Fashion show a sight to behold
Print Edition
BEING in the limelight and wearing designer clothes, Yang Jianxin posed and turned on the fashion runway.
He didn’t look like a pro, but then again it was his first fashion show and he’s visually impaired. Still, Yang looked composed and confident with the help of his guide dog.
Yang, 45, was happy to accept the invitation to the charity fashion show, the first of its kind for blind people and their guide dogs in Shanghai last Saturday. It marked the first time he took part in a public event since he lost his sight in 2002. His life took a dramatic turn last year, this time for the better, when his guide dog Rui Mutai entered his life.
“I seldom went out before Mutai came but now he can take me everywhere,” said Yang, owner of a blind massage center. “He basically is my eyes.”
The black Labrador retriever is as smart as one would expect in a guide dog. At the first rehearsal for the fashion show, the dog looked a bit lost, but Mutai quickly learned how to lead his owner on the catwalk. The music and crowd didn’t affect him at all.
Seven visually impaired people, including Yang, and four guide dogs took part in the show. It was rare to see so many guide dogs since there are only about 25 in Shanghai and 70 nationwide. There are about 16.91 million visually impaired people in China. As of 2008, the US had about 10,000 guide dogs and the UK 4,000.
“My colleagues at the massage center envy me a lot,” said Yang.
Yang took Mutai home after applying to Shanghai Disabled Persons Federation and passing qualification assessments.
There are few guide dog training centers in China and most are set up and managed by NGOs. Training one guide dog could costs about 12,000 yuan (US$1,949) and typically takes a year and a half. Insufficient funding is a major hurdle for such centers.
In the case of the country’s first guide dog training center in Dalian Medical University in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, less than half of training costs are covered by the government. It relies mainly on donations, according to news.163.com.
When Yang and Rui posed on stage, the audience vigorously applauded.
“I was moved to see how confident and relaxed they were,” said Zhao Gang, a spectator. “They have changed my perception of the disabled. They looked radiant and optimistic. Though some of them couldn’t see the clothes they were wearing and walked slower than professional models, they walked with their heads high and their shoulders square.”
The clothes presented will be sold on shantaowang.com, the country’s first online charity store established in 2011, which organized the fashion show. Clothes showcased on runway are made from recycled clothes. All the proceeds will go to a doll-making project that will provide jobs for 3,000 people with mental disorders.
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