Xi Meng says he has received two death sentences - one from the court, one from HIV.

The 37-year-old was convicted of homicide in 1998. Seven years into his sentence, he was diagnosed as being HIV positive and moved to Jin Zhong Prison, a facility for inmates with infectious diseases.

"It was hard at first. It felt like my life was shorter than my sentence," said Xi, who is serving a suspended death sentence, which means in 2005 he was facing another decade in prison.