Wang Qiang (alias) grew up in Laowangzhai village, Hunan province, and was born in 1985, at a time when the lead and zinc mines started to develop in the province.
Two decades of lead and zinc mining in the area has taken a major toll. The population of the villages, most of who are ethnically Miao, has experienced severe health impacts as a result of heavy metal exposure.
Wang became ill and was diagnosed with uremia, a complication of chronic kidney disease. In the last few years, the medical treatments cost his family hundreds of thousands yuan. Currently, he gets three hemodialysis treatments per week, which add up to more than 10,000 yuan per year. If he does not get the treatments for three days, he will suffer from symptoms of fatigue and dizziness.