A weeklong photographic exhibition will open along the Bund today, taking a look at the lives of people in the Asia-Pacific region who are infected with AIDS, or affected by the virus.

The exhibition, titled "Positive Lives, Ordinary People: Art and Action in the Fight Against AIDS," is being held at the Bund 18 Creative Center.

The show, which includes about 60 photos, is appearing for the first time in China, and is organized by the Asia Society, an international nonprofit organization, and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

"The show is part of a three-year AIDS mission in Asia, mobilizing Asian decision makers and their American counterparts to build collaborative responses to Asia's growing HIV/AIDS crisis," said Elizabeth Williams of the Asia Society.

Visitors might be surprised by the pictures, as they don't focus on AIDS patients lying sick in hospital.

"These pictures reflect the ordinary life of HIV carriers and their families. We can see they live a similar life to everyone else," said Xia Guomei, director of the HIV/AIDS Social Policy Research Center of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. "It is essential to promote an understanding of AIDS, as prejudice, a large migrant population and unbalanced development are roots for the spread of AIDS in China."

"There are 120 million migrant workers in China and most of them are young or middle-aged, so they have a strong sex drive. Many have a poor educational background, so they work in the sex industry, but they have little understanding of how to prevent or treat AIDS," Xia added.

(Shanghai Daily June 13, 2005)