战胜死亡的禁忌

The death of a young cancer patient in China who had received dubious treatment advertised on the search engine Baidu, led people to question the Internet giant's ethical responsibility. But there's another issue attracting attention; hospice care, and how people with incurable illnesses should face death during the last days of life?

Perhaps the worst thing that can happen in life is having to see your child suffering from a fatal disease. That's the case for the mother of 45-year-old Zhao Yongmei who is dying of cancer in a hospice care center.

"I told my mum that I've often woken up at the middle of the night with fears. But when people are around me during the daytime, I feel better," Zhao said.

The biggest barrier doctors have to break in hospice care centers across the country has to do with the centuries of Chinese culture. Anything associated with death is believed to bring misfortune so discussing death openly and rationally has always been a problem.

Doctor Wang has been running the care center for years. She is the one patients can rely on in their final days. She says Zhao Yongmei is one of bravest patients because she has accepted the fact that dying is just a part of life everyone has to go through. That belief has made both her and her mother feel at ease.

"The reality is, most patients in the hospice care center would never know they were dying because their relatives want to hide the fact and present them with a fairytale of lies. This is against our principle: only by starting to accept the fact can it be easier to reach the finishing line," said Wang Yumei, deputy chief physician.

Doctor Wang thinks cultural values about death are the main reason for the slow development of hospice care across the country.

"Before I went to the UK for hospice training, I never thought a person's final days could be so vibrant: I saw end-stage patients making new hairstyles and putting on fancy dress - things you wouldn't imagine happening in China," Wang said.

With the arrival of more hospice care centers, people are starting to change their mind about death and dying. China's centuries-old taboo might start to give way.