‘I can be your hands, you can be my feet’
Against all the odds, couple with physical disabilities defeat poverty and build contented family life together
Life can be grossly unfair, but it doesn’t have to be filled with despair. A couple from Pingzi village, Kunming, Yunnan province, have proved that: beating all the odds to find love, build a family and lift themselves out of poverty.
Zhang Shundong, 47, was injured by a severe electric shock at the age of 6. His right arm was amputated and his feet so seriously damaged that he hobbled through most of his adult life until his lower legs were amputated.
His wife, Li Guoxiu, 50, was born without arms into an impoverished family. Her parents wanted to abandon Li, but her grandmother insisted they keep the baby girl.
Li finished middle school and learned how to work with her feet — cooking, washing clothes, mopping the floor, feeding livestock, weeding farmland, harvesting crops and even embroidering.
The couple met in 1990 on an arranged date and wed the same year. Zhang’s feet were still functional and he made a living from farming. Li helped around the family farm.
“Li’s family didn’t agree to her marrying me at first because they were worried two disabled people could not build a life,” Zhang said.
“But I told her, ‘I can be your hands, you can be my feet.’ There was no bumpy road we could not travel together.”
Family life
The couple overcame their physical difficulties, worked hard and eventually started a family.
In spring, Zhang fetched water from the mountain, while Li planted rice. In autumn, when the corn matured, Zhang picked the cobs with his left hand and put them in a basket Li carried on her back.
In the kitchen, Zhang cooks with a spatula, while Li steadies the wok handle with her foot as she balances on one leg.
But things became more difficult when their two children were born two years apart. Their living expenses increased and the couple were presented with the problem of taking care of two little ones. “I owe them a lot, because I can never give them a hug,” Li said.
Their daughter, Zhang Guanqiong, 27, remembers when she and her younger brother were small.
Every time they wanted to go out it would take about 10 minutes for her mother to put the infant boy on her back, while Zhang Guanqiong tugged at her mother’s dangling sleeve.
“I began to do chores and take care of my brother when I was 5 or 6 years old. I always wanted to grow faster to help the family,” she said.
Her brother, Zhang Guanyun, 25, said his parents worked on the farm from early morning until deep into the night to earn extra money.
“One time, I was helping plant rice seeds with my sister and I saw father leave bloody footprints everywhere on the farmland. I will never forget that image,” he said.
The condition of Zhang Shundong’s feet deteriorated due to the farmwork and they were often infected.
In 2013, his lower right leg had to be amputated. Luckily, most of the medical costs were covered by government reimbursements and donations from the local civil affairs department and disabled people’s federation. The family only paid about 800 yuan ($123) for the treatment. In 2017 and 2018, the condition of his left foot and ankle worsened and they were also amputated.
Triumph together
For a long time, Zhang Guanqiong thought the amputations were her fault. After she graduated from high school she wanted to work to support the family, but her parents were eager for her to continue her studies.
“They worked even harder to earn my tuition fees. My father was unwilling to see a doctor because he wanted to save money. That led to the amputation,” she said.
In 2013, she enrolled at Qujing Normal University in Yunnan and after graduating got a job as a math teacher at a primary school.
“My father looks more optimistic now,” Zhang Guanqiong said.
“He rides a tricycle to sell corn seeds every day. He is also learning e-commerce. My mother cleans the house to keep it tidy. I’m proud of them,” she said.
Zhang Guanyun has worked in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, and last year got a job as a technician at a water supply company in Kunming. He quit the job this year to take care of his father. In 2017, the family built a new cement house to replace the old mud structure, using their combined salaries and with the help of government subsidies.
Zhang Guanyun said his parents no longer have to do strenuous farm work. They sell corn seeds and are developing their e-commerce skills to help other villagers sell local produce online.
The son said he plans to help develop the family’s e-commerce business.
“In my eyes, my parents are no different from any other parents in the world. Their love for me will not decrease for any reason,” he said.
Last year, the couple were designated as national representatives for poverty-alleviation and recognized as family role models for disabled people for their perseverance and positive attitude.
Despite the accolades the couple remain humble, saying a good life does not come by chance. A person must realize their own worth and win the respect of others, said Zhang Shundong. “It’s not helpful remaining in self-abasement and misery. Though we don’t have sound limbs, we have brains. We can live life to the fullest,” he said.