Chinese man with rare bone disease rides swing car to attend national college entrance exam

A young man who suffers from osteogenesis imperfect (OI), a rare genetic disorder that renders an individual’s bones extremely fragile, rode a swing car in a school in east China’s Anhui Province in order to take this year’s national college entrance exam.

Zhang Liang rides a swing car at his school. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Zhang Liang, now 21 years old, is a senior at Susong High School in Susong county, Anqing city, Anhui. An OI patient with a stunted body, he had a childhood marked by pain and bone fractures due to his brittle bones.

However, Zhang studied hard and enrolled in the Susong High School after scoring over 730 points in the senior high school entrance exam in 2019.

As he can’t walk independently, he has ridden in a swing car at school since the third grade in primary school. “Riding my swing car, I will embark on a new journey and achieve higher goals,” Zhang said.

Zhang has fastened a splint to his left arm for years and has resorted to pain killers to alleviate his pain.

Fang Guilan (R), Zhang Liang’s grandmother, helps him fasten a splint to his left arm. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Despite all these challenges, Zhang worked against the clock to prepare himself for the college entrance exam. He often stayed up until 11:30 p.m. to continue his learning.

“I felt a sense of fun through learning, which is a process of self-improvement,” Zhang said.

Zhang has a passion for reading, explaining that reading enables him to interact with amusing souls and feel that he is not lonely.

He also developed a photography hobby to capture the beautiful moments in his life. “Pain makes me cherish the moments in my life more than an ordinary person,” Zhang said.

Zhang Liang (R) shares photos he took with his classmates. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Photo shows roadside flowers photographed by Zhang Liang.