Youngster a shining example as he makes light of a life of darkness
By Zhu Shun and Shen Li |
June 25, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A blind pianist's courage and determination to follow his dream in the movie "Touch of the Light" moved everyone who watched it.
Jiading District resident Xu Renyu was born blind but makes every effort to "Touch light" in the darkness.
The 13-year-old was born to an ordinary family in Jiading New Town (Malu Town). Shortly after birth, it was discovered he was blind.
His parents took him to every hospital in Shanghai but found no cure. From that point they have spared no effort in ensuring that one day he would be able to live like a normal person.
Travelling along the road of life in darkness is hard. To smooth his path, his parents sent him to Shanghai blind children's boarding school when he was five to encourage him to lead his life without depending on others.
Putting on his clothes, brushing his teeth, washing his face, taking a shower and eating his meals did much to boost Xu's confidence. But at night, he would weep silently under his quilt as he recalled his mother singing him lullabies.
When he was seven, he entered primary school in grade one. But he was the only one learning Braille.
Every day, Xu would use a Braille pen to punch holes on Braille paper. It required no little effort, which led to calluses on the fingers that held the pen, but he had to master Braille before he could learn math, English, history, geography and be able to get closer to normal children. But with his diligence, he was always among the top in his class.
Xu was very interested in music and when he was seven he started learning to play the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese instrument. He has now reached grade seven of a 10-grade rating with 10 being the highest level for an amateur musician.
He played "The Spring Snow" at the opening ceremony of book-reading month at Jiading New Town (Malu Town), giving listeners the feeling of a spring day with flower blossoms all around. When the tune was over he received an extended standing ovation.
Besides playing the pipa, Xu is also a fine singer. During the closing ceremony of World Expo Shanghai 2010, Xu was selected to join the chorus along with celebrities including movie star Jackie Chan, singer Tan Jing and hurdler Liu Xiang.
"On the stage, Jackie Chan touched my head. His hand is big and firm, which made me feel warm. After the performance, he carried me off stage," Xu said of the unforgettable moment.
Xu has a young but strong heart. He practices again and again to walk, to play pipa and to write like a normal child. He counts the steps and pillars from the entrance of Metro station to the train; he plucks the strings of the pipa again and again until he masters every note with precision; he uses a Braille pen to practice writing a Chinese classic "Great Waves Sweeping Away Sand." His hands are his eyes.
Xu says, instead of being a burden to others, he will lead an independent life and try to make his life more colorful.
Jiading District resident Xu Renyu was born blind but makes every effort to "Touch light" in the darkness.
The 13-year-old was born to an ordinary family in Jiading New Town (Malu Town). Shortly after birth, it was discovered he was blind.
His parents took him to every hospital in Shanghai but found no cure. From that point they have spared no effort in ensuring that one day he would be able to live like a normal person.
Travelling along the road of life in darkness is hard. To smooth his path, his parents sent him to Shanghai blind children's boarding school when he was five to encourage him to lead his life without depending on others.
Putting on his clothes, brushing his teeth, washing his face, taking a shower and eating his meals did much to boost Xu's confidence. But at night, he would weep silently under his quilt as he recalled his mother singing him lullabies.
When he was seven, he entered primary school in grade one. But he was the only one learning Braille.
Every day, Xu would use a Braille pen to punch holes on Braille paper. It required no little effort, which led to calluses on the fingers that held the pen, but he had to master Braille before he could learn math, English, history, geography and be able to get closer to normal children. But with his diligence, he was always among the top in his class.
Xu was very interested in music and when he was seven he started learning to play the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese instrument. He has now reached grade seven of a 10-grade rating with 10 being the highest level for an amateur musician.
He played "The Spring Snow" at the opening ceremony of book-reading month at Jiading New Town (Malu Town), giving listeners the feeling of a spring day with flower blossoms all around. When the tune was over he received an extended standing ovation.
Besides playing the pipa, Xu is also a fine singer. During the closing ceremony of World Expo Shanghai 2010, Xu was selected to join the chorus along with celebrities including movie star Jackie Chan, singer Tan Jing and hurdler Liu Xiang.
"On the stage, Jackie Chan touched my head. His hand is big and firm, which made me feel warm. After the performance, he carried me off stage," Xu said of the unforgettable moment.
Xu has a young but strong heart. He practices again and again to walk, to play pipa and to write like a normal child. He counts the steps and pillars from the entrance of Metro station to the train; he plucks the strings of the pipa again and again until he masters every note with precision; he uses a Braille pen to practice writing a Chinese classic "Great Waves Sweeping Away Sand." His hands are his eyes.
Xu says, instead of being a burden to others, he will lead an independent life and try to make his life more colorful.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
