16-year-old boy with brain paralysis completes 40,000-character martial arts novel

Zhao Ying, a 16-year-old boy with several handicaps from Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, is set to roll out his 40,000-character martial arts novel, despite the fact that he was merely able to type with two fingers for the duration of more than 800 days while producing the work.

A photo of Zhao Ying. (Photo/WeChat account: dongguanfabu)

“I feel very lucky to be able to fight for my dreams and goals," said Zhao, adding that it doesn’t matter whether his desired results can ultimately be achieved or not, since at least he has tried his hardest. In fact, being different taught him how to stay optimistic towards life, similar to the leading protagonist in his novel entitled “Longyou Jiutian.”

Zhao's achievement can largely be attributed to the support of his family. Born with a paralysis of the brain, Zhao has limited motor capabilities, including the physical motion of his limbs, and thus has to be confined to a wheelchair. After seeking out medical advice from multiple doctors, Zhao’s parents decided to accept the reality and were determined to support their son with love and patience.

Starting from the age of 6, Zhao has participated in therapies and treatments that are typical for children with brain paralysis for a period of 10 years.

Zhao Ying and his teacher Li Zhimei. (Photo/WeChat account: dongguanfabu)

“There was no problem with Zhao's cognitive ability, but his pragmatic ability was weak,” said Li Zhimei, Zhao’s Chinese teacher, recalling the first impression towards the student. In order to encourage students to boldly express with their own words, Li ran class journals regularly to showcase their best pieces of written work. Zhao’s works were always selected and published in the journals, which inspired him to go even further.

Zhao Ying receives training during rehabilitation. (Photo/WeChat account: dongguanfabu)

“I found Zhao’s writing ability to be really strong,” said Li, who continuously encouraged the boy to submit his essays to various platforms and hoped his talents could be seen by more people. Such efforts paid off, since in December 2020, Zhao's works “Autumn Night” and “Dream” were published in local magazines, which greatly boosted the boy's confidence.

“I felt motivated and I decided to stick to writing,” said Zhao.

Zhao Ying’s essay published in a local magazine. (Photo/WeChat account: dongguanfabu)

Later, he took part in a themed essay competition in Guangdong Province and surprisingly won the first prize among all the junior high school contestants with his great effort and Li’s patient guidance.

As for his future plans, Zhao hopes that he might one day become a freelance writer.