It was an eviction notice.
I need to find a new place urgently. I need to move as soon as possible.
We have to move.
I have spent two to three years here with my daughter.
We felt it was quite peaceful then.
We are just like any other normal family.
[rustling]
[scrunching]
At first I told my kid that if we can't stay in this place,
we will just go live on the streets.
After some consideration, she said to me...
if it is not life threatening, it is okay to sleep on the streets.
[Nanfu] That night Sparrow had a going away party.
[upbeat, rhythmic music]
[chattering in foreign language] [laughing]
On a winter's night,
some henchmen destroyed my house.
It happened quickly.
Those men worked quickly.
They left nothing but rubble.
I have no more home.
They left nothing but rubble.
I have no home anymore.
[meows]
[light, somber music]
[Nanfu] Sparrow traveled 300 miles
to Guangdong to get away from the harassment
and to find a new home for herself and Yaxin.
This guy in yellow shirt,
an activist named Huang,
helped Sparrow find an apartment in Nanlang city.
During the time that Sparrow was detained
Huang was one of the activists
who stayed at Sparrow's apartment.
There he is, in the back with no shirt on.
And here he's taking a picture of me.
I didn't talk to him back then
because the first time I met him he made me nervous.
[growling]
[speaking foreign language]
Huang took an interest in my camera
and was curious about film making.
[vehicles rumbling] [speaking foreign language]
[train rumbling]
With Sparrow and Yaxin safe in their new home,
I took the night train to Shanghai
to arrange my return visa to the United States.
I texted a friend I was coming.
My friend texted me back.
The police are looking for you everywhere.
[coughing]
One, two...
Today, the first time police directly targeted me.
I couldn't stay at a hotel
so I hid in a friend's office,
sleeping on the floor.
That's my shoes and blanket.
I wanted to visit the police station around noon.
Ask the police officers who are around,
do you know who I am?
"She is in Shanghai, do you know?"
"We are looking for her..."
"Tell her we are looking for her."
I realized anyone I contacted could be at risk.
I was also worried about my footage.
Because the FedEx people told me
that all media mail has to be inspected
at customs before it leaves China.
I don't know what method of transportation to use to send it out.
Sounds like someone is knocking on the door.
I don't know if its just me being overly sensitive?
I left in a hurry by bus.
I couldn't take the train because in China
you can only buy a train ticket with your ID.
That's how they must have tracked me to Shanghai.
I wasn't the only one on the run.
Sparrow sent me this picture.
She and Yaxin and everything they owned
abandoned along the highway.
I told them I would meet them in Guangzhou city.
[dark, mysterious music]
[car door clicking]
We all reunited around midnight.
A friend of Sparrow's offered her apartment
while she was away.
Somehow, someone knew we were coming.
I don't know if its just me being overly sensitive?
[man] You can't stay in this neighborhood.
Go! You're not welcome, here.
Let's go up.
[Nanfu] We have keys!
We have keys!
Hurry up!
Where's Huang? Did he stay downstairs?
Don't worry. Huang will come. It's a private building.
What floor is this?
Is this 401?
Go up, don't stop!
-They're hitting me! -Quickly, don't stop!
They got Huang! I have to go help him.
Help!
What do we do?
Help!
This is 401!
Quick!
I am so scared.
Turn the lights on.
Don't open the door to anyone.
Are there windows? I need to find a window.
To shoot downstairs.
Maybe up there?
-Can you shoot? -Yes.
-What's going on? -They are captured.
Be careful.
[Nanfu] Yaxin and I didn't know what was happening below.
All we knew that Sparrow, Haobo and Huang were taken away.
Throughout the night men kept knocking at the door
and I was so afraid that they would break in
that I took my camera apart and hid all the pieces.
Yaxin and I couldn't fall asleep.
so she started to tell me about the picture.
I am not certain myself, how many times we were evicted.
We'd just taken a shower when the hotel kicked us out.
So, we changed hotels,
it was the third.
We got out of the third hotel and someone intercepted us.
He took us back to the condo and got rid of our things.
Mom and I were squeezed in the back.
The driver was an undercover cop, he threatened us,
"You're not welcome in Guangzhou.
If I see you again, I'll break your legs."
Were you scared?
Not really. I thought it was ridiculous.
What were we going to do with all the furniture?
Come on, let's sleep.
Alright.
[Nanfu] There are still four to five men guarding downstairs.
Damn it.
I saw it through the door.
Where are they?
They are in the garden downstairs.
I'm taking the magnifying glass.
I can't see.
Look.
[Nanfu] Later that day, Sparrow, Haobo and Huang
were brought back to the apartment.
Security saw us off to the train station.
They said, never, ever come to this city again.
The next station is Chenzhouxi station.
[announcer] Ladies and gentleman,
the next station is Chenzhouxi station.
What?
What did he say?
Is it expensive?
It's none of your business, kid.
Nanfu!
[Nanfu] By the time we reached the Hubei province
Sparrow and Yaxin only had a few bags left to their name.
Sparrow decided to go back to her hometown.
The small village that she hadn't seen
for over a decade.
[fire crackers popping]
[honking] [speaking foreign language]
Is this to welcome you?
Certainly not.
I'm kidding.
Which road are we taking? The one at the back?
Which one?
There's a new building, here.
Mom!
[Nanfu] This is the only footage
I have of Sparrow's mother.
Later as we got settled
Sparrow asked me to not film too much in the village.
She wasn't sure how much people knew about her.
She also wanted to protect her parents
from the complexities of her activism.
[Ye Haiyan] Whatever happened out there, I do not want my family to know.
I want her to see only the simple part of the life.
Like any other normal farm girls
living a simple life.
None of your thoughts and visions needs to be shared with the family.
It's like our connection with family is only about survival.
Elders only concern is that their descendants live a better life.
Descendants wants to work hard and give elders a better life.
That is all.
Other society issues are rarely thought about or of concern
with a normal rural families.
[indistinct]
None of my family members will understand me.
Although it can be lonely,
but home is always where you feel the most safe.
[crickets chirping]
I'm encouraging you morally!
[birds chirping] [rooster crowing]
[water splashing]
[Ye Haiyan] Home still feels the same.
The only thing being that as a married daughter returning home,
people tend to criticize.
Thirty some years.
That bridge has been around since I was little, I am 38 this year.
That bridge is 30 or 40 years old.
I was born to a rural family,
I am considered the lowest rung of the society and most poor.
My family are all farmers.
When there is illness and can't afford medical care, their only choice is to die.
I also see that when under pressure, suicide is their way out.
This is happening all around me.
Because I worked with sex workers,
What drives them to make that decision.
Poverty is one very strong reason.
I see a lot of rural family women sacrificing themselves for their family.
How do they sacrifice themselves?
For example, give up their chance for education,
marry someone they have no feelings for,
but it can help with their family's financial situation.
So when others scold them,
using morality as a reason to put them down.
I fully understand the sacrifices they have made
so I want to stand up for them, for the unfair treatment they endure.
It's the cruel reality.
Tie your hair, it's loose.
It's been a month since we cut them.
How many people will see this?
I don't know.
May be millions of people.
[Ye Haiyan] My daughter has spent most of her time with me.
I tell her all the time that we will be together through thick and thin.
She may have more experience than kids her own age.
Because I want her to be conscious of the world.
When she is smarter than I had anticipated,
her understanding of the world is greater than I thought she would.
[birds cawing]
Mom, I cut it!
Great. You're really smart.
Get rid of what's filthy.
[sizzling]
[Nanfu] While Sparrow was in the village,
breaking news came in about the rape case in Hainan.
The story of the principal and six little girls
that set us down this road in the first place.
Yesterday, Hainan province...
Hainan elementary school principal taking girls to hotel case...
First instance verdict...
Hainan Waning elementary principal case...
and government official taking girls to the hotel...
The case was held in a closed court
and verdict for both case was delivered.
Chen committed rape and was sentenced to 13 years and 6 months.
Deprived of political rights 3 years.
The other defendant...
Feng was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months on rape charges.
[Nanfu] A few days later, lawyer Wang got a phone call
from the father of one of the girls.
The man she had tried to contact.
I went back to Hainan Island with her to get his story.
[man] At 2:30 p.m. on May 8th...
a teacher called to inform that my daughter was not in school today.
Later was told that the kids were found
The kids were found somewhat unconscious,
on the bed and not responding.
Police brought the kids in for questioning.
The questioning took place
from 11:30 p.m. till 7 a.m. the next morning.
That was then we found out what had happened.
That was when your daughter told you?
She told her mom, she was in there accompanying her.
I was not in there, as she would not speak with me present.
Her mom was in there with her.
[indistinct]
That's when we know what had happened.
She was in there with her mom, I had no idea what's going on.
She said that the principal... She didn't say much after she came out of questioning.
She said our daughter is not a little girl anymore, she's a woman.
That was what she said to me.
I want to castrate the principal.
Why did the principal take six little girls to the hotel?
These little girls are actually gifts.
They were given to the Government officials as gifts.
Some say this is one enormous shady deal,
a scandal.
This is said to be very common in China.
This is said to be happening all around the country,
where education leaders are sending young girls as gifts to Government officials.
I don't understand how China could have corrupted this badly.
It's like...
The Government officials are treating these girls like a fashion trend.
They have fallen to the bottom of the pit.
At the time, many lawyers wanted
to expose these shady deals.
By getting involved and conduct investigations,
but they had no way in.
Same situation for many other cases.
No way in.
[indistinct]
It weakens as it proceeds further.
and then...
after the second trial and verdict was out
The parents of the girls finally have enough courage to approach the lawyers.
You cannot appeal at this time,
there is time restriction on appeal, not whenever you like.
It says, "In ten days."
That's it.
Look here.
"Appeal ten days after the verdict."
That was June, 20th. It's done. It's June 30.
Your lawyer should have explained these documents to you.
The government gave you a lawyer. Why didn't you use him?
After the trial, he stopped answering my calls.
I couldn't find him.
[Nanfu] I asked him why he couldn't meet us before.
The Government was monitoring our calls.
He said for us not to get in contact with media
and lawyers.
Said for us to relax and take care what needs to be done.
They were following us around.
Who was following you around?
Government people.
Are the police in uniform or in plain clothes?
Plain clothes.
[Nanfu] He told us that he knew us from the protest.
I went to the footage and found him.
And there he was,
reading the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
handed out by lawyer Wang.
My thoughts are...
Understand who is there
and whom can help us.
Do you know Ye Haiyan?
I've seen her on the Internet.
What did you see?
I read that she was detained in GuangXi.
Do you know why she was detained?
I don't really know.
I heard that Ye Haiyan was...
She sleeps with men.
That's what I heard.
What was it?
Sleeps with men.
Prostitute?
She's an activist for sex workers.
Do you know her current situation?
I don't know.
[rustling]
[Ye Haiyan] Many people told me that the road I have selected is very rough.
You want to be who you are, there are bound to be hardship ahead.
Deadly blow, violence...
Maybe it's my personality, I am quite tough.
I stand for what I believe and will fight to the end.
Even if you lock me up or kill me, I will not change my mind.
[fire crackers bursting]
[cymbal chiming]
[Nanfu] Lawyer Wang and I took a night bus
800 miles back to Bobai city.
Where she was representing Sparrow in her lawsuit
against the police for unlawful detainment.
[light, somber music]
[vehicles honking] [rumbling]
-Where are you going? -To the courthouse.
[Nanfu] We all knew the result
before we even got there.
I wondered why she even bothered to do this.
[Wang] What we pursuit is to promote the legal culture,
if we allow the law enforcement to continue unlawful detainment
there will be consequences.
Even if we fail, we need to let the people know that what they did is illegal.
Let the people be the judge, who had broken the law.
[Nanfu] I couldn't get into the court
so I decided to film from the street
with Sparrow's friend Huang,
who also came for the trial.
[vehicles rumbling] [speaking foreign language]
Are you filming me?
Stop!
[Nanfu] I thought it was strange
when he started filming me.
Then I realized,
it wasn't me he was filming.
What is it?
You have never seen a camera before?
No.
They sell them at that digital center place.
We need to take photos, please move out of the way.
It wouldn't be good if we accidentally catch you on camera.
[man] If you photograph me, I will break the camera.
[Nanfu] But you are standing in the way.
Don't even try or I'll crush you!
You're in the way.
[man] Do you believe that I will break your camera?
[Nanfu] I believe you.
You want to get out of here alive?
Get her camera!
I forbid you to touch it.
Give it to us!
Give us your camera!
-Are you shooting? -I'm not shooting.
I'm reading my texts.
Let's go. There's no need to fight.
Take her camera! She has to give it to us!
You can't go.
Who gave you permission?
Stop!
Who said you could go?
Go to hell!
[flapping, chirping]
[Nanfu] The police finally got my camera
in front of the court.
They erased the footage from that day.
Huang helped me escape.
And I smuggled the rest of my footage out of the country.
[man] The studio took more than 3,600 photos
of the 2,872 items.
Of which 603 carefully selected
images make up the wallpaper.
On July 6th, 2013
secret police kidnapped Ye Haiyan and her daughter,
abandoning them by the side of the road
with all of their belongings.
Ye Haiyan is a feminist activist who has
strong belief in human rights and freedom of expression
[Nanfu] Sparrow's belongings eventually
made their way to New York
as part of an exhibition.
The exact scene along the highway was reconstructed.
[people chattering]
[light, somber music]
Back in China, Huang bought his own camera.
He told me, when you are repressed and defenseless
the only thing you can do is to document the atrocities.
[dark, thumping music]