Character forming

While athletes were racing to realize their dreams during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, Ding Jiao, a physically challenged artist in Jinan, Shandong province, kept a close watch on them, hoping to capture their happiest and most inspiring moments through her comics.

Yet, it was not the first time that the artist focused on the Paralympic athletes.

Ding, who works for Expo Huachuang Animation Media Co, created a series of 96 comics for the Chinese athletes who had participated in the Tokyo Summer Paralympics last year.

These comics were popular and collected by, and forwarded to, a lot of athletes, with views surpassing 100 million on social media, according to the company.

On March 2, the company received a letter from the International Paralympic Committee, inviting Ding to create a comic series for the Beijing Winter Paralympics.

"We learned that Ding Jiao, the original artist of your company, has created a lot of comics about Paralympic athletes and has played a very positive role in the promotion of Paralympic sports," the letter says. "We hope more people will get excited about the Paralympic Games through your work."

The 31-year-old Ding says: "I'm physically challenged, so I know how hard it is for physically challenged people to fight for their dreams."

Ding recalls when she watched on TV Chinese athletes coming into sight at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games last year, tears coursed down her face.

"Every Chinese athlete was smiling. I was deeply moved by their positive attitude and had a strong desire to capture that moment with my pen," Ding says.

She spent around five hours drawing a comic piece, depicting the Chinese athletes at the opening ceremony.

The work was posted by Zhou Jiamin, the flag bearer of Chinese team, to her Sina Weibo account, which encouraged Ding to continue creating more comics for Chinese athletes.

Every time she drew an athlete, she watched the athlete's race repeatedly.

She added a pair of wings to a drawing of Lu Dong, who won the swimming championship for women in the Tokyo Paralympics.

"Lu has no arms, but she is like an angel. She can fly freely," says Ding.

Ding spent around four hours creating one comic work. She finished 96 comics within one month.

"I worked overtime, but it was worth it, especially when I read the messages left by the athletes and their relatives," she says.

Her comics have earned her friendships.

A carrot-shaped hair accessory she often wears is a present from Xue Juan, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics.

"It was really a surprise for me," Ding says.

Ding was busy creating comics for athletes at the Beijing Winter Paralympics. Officially invited by the IPC, she hopes to present more works.

"I'd like to create a comic through which viewers can feel the athlete's positive attitude that encourages people to go on and enjoy life," she says.

Ding had paraplegia due to a disease in her spine when she was 2 years old.

With the help of her parents, she did rehabilitation exercises at home after surgery when she was 3.

"I was able to stand up and walk on my own when I was 10, although not as well as normal people," says Ding, adding that her parents were always there to encourage and help her.

"It was really hard for me to do the exercises, day after day, at home. That is why I am able to feel how hard it is for physically challenged people to make such achievements in sports," she says.

While staying at home, Ding studied primary school textbooks on her own and got to know the outside world by watching TV. She was inspired by a drawing program on TV.

"Following the TV show, I drew a sunflower which impressed my mother. She said I had special talent in drawing," says Ding.

Ding's parents then bought her various drawing materials and registered her for drawing classes. All these laid a foundation for her to develop her skill.

Ding was able to go to school when she was 16. She was admitted to a vocational school to study comics when she was 22 and started to work at the company after three years of study.

She is now a director in charge of the initial phase of an animation project－to create animated images.

"Green is the color of growing grass. In my view, green represents strength and a positive attitude," she says about a green sweater she is wearing.

"When being positive, every day is beautiful."