Against all odds

Securing a berth at the prestigious and highly competitive Peking University is a dream come true for millions of young Chinese high school graduates. But for Ding Ding, it was nothing short of a miracle - for he was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy at birth.

A student of the Hubei Experimental High School, he was admitted to the university in 2007, culminating in a long journey of sheer grit and will power, powered by the steely nerves of his mother, Zou Hongyan.

A teacher by training, Zou loves children. When she learnt she was pregnant, she was over the moon and eagerly looked forward to a healthy, smart baby. But Ding Ding's birth came as a bolt from the blue.