Performers:
Female: Ma Li . Male: Zhai Xiaowei
The following is their deeds, more about them can be searched in Baidu by typing their names.
On the evening of April 20, 2007, the finals of the 4th CCTV TV Dance Competition were underway, and the tenth contestants to appear were Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei, who were competing in a dance called "Holding Hands".
Mali: I love the stage, and I hope that I will be on the stage.
Mali: I don't know how big the stage is. It's just that I imagine there is such a stage.
This is Ma Li's dream since childhood. 1977, Ma Li was born in Zhumadian City, Henan Province, her age in the family is the youngest, her mother, although she does not know much about literature and art, but extremely spoiled daughter, in the year when Ma Li was 7 years old, her mother sent her to the Children's Palace.
Mali: There are times when I don't have as many opportunities to play as other children. As far as I can remember, it was just pretty intense on a regular basis, just full on all the time. Every day after school. And then after school, you eat, you finish your homework, and then you go up to the juvenile hall to learn.
Among the many artistic trainings such as painting, calligraphy, and dance, young Mari's favorite was dance.In 1981, when she was 11 years old, she would skillfully perform the folk dance "Yang Liu Qing Qing". That was the same year that a young boy, Zhai Xiaowei, who was just four years old in Puyang, another city in Henan Province, had to face the biggest blow of his life.
Jai Xiaowei: In the street alone shopping for fun. I saw a tractor pulling a lime while I was strolling around. It is just a few people, on the tractor, although I am relatively young, feel to try. Then I went up. When I got on, I fell off the tractor. The leg went in. It flattened the whole leg. When I fell, I couldn't feel my legs at all. I didn't know my leg existed. Just felt a headache.
Seven days later, doctors told Zhai Xiaowei's father that if he wanted to save his son's life, he would have to resort to amputation. For a child who was only four years old at the time, Xiaowei had no idea what amputation meant.
Jai Xiaowei: He asked me, son, do you know what the concept of amputation of the leg? I said no. He said, give me the leg amputation, the future life will be particularly difficult. There are a lot of setbacks and difficulties. He said, "Are you afraid? At that time, I just did not understand this frustration and difficulty. I just said, as if in jest, I said Dad, are the setbacks and difficulties delicious? My dad also, jokingly said to me. With tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, he said to me, "It's quite tasty. But you can't eat them in one bite, you have to take them one at a time. When my dad said that, he went out in tears.
Compared with Zhai Xiaowei, Ma Li's childhood was both full and happy. After graduating from junior high school, her mother sent her to the Zhumadian Art School to major in dance.
The mother of two, who is also the founder and CEO of the company, said that the company has been working on the project for a long time, and that the company has been working on the project for a long time, and that the company has been working on the project for a long time.
Mali: Very happy. At that time, because I am very fond of music. In rehearsal, and life, all jumping around. It used to be a small record player. And then plugged in the headphones, while listening and jumping. It was a great time.
Everything is so natural, and a bright future seems to have unfolded in front of this young girl. However, all the dreams of a teenager were curbed on August 31, 1996, in an afternoon. That was the second year that Ma Li entered the Qingdao Art Troupe, and she was just 19 years old.
Mari: I sat in a friend's car and went to the suburbs, overtaking the car especially fast. He grinding the steering wheel grinding bucket, the car flew up, could not brake. This is how the rollover. I was in the passenger seat. My arm was thrown out. When the car braked for a moment, I felt that when the arm was taken out, it had an inertia. That's what happens when you drive a car, there's an inertia. The right forearm friction can be far away.
Mali clutched the blood loss, has no feeling of the arm, was sent to a nearby hospital to save first aid. After the operation, the doctor used a plaster to connect Mari's right arm, but then seven days, Mari's right arm is seriously infected, and continued high fever constantly, the doctor had to carry out a second operation.
