Liu Wei (pianist)

Liu Wei (Chinese: 刘伟,[1] born October 7, 1987,[1] in Beijing[1]) is a Chinese disabled pianist from Beijing who won the first series of China's Got Talent at the age of 23 by playing the piano with his toes.

The accident

Liu Wei lost his arms at the age of 10 after touching a high-voltage wire during a game of hide-and-seek.[2] He regained consciousness after 45 days of critical condition.[2] His parents told him he should learn how to eat by himself, otherwise no one could take care of him when they become old.[2] His mother kept telling him that he is not different from the others.[2] In the hospital, he met an armless painter, which inspired him to learn to use his feet to write, brush his teeth and eat.[3]

At the time, he dreamed of becoming a soccer player.[4] He was encouraged by Liu Jingshen, vice-chairman of the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation, to do daily chores with his feet and started swimming two years later.[4] He won two gold medals and one silver at the National Swimming Championship for the Disabled in 2002.[3][4] He learnt how to do other daily activities such as navigating online, eating, dressing and brushing his teeth.[5] He considers himself more fortunate than those without enough to eat, debunking ideas of those who believe him unhappy.[5]

Becoming a musician

He started playing the piano at age of 18[6] or 19[7] (sources vary) to pursue his childhood dream of being a musician.[7] His first teacher quit