In 2006, Li Xinmo and her collaborative partner, Zhang Minjie, conducted extensive research on a gold mine in Guangxi. In a local village, many of the mine workers had contracted silicosis. Silicosis is caused by inhaling large quantities of dust, leading to fibrosis and hardening of the lungs. Its symptoms include severe coughing until the patient dies from asphyxiation. Currently, there are over 650,000 silicosis patients in China. Gold mining has resulted in the massive destruction of the local environment, with grass unable to grow within a hundred-mile radius of areas that were once pristine mountains with clear water. Li Xinmo completed her first video piece, “I Want to Breathe.” In this work, a silicosis patient on the verge of death appears on camera, coughing continuously as if suffocating. Li also filmed a documentary with the same title and took numerous photographs as part of her work advocating for the rights of Chinese migrant workers. Li has stated, "They [these migrant workers] have even been stripped of their right to breathe."
