Impaired hearing can't stop high achiever

Shi Chengchuan has impaired hearing, but he touched the hearts of many residents in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, when he was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2020.

It's the second year in a row that the 28-year-old was chosen for the elite list.

Shi, chief executive officer of Guangzhou Voibook Science and Technology Co, has been able to answer phone calls normally after receiving a cochlear implant for hearing and an intelligent app he developed. Two years ago, Shi had to type to communicate with others because he could not hear at all and could not answer the phone.

His app, which went online in 2017, has attracted more than 600,000 hearing-impaired users.

The app's software integrates voice recognition in a way that allows hearing-impaired people to "see" sounds in the form on text. They can answer voice calls and even conduct video chats.

But Shi isn't satisfied. There are more than 72 million people who have hearing problems in China. Shi hopes to help more people regain their hearing functions in the years ahead.

Shi, who comes from a rural family in Leshan, Sichuan province, became a deaf when he was 11 years old, the result of meningitis. The disease took virtually all his hearing.

Shi was admitted to Ji'nan University in Guangzhou in 2011 as a result of his performance on the gaokao, the national entrance examination for universities and colleges. He studied applied mathematics.

He started his business in the southern metropolis after graduation.