 Torchbearer sits on love for English
By Lan Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-06 07:40 Guan Yan is ready to hold the torch high and tell others about it - in English. The torchbearer of the Beijing leg is thankful for the opportunity to do her country proud in a foreign language. Guan, who was confined to a wheelchair at age 14, says the Games has given her a chance to repay society by teaching others English, which has brought her a colorful life after tragedy.
The 35-year-old English teacher was so pleased to be selected as an Olympic torchbearer in February that she wrote a letter of thanks to International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. "The cruel fact that I have to face is that I can never hear the sound of my feet knocking on the ground again. Nevertheless, such a blow failed to destroy me. I've made up my mind to bravely fight against all challenges in my life with courage, strength and wisdom just like those athletes of the Olympic Games," she wrote. To her surprise, Guan received a visit at her home from Rogge, who was paralyzed from the waist down 21 years ago and then forced to drop out of school. "Due to physical inconvenience, I have met many difficulties," she says. "The Olympic spirit has always encouraged me to apply a life path full of sunshine. I've also made up my mind to relay such Olympic spirit to more people - just like passing on the torch." Since 2001, when China won the bid to host the Olympic Games, Guan has touched many communities, including military camps and groups of disabled persons, teaching them English and spreading knowledge of the Olympic Games. (China Daily 08/06/2008 page19) |
