The book Ten Thousand Letters, which depicts the HIV/AIDS situation in China's countryside, has won the First Chinese Publications and Media Award for the best book of 2004. The author, Gao Yaojie, an 80-year-old retired physician, has been committed to the prevention of AIDS and has helped AIDS infected orphans since 1996. The book is a compilation of nearly 200 letters from AIDS patients all over the country from the over 10,000 letters she received in the past 10 years. With photos, the book reveals a real insight into the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS situation in China's rural areas. Despite high praise from the media, Gao's book received little response from the market.

　　(Xinhua)