China’s ‘Basketball girl’ gets a new set of legs; the story of Qian Hongyan, a girl from Yunnan is a classic example of how determination can overcome overwhelming odds

China’s ‘Basketball girl’ gets a new set of legs

Monday, Oct 07, 2013
The New Paper

CHINA – At first glance, she looks like any other beautiful teenager enjoying life without a care in the world. But the story of Qian Hongyan, a girl from Luliang county in Yunnan, China, is a classic example of how determination can overcome overwhelming odds. It was eight years ago that the world got a glimpse of her. Then 10 years old, Hongyan had no legs – they were amputated after a car accident when she was four. She learned to walk on her hands, using a basketball cut in half to steady herself. The locals began calling her “basketball girl”.Early last month, Hongyan, now 18 and 1.64m-tall, received a new pair of prosthetic legs that are longer and more suitable than her previous ones.

She went through the process at the China Rehabilitation Research Center in Beijing where the doctors helped her adapt to her new legs.

She flashed a huge smile and even posed for the doctors as they took photos of her with their mobile phones.

The centre officials said her new legs are comparable to the best in the world and will help her live a normal life.

Reports on the progress with her artificial limbs made international news earlier, with photographs of her going viral on social media sites.

When the pictures first appeared in 2005, the Chinese media ran stories on her. She was then taken to Beijing to receive free artificial limbs from the research centre.

Staying Strong

Even when she was in Yunnan, struggling to get on in life without legs, she didn’t let her physical handicap put her down, Xinhua reported.

Born into an impoverished family, she didn’t have access to education.

She joined a local swimming club for the disabled, the first of its kind in the country, sponsored by the Yunnan Provincial Federation of the Disabled, but found it difficult to adapt.

“I had to give much more than other kids when I learnt to swim,” she told China Daily in 2011.

“It seemed there was no way I could float in the water.”

She persevered and went on to become a successful athlete, training for four hours daily.

She hopes to one day win medals for her country in the Paralympic Games.

Hongyan’s success may mark the changing fortunes for China’s disabled.

“In the past,” her coach Li Ke-qiang told the BBC in 2008, “people despised the disabled. They thought they were all beggars, just asking for money.

“But now, when they see disabled swimmers like these, they can see how hard they’re driving themselves. And that’s a start.”

With her new legs and new-found confidence, Hongyan can take a big step towards more success.