Mari: After the anesthetic, I have to go to the bathroom. Lift the quilt that moment, all of a sudden feel is empty. The cuffs are empty, then gauze wrapped, wrapped. It was very hard. Because I used to be a dance student, and all of a sudden there was nothing. I cried in front of the hospital. I cried loudly. I didn't care about anything. The whole person broke down in that moment. She rolled over on the bed and threw the covers away. And then I saw my mom like that, and it was very uncomfortable.
In the days since then, Mari has been living in an extremely conflicted mood. At one moment she would long to be on stage with the arms she once again possessed, and at another she would despair of her empty sleeve.
Mari: At that moment, she didn't want to live. Nothing was left as it was. What dream what is gone, all broken. At that time the thought was not want to live on.
A month later, Ma Li had to leave the art troupe, leaving the beloved stage and their own dance dreams. Mari found that he simply could not face such a self, life was completely changed, she could not even do the simplest self-care.
Mali: I used to have long hair. Then it was medium-length hair cut. My mom had to brush my hair every day. Every day combing hair, including some governance. Because just hospitalized, left hand nothing. It was just always like that. And then I was always, just discouraged and angry with my mom. Then see the mother that way, the heart is also very sad.
Faced with the future of life, Ma Li all of a sudden became very confused, he did not know what to do next, but see the white hair of his mother, the whole day for her labor, Ma Li realized that he can no longer be so. She had to live bravely. After that, she began to learn from everyday life, followed by painting and writing.
Mari: Just thought about how to survive. Sold clothes at the time. Sold fruit to help friends. What kind of work have done. Although a piece of clothing for me, may not earn much money, I can earn 20 dollars a day for myself, I am particularly happy. Because every day when I carry clothes to sell, to sell, is very tired. In order to save a dollar, I would not take the bus. Because it felt especially hard to earn money at that time.
Bhai Xiaowei was already 13 years old when Ma Li was struggling to make ends meet. Perhaps because he was so young, the disabled Zhai Xiaowei didn't feel any pain, and he didn't even know what missing a leg would mean for his future. He continued to be mischievous and climbed trees to get to his room every day.
Jai Xiaowei: He, on crutches, this cripple walking around in the street. The whole day, he was laughing and joking. He was happy all day long. He felt that I did not hear, in fact, I heard. He said, at that time I heard I do not feel anything. Because after all, the accident was earlier 4 years old, no concept. It is also not taken seriously.
In the face of bystander jokes, Zhai Xiaowei did not care. Because he and Ma Li different, childhood legs walking feeling, he can not remember, as if born this way. But with the growth of age, optimistic and cheerful Zhai Xiaowei also gradually understand that the future of the road he has to learn to walk alone.
Jai Xiaowei: If it is encountered what troublesome, I will be a person to find a place where no one, holding their own limbs especially discouraged. When I was discouraged, I remembered the question of my joke. Frustration and hardship tastes good. Again, I remembered my dad's teardrops and my dad's joking answer. It's delicious to eat them one by one.
In this way, the two lived quietly in their respective cities. Although occasionally Mari would get discouraged and think of giving up, she always persevered. Not only was she able to take care of her own daily life, but she also developed a good hand at writing and opened a bookstore in Zhumadian. 2001 saw the story of Mari's life reported in the local newspaper, which drew the attention of the Zhumadian Disabled Persons' Federation of Henan Province and was reported to the Henan Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation. On the eve of the Fifth Disabled People's Art Performance, staff from the provincial federation approached Ma Li.
Mali: I was particularly surprised. I really can return to the stage? But then I thought about it and was very concerned. Because I am very unfamiliar with the concept of disability, how to show on stage. When I called, I seemed to reject the first call. But then again, I was happy and felt like I couldn't handle this. And I turned it down.
In order to do Ma Li's work, the Henan Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation's Li Baosu Minister, three or four times in a row to call Ma Li to do the work, and invited her to the Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation's rehearsal site to see.
Mali: I saw different, there are blind, physically disabled. Seeing them play erhu, that music, melody, and singers in showing their own time, watching them so devoted, so heart to go in singing their hearts, in acting their own stories. I was blown away by the feeling. I agreed to do it. Although I tried a few moves, probably not too good from a balance point of view. But I still said yes. I felt like I could give it a go. They gave me the strength and I felt I should give it a try.
A month later, Ma Li participated in the National Arts Festival for the Disabled, which is held every four years, and won a gold medal for "Daughter of the Yellow River," a dance led by Ma Li. This gold medal made many groups start to look for her to perform, for which Ma Li moved her family to Beijing. After graduating from junior high school, Zhai Xiaowei began to look for work. It was only through the trials and tribulations of life that he realized for the first time that there were so many obstacles to being a disabled person.
Jai Xiaowei: It was very difficult to find a job. When I was looking for a job, I went to many, many places. I've been to Zhengzhou, and they all almost, all directly refused. You can't.
Jai Xiaowei didn't get discouraged, and after that, he found his first job in an Internet cafe in Weihai.
Jai Xiaowei returned to Henan in 2005 and became a disabled athlete, focusing on cycling. That was the year that Ma Li's entry "Holding Hands" won another gold medal in the Sixth National Disabled People's Art Performance. But neither of them expected that on September 26, 2005, their hands would be held together.
Mali: We met in the rehabilitation center. It was just a passing moment, I was walking past. I saw a boy, but subconsciously, because he was missing his left leg. I walked past him, and then I came back. It just felt like the boy's body, in every way, was pretty good.
Jai Xiaowei: She tapped me. First asked me what my name was. What are you doing here? I said I was an athlete here. She said that's good. She said do you like to dance? And I said, "I don't know how to dance. Do you like it? I like it, but I can't dance. She said you like it as long as you like it.
Mari: I'll give you two tickets, you get to know it first. After you watch it, you'll have a new change of heart.
Jai Xiaowei: At that time when I saw her perform, Mari walked on stage and saw her perform. It is as if the body from the heart, to the whole body spread a kind of cold air. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to be able to do it. And then feel the hair stood up. It was a shock to my heart.
Jai had to choose between his favorite sport, cycling, and the dance that sent shivers down his spine.
Jai Xiaowei: Guess the coin, the one-dollar coin, guess anyway. It's just keep going sports or go dancing. I just snapped it and popped it out, and then see if it's positive first. It is positive, and then snap, I said it is positive, then follow Ma Li sister to dance. One look is positive. And then put it down, first see if it's negative, and then it's negative, is to go dancing with Sister Mary. Just want to go.
By the end of 2005, Zhai Xiaowei began to follow Ma Li to learn dance. But Zhai Xiaowei had never learned to dance before, and Ma Li began to train Zhai Xiaowei from scratch. In order to achieve perfection, Ma Li was strict and almost cruel to Zhai Xiaowei, often forcing him to train. But as time went on, Zhai Xiaowei was faced with the same boring moves every day, and he started to get lazy.
Jai Xiaowei: That day, I got up especially late. Special practice also want to be lazy, want to take a day off, is lazy to practice. The first thing I did was to get up and go back to the office. Why don't you sit on the ground? She said, "You're sitting on the floor. You've just finished practicing and you're sitting on the floor. She kicked me. I stood up. Why did you kick me? She hit me again. She kicked me and hit me again.
Mali: After the fight, I was especially sorry. Because my personality is relatively strong, and then, the demand for the perfection of this action is relatively high. I'm going to take the professional level to ask for it.
After this incident, Zhai Xiaowei had doubts about himself, whether he is a dancing material, whether he has the confidence and perseverance to practice dance well. In order to test himself, Zhai Xiaowei came up with a way to walk from the West Railway Station back to his home in Changping, a distance of 50 kilometers.
Jai Xiaowei: I sent them a message. I said if I can't get home by 8 o'clock tomorrow, there is a possibility that I won't go back. She said what reason? It's because I don't have this kind of patience, no perseverance. Sister Mary said that at that time she just responded, that's fine. In fact, I can feel that they are quite sad. In fact, in other people's eyes this matter is quite childish. But I don't see it that way. I just take it as a test for myself.
Mari: First of all, I was thinking about worrying. I'm afraid of something more. And it's night.
Zhai Xiaowei: At that time, when I walked to that peony garden, I was particularly thirsty. When I was so thirsty, I knew I had no money on me. Inadvertently, my hand touched my pocket, and I touched my ID card. Then I pledged my ID card to someone else. Can I get a bottle of water if I put my ID card here? They said, "I'll give you a bottle of water. You don't have to keep your ID card. I said it's fine, just leave it here. Then the man said okay, okay, here. I drank it. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.
Mari, who was waiting at home, kept in touch with Zhai Xiaowei by text message.
Mali: Just send a message to him, I said to which I did not do the right thing, or do may be a bit too much. You can then say to me, we have to communicate more, more communication. That's the way to go. Another intuition made me think of something. Xiaowei, is it true that you don't have this kind of perseverance. I was thinking here. I thought about it in turn, and after I thought about him from his point of view, I said to him in turn. I said, "Since you've made your choice, you have to stick to it. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it," he said.
Jai Xiaowei: Then he thought he must go on. You must go on before that time. I'm going to go back. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to do that," he said. I was on two crutches, dragging my legs. It was like using two hands. Dragging, with no strength at all, the leg forward. The moment I reached the door of my house, I felt a little comfort in my heart. I had made it home. I wondered what time it was. Then I looked at the time, 6:30pm. Pushed open the door.
Mari: Although it is a night without sleep, especially sleepy, but feel that kind of eyes, give me the feeling, should be confident. He was already giving me in reply.
From then on, the two of them began to forget about rehearsing the dance "Holding Hands". They didn't have a formal rehearsal space, so they practiced at home in winter and ran to the park in summer. However, Zhai Xiaowei's body coordination is not good, and sometimes he can't keep up with the rhythm of the music. This set of movements is the most beautiful and difficult in the dance "Holding Hands", in order to achieve perfection, they themselves do not know how many times they have fallen.
Jai Xiaowei: Just one fall at a time. Sometimes I can't get a good grip on my hand, or I can't get a good grip on my sweaty hand, and then I'll drop Ma Li to the ground. Although she fell to the ground, that is, according to should be her pain, but I feel, when I fell her to the ground that moment, feel is my heartache, because she is, after all, my sister, I did not do a good job of this action. I didn't do it right and I dropped my sister. It was especially uncomfortable. The two of us just kept practicing. We practiced that one move for a whole day. From 8:00 in the morning to 8:00 in the evening, we practiced until 8:00 in the end is the first to do beautifully.
It was with such dedication and hard work that we were able to see them in the dance competition on April 20, 2007, where they interpreted perfection with their handicaps, and felt their heartfelt hand-holding and support for each other. When they left the stage, the audience gave them a standing ovation. In the end, the dance "Holding Hands" performed by Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei won the silver medal in the mass creation dance category.
Jai Xiaowei: The two of us just hugged each other tightly. It's just that I feel as if I was touched by my own dance. It also seems to be a kind of catharsis. Tears flowed out like a fountain.
Mali: The tears flowed involuntarily at that moment. I really feel that we just paid too much before.
Zhai Xiaowei: On the stage under the hand holding hands, until the rest of our place, from the 1st work to the 9th work, are standing up, applauded for us.
Mali: It felt as if it felt this kind of communication between people's hearts and minds, a kind of love this kind of power.
Mari: "Hand in Hand" is playing ourselves. Even though we are crippled.
Jai Xiaowei: I didn't feel it was my limbs that were dancing. I felt it was two hearts colliding with the music. Two perfect souls churning on stage.
Mali: In this process, we are actually surpassing ourselves. It is for this dream in our hearts, in the time and again to exceed themselves.