A tough woman who works on her knees (2)

Hu Fenglian, 50, was born in a village in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. She became handicapped after a fire accident at the age of six. Since then she has been walking on her knees. She brought up her daughter on her own by raising pigs, growing vegetable, weaving cloth after her husband left her. Her daughter got married last year.

In August 2006, in order to go out to work, she made a set of “equipment” that enabled her to walk with her knees. She sewed a cloth cover using old trousers and made a rubber cover with tire. She first wrapped her knees with trousers, and then covered the trousers with the cloth cover and the rubber cover. This way, she went to the county to work.

She worked as a miner and then an embroidery worker. Now she transports timbers in a plant. Her legs will ache and become inflamed if she walks more than 500 meters. She has to spend 1,000 yuan on medicines for her legs every year. Although she works on her knees, she was optimistic about her life. She talks and laughs with her fellow workers during the break. Her fellows all commend her bravery.