SHANGHAI: A local man who lost his leg in a car accident has become so skilled as a stock market trader that he has managed to pay off almost all of his medical bills.

Jiang Lai was on a business trip to Huzhou, Zhejiang Province in November when the car in which he was a passenger collided with another vehicle. Jiang's injuries were so severe that he had to have his right leg amputated.

However, neither of the two drivers accepted responsibility for the crash and hence refused to cover his medical bills, which eventually topped 100,000 yuan ($12,500).

For Jiang to be fitted with an artificial leg would cost a further 40,000 yuan.

Jiang's parents are retired and were therefore unable to help with either the bills or to pay for a lawyer to take the case to court.

In desperation Jiang posted a message on kds.pchome.net, asking for advice and help from his fellow netizens. To his delight, he received numerous replies.

After verifying Jiang's story, several people, mostly from the Shanghai area, started a campaign to help him. They gave advice on legal matters, recommended lawyers and even sent him books of consolation.

One of the people who made contact was a retired university professor, surnamed Yang, whom Jiang had helped in the past with a computer problem. Yang encouraged Jiang to turn his attention to the stock markets.

Over the next two months, Jiang studied all the information he could find on markets and stocks. By the end of it, he had memorised the basic information of almost all the 1,400 stocks listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets.

After practicing trading for two weeks using an online simulator, Jiang decided it was time to open a live account.

On his first real trade, Jiang made just 27 yuan. It was no fortune, but it was a profit, so he withdrew the money and kept it as a souvenir.

Two months later, Jiang's profits were starting to soar, so he set himself the goal to make enough money to pay off his medical bills.

"My earnings from the stock market have since covered the majority of my debts. I now have only 20,000 yuan left to pay," Jiang said.

Despite making large profits, Jiang is quick to issue a word of warning to those keen to follow him: "My success on the stock market is based on my knowledge, not luck. I want to remind all new investors that the stock trading is very risky."

He added that he regards stock trading only as a part-time job. He hopes one day to open his own teahouse.

(China Daily 05/16/2007 page5)