Shanxi writer excels from her wheelchair

June 10, 2022

BEIJING – With no formal education, 29 year-old Li Lu has become a popular online writer who has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers.

Born into a rural family in Liulin county, Shanxi province, Li was athletic and active in her childhood. But she broke her spine and lost sensation in her legs at age 6 when she stumbled and fell while climbing a hill.

“At that time, I thought I was just hurt and it would not take long to recover,” she said. “I never thought that I would have to live in a wheelchair my whole life.”

Li was unable to attend school because of her physical condition, and she spent six idle years at home.

“During that period, I had few friends and tried to avoid news about the campus. However, when I grew older, I gradually accepted the fact that I was different from others,” she said.

“With more thinking about my life, I didn’t want to yield to fate. Fortunately, my parents didn’t give up me.”

With their encouragement and support, Li gradually overcame depression and was eager to learn.

To help her get over her boredom, her father bought her a secondhand computer, which she used to connect with the outside world.

At the age of 13, Li began to learn Chinese — from the most basic knowledge, pinyin, the dictionary or asking her parents, neighbors or any others willing to help.

Then she started some simple readings, such as short poems and stories.

“It usually took a lot of time to understand the meaning due to my small amount of recognized characters, but I persevered,” she said. “With accumulated knowledge, I was able to read long novels, such as Sherlock Holmes detective stories.”

“The joy of reading for me was just like bright fireworks in the dark sky,” she said. “Furthermore, reading not only brought me endless vitality and creativity but also brought me a chance to change my fate.”

Li began to write down her mood changes and improve her reading comprehension. She tried submitting her writing for online publication.

At age 16, Li published her first online novel, a 160,000-word fairy tale.

From then on, her articles began to be accepted by Chinese magazines, and some of her articles were translated and published overseas.

From 2015, Li began to focus on publishing articles on social media platforms and attracted many followers and more than 100 million views.

After realizing economic independence, she moved to the provincial capital, Taiyuan, and bought an apartment.

“Reading and writing changed my life and fate,” she said. “As long as we set our own targets and make the effort, we can realize the value of life.”