4 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
China cobbler with no legs learns English through radio, dreams of making Harvard speech
A street cobbler in China with no legs has impressed the mainland public with his fluent English and his dream of one day delivering a speech at Harvard University.
Advertisement
The Huang Huaquan, 44, had his legs amputated after he was knocked down by a lorry at a rural market when he was six years old, the Beijing News reported.
Huang, from a village in Heyuan, Guangdong province in the southern part of China, halted his education as a result of his condition after graduating from primary school.
Seriously disabled Huang Huaquan has to use his hands to move around. Photo: bjnews
He has been interested in English since childhood, and borrowed old textbooks from friends, teaching himself with the help of cassettes and radio.
Huang is a former disabled weightlifting athlete and has won a gold medal, among others, at the Guangdong provincial disabled people's sports event in the past.
For the past nine years, he has been earning a living repairing shoes and umbrellas on the street. He has managed to buy a car and a flat as a result.
Advertisement
'What does not kill me makes me stronger. This is the perfect illustration of my life,' Huang was quoted as saying.
