One Child

Ajun: It is another boy who killed the african. It is not me.

-You were adopted? -Yes.

I have a message from your mother, here in guangzhou.

-Your brother is in trouble. -What brother?

You want to go and meet her?

Yes, I do.

-She is not my mother. -She is your mother.

Three weeks, no one speaks for me, I will die.

I'll do everything I can for you.

Thank you, sister.

Qianyi: He is telling you, that it is a case we cannot win.

Mei: He is his lawyer. Why?

Quan phong's connections are too powerful.

So, why did he put in an appeal in the first place?

Because there is always an appeal.

And that's it? The only reason?

Qianyi: He's paid by the government whatever happens.

So if he is not going to win, he doesn't see the point in doing anything.

So, he's completely useless.

Yes.

What about the british consulate?

Ask him if I should go there.

He says it is a good idea, that we should do that.

Man: I appreciate your situation,

But there really is nothing the consulate can do for you.

But as he's my brother...

And not a british subject, so we have no call to interfere with the local judicial process.

But he was just plucked out of the air to take the place of the killer.

He is completely innocent.

Unfortunately, we do hear of this sort of thing happening from time to time.

But as I say, it's purely an internal matter for the chinese authorities.

So, you'll have to take it up with them.

But qianyi says, there is no one in authority who will take it up.

Well, yes, and that is sometimes the reality, I'm afraid.

So...

I'm sorry.

So you...

I'm really sorry, but I can't be of any help to you.

You must be able to do something. Can't you help unofficially?

Whatever I do here, I'm still a representative of the british government.

-And so... -You must have some connections. Someone who...

The use of connections is always compromising.

And it would be unethical of me, to place myself

As a british government official in that kind of position.

I really am sorry. It's, uh, it's terribly upsetting, I know.

She wants to know how ajun is.

He asked me to send his love to you.

She's thanking you for seeing him.

Tell her that I know he's innocent.

And that when I saw him, I saw him as my brother.

Mei: And I'll fight for him as my brother.

She'll come back in a minute. She just didn't want to... You know, in front of us.

Are you okay?

She wants to show you something.

She's saying that she came here from hunan province, to work in the factories.

And she met your father lin an shuang.

When they were married, they were given a birth permit.

If you had a permit, you were allowed one child.

Qianyi: Your father's family decided that this child must be a boy,

So when you were born, she knew she would have to give you away.

She remembers the tears,

Because she knew even the first time she was feeding you,

She was having to say goodbye to you.

After two weeks, she said she fed you for the last time.

She wrapped you up so were warm, and took you to the orphanage.

She left you at the entrance and she waited

Until someone picked you up and took you inside.

Qianyi: She asks if you understand.

She says that to leave you, at the orphanage,

Was the saddest moment in her life.

Qianyi: She says she made a mark on your body with a candle before she left you,

Hoping, one day, it would bring you back to her.

She would never ask this, but it would make her happy to see the mark.

Qianyi: She says that she has spent every day of your life thinking about you.

I'm just going to go out there for a moment.

No, stay here.

two minutes.

I've got to get him released.

There are some people I want you to meet.

Dongping: We are safe out here in the open.

But we have to be careful.

We're always being monitored. So just act normal.

My name is dongping. I am a journalist.

Hua and da jen, are lawyers.

Chen is a businessman, and nguyen is a scientist.

We are members of the citizen's justice movement.

It was formed by a man named jiang zhen.

-Have you heard of him? -No.

He set it up to campaign against corruption in the courts

And in the offices of government.

To create an accountable and democratic society.

What we failed to achieve at the tiananmen square,

We can achieve through campaigning on cases, like your brother's.

If we expose the truth in society in the courts, case by case,

We may see the beginning of a profound change in civic society.

And in freeing your brother,

We can bring down the two most corrupt men in our city.

These are the two men who have framed your brother.

Quan phong and his brother quan shin, the chief of police.

Cheng hua: If any one of us as individuals, tries to take them on,

They will imprison us, remove us from our jobs

And have our license to practice law revoked.

They can destroy our livelihoods, just like that.

But acting together in the citizen's justice movement, we can bring them down.

If we can persuade one witness to tell the truth...

That one witness to change his evidence.

Then we have something to work on.

What we are asking you to do,

And our best chance is to use you, as the sister of ajun,

Go with qianyi, find that one witness for us.

And if you succeed, we will use all our influence to get your brother freed.

-Katherine: Hi, mei. -Jim: Hello, mei, dad here.

Hi, mum. Hi, dad.

Katherine: What is happening?

Nothing at the moment.

What do you mean "nothing"?

Mei: I'm just in my hotel room.

Jim: When are you coming home? Have you changed your flight yet?

-Mei: No. -Why not?

I've been doing other things.

Katherine: Anything you want to tell us about?

Well, it's difficult.

I met my birth mother again.

-Katherine: How was that? -It was okay.

Katherine: What do you mean "okay"? Why was it difficult?

I said it was okay, not difficult.

-Other things are difficult. -What things?

Mei: Nothing. I just got back into my hotel, and I need time to think.

Okay, and we appreciate that, mei, but you have to give us more information than this.

I can't really talk about it on the phone.

Katherine: Well, why don't you try?

Because I don't feel I can, at the moment.

I don't know what to think. And as I've said, I've only just come back into my hotel.

Who else have you been meeting?

No one. Why?

Because we're both extremely anxious here.

You don't have to be.

Katherine: So what else have you been doing, that you haven't had time to plan

When you're coming back?

-Nothing else. -You must be doing something.

Mum, I'm not.

What about the situation with your brother, what's happening with that?

I don't know.

Mei, any foreigner trying to interfere with domestic affairs

Will just bring trouble upon themselves.

Serious trouble.

We've looked up cases on the internet, mei.

And if your friend out there thinks that you can make any difference...

I don't need this advise.

I know what is happening here, and I know how to look after myself.

-But if you don't... -Oh, god, please!

Jim: Oh.

We need to do something here.

Did you find a name at the consulate?

I'll do that right now.

Man: May I join you?

Oh, hello.

I received a call last night from your mother and father, concerned about you.

-Waitress: Tea or coffee, sir? -Uh, no, thank you.

I've now looked at your brother's case.

And I am, of course, aware of the citizen's justice movement.

They are a group of dissidents very much at odds with beijing,

And the authorities here, in this city.

I have to advise you, most strongly not to get involved with these people.

You may think their aims are admirable, and indeed I might too.

But as your father's already warned you,

The chinese authorities are sensitive to criticism.

And they don't look kindly on foreigners interfering in domestic matters.

But my brother is going to be executed in two weeks for a crime he didn't commit.

If the authorities find out that you're with these people and they will,

Because these dissidents are known to them and are watched,

They will be very severe with you.

So I have suggested your parents and they've agreed,

That I will assist you in re-arranging you ticket home.

I'm not ready to go home.

Well, that is something for you to discuss with your parents.

I have provisionally booked you on the evening flight to london,

And I'll be holding that seat for you unless you tell me otherwise.

In the meantime, don't meet anyone who you think might be

A member of the citizen's justice movement.

And one more word of advise,

If you are thinking of going to the media when you get home, for your brother's sake, don't.

For anyone here trying to save his life, it'll make their task that much more difficult.

Call me if you need anything.

Where do I meet you?