In the past week, citizens in Chongqing have been rallying around a young local man with cerebral palsy who also happens to run his own grape-growing business, Chongqing Daily reported.

Zhou Wei, 27, lives in the Bishan district of of the city in southwest China. Due to his medical condition, he cannot move the right side of his body, and he wasn’t able to walk until the age of 20. His parents have been living and working in other cities for years, leaving Zhou to be cared for by his ailing grandparents.

“I don’t want to be a burden to my family,” Zhou said. In 2013, feeling a strong impulse to stand on his own feet, he rehabilitated an old, overgrown grape garden occupying about 5,333 square meters of land that belonged to his family.

Zhou has been very dedicated to the garden since that time. He still cannot walk easily, so it takes him over two hours to do a full inspection of the garden, and he frequently falls in the course of his tours. At night, he stays up to guard the garden from thieves.

The incessant rain this year has eroded about 1,000 kilograms of grapes, which he estimates to be one-eighth of the total harvest. Another 500 kilograms need to be sold very soon, or else they will erode fast. “I need to sell them and get the money to help pay for my sister to go to the school,” Zhou added.

On July 22, Bishan Newspaper, the local paper of Zhou's district in Chongqing, published his story and called for local people to help the young man out. On the same day, a governmental association that assists handicapped people visited local communities, families and supermarkets to help promote Zhou’s grapes.

Their effort paid off. By 6 p.m. on that same day, Zhou’s phone had started to ring non-stop, all calls from people who wanted to order his grapes. On the weekend of July 23 and 24, around 100 people even drove to Zhou’s garden to buy the grapes in person. Touched, Zhou offered them excellent prices. 

On July 22, Bishan Newspaper, the local paper of Zhou's district in Chongqing, published his story and called for local people to help the young man out. On the same day, a governmental association that assists handicapped people visited local communities, families and supermarkets to help promote Zhou’s grapes.