TV presenter speaks for his parents, who cannot

With little education, his parents never learned standard sign language; instead they invented a series of unique actions to convey meanings that only family members could understand.

"But sometimes they have difficulty expressing emotions and spiritual needs, so I always keep an eye on their appearance and mood," Li said, adding that he often uses expressions and actions to communicate with his parents.

Li once worried his parents couldn't protect him, as some childhood peers teased his "dumb" father and mother. Once he fell ill after he was dragged into a water-filled trench.

"My parents stopped the guy who did this to me and asked him to apologize, and he really did. I began to realize that my parents were stronger than I thought," Li said.

"As my parents cannot talk, I feel really lucky to be able to speak and wanted to maximize this language ability," he said. "That's why I chose my career."