The Warriors of Qiugang
The Warriors of Qiugang - Photo: from the documentary.
Zhang Gongli appears an unlikely hero. But when the 60-year-old farmer in the village of Qiugang in Anhui province, China found his fellow villagers dying of cancer and suffering other health problems due to pollution from nearby factories, he felt he had to act.

In a documentary by Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon, co-produced by Yale Environment 360, “The Warriors of Qiugang,” we see local villagers, with the help of NGO Green Anhui, attempt to stop the pollution caused by recently built factories that are poisoning the water and the land.

This David and Goliath tale is similar to many faced by people across China where environmental laws are skirted and corruption is often the norm.

After this film was made and posted on the Yale e360 website, the Chinese government committed US$30 million to clean up the BaojiagouRiver, the polluted waterway shown in the film.

Watch the full 39-minute documentary HERE.