Shangshan Service Center for Disabled brings benefits to individuals with disabilities in Changsha, C China

Xie Xiangqian (2nd L) and Zhou Guomin (1st L), both members of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, chat with villagers in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

In 2013, a tragic fire left Xie Xiangqian with severe burns and physical disabilities. A year later, with the support of disabled persons federations, Xie founded the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled in his hometown of Lianhuashan Village. The center has since become a hub for employment opportunities, offering jobs in electronic components processing, packaging, and various agricultural activities.

Over the past decade, the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled has not only provided agricultural training but also facilitated job placements for over 5,000 individuals with disabilities. Almost 200 of them have secured employment directly through the center.

In recent years, Xie and fellow disabled individuals have extended their impact to schools, sharing their life stories with students. Some schools have taken the initiative to organize farming experiences for students under the guidance of individuals from the center. This innovative approach aims to instill a positive outlook on life among students.

Jiang Wan (C), a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, gives a lesson to people with disabilities in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, March 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Zhou Guomin (R), a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, practices calligraphy in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Xie Xiangqian (R) demonstrates an calligraphy work of Tan Huangfang (L), a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Qin Fang, a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, processes coils at a workshop in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 13, 2024 shows a farmland of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Guo Weixin, a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, cleans a henhouse in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Guo Weixin (L) and Xie Huiqing, both members of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, work on a farmland in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Liu Shaowen (1st L), a member of the Shangshan Service Center for the Disabled, leads students from a middle school of Changsha in a farming experiences activity in Lianhuashan Village, Yuelu District of Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, March 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)