Deaf student overcomes rocky road to university

With mom's help, Wang Zhixiang realizes his dream

The story of Wang Zhixiang, a hearing-impaired man who recently received offers from five universities, and his mother has touched many people in Suizhou city, Hubei province. Wang, 21, has decided to go to Beijing Union University this month, with plans to major in fine arts.

The four other universities and colleges that gave him offers were Changchun University in Jilin province, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education in Jiangsu province, Zhengzhou Normal University in Henan province and Shandong Vocational College of Special Education in Shandong province.

Wang said he wants to do more than just study the art.

"I hope to get a teaching qualification and become a teacher after graduating from university," he told media, using sign language.

"I will study hard to give back what society has given me and help impoverished, disabled children like me in the future."

According to Zhang Rong, Wang's art teacher, the young man's successful enrollment in university is impressive as he only began studying painting in grade one of senior high school.

"Wang is hardworking and intelligent and has strong observational skills, and he can accurately grasp the charm of characters," Zhang said.

"He draws with his heart and listens to the world with his paintings, and he has found confidence through them."

Ma Yanmei, Wang's mother, said that her son was born healthy but became deaf as the result of a fever when he was 2.

"At the time, the doctor suggested doing cochlear surgery, but it cost 250,000 yuan. I had to give up that idea as my family was too poor to afford it," Ma said.

"We couldn't even afford a hearing aid. As a result, he became deaf, and his vocal cords eventually stiffened."

She added that she felt very sorry for her son.

In 2006, Ma gathered all her savings and brought Wang to the provincial capital, Wuhan, after she learned that there was a chance he might be able to undergo rehabilitation.

The effort was in vain, however, as the doctor explained that the window of opportunity for treatment had closed.

Wang's mother then enrolled him at Xuzhou Special Education School in Jiangsu province in 2010.

She said that she was pleased her son had behaved sensibly and studied hard at school, and that he always took care of his grandmother when he returned home during holidays.

After Wang graduated from junior high school, he got a job during the summer. He gave his mother 500 yuan ($77) and his grandmother another 500 yuan, the sum total of his earnings.

Ma said that she is proud that her son has been an excellent student and that he was eager to join the Communist Party of China at school.

"From primary school to senior high school, he was always first in his grade academically," she said.

Wang worked hard during his fine arts studies in senior high school and demonstrated talent for painting.

He spent almost all his spare time in the studio, and last year, he won the excellence award during the Meiyuan Cup 2020 Youth Art Competition. During his school years in Xuzhou, he and his mother lived in a dark, damp 20-square-meter house Ma rented while her husband worked as a migrant worker to support the impoverished family.

Working as a cleaner at the school to add to the family income, Ma developed rheumatism, a knee spur, high blood pressure, cervical spondylosis and lumbar disc herniation due to years of hard work.

"It's much more difficult for a deaf child to learn. I had to carry a small notebook in my pocket every day. Most of my communication with my son is by paper and pen," Ma said.

To encourage Wang to learn English, Ma, who has only a junior high school education, had him transcribe English into Chinese first, and then memorize each word, letter by letter, until he could remember them.

"Every day while he was asleep, I copied teaching aids I had borrowed from teachers and other parents, exercises published in the newspaper and topics in school textbooks, and I did the exercises with him the next day," she said.

"Because I stayed up late copying so often, I had conjunctivitis, and now I can't see anything clearly."

Despite their struggles, Ma said everything she did for her son was worthwhile, and she was very happy when he was accepted by universities. She will not accompany Wang to Beijing due to her poor health, but will instead return to Suizhou to work and care for the elderly.

Ma said that the most important thing is that her son has grown up and is capable of looking after himself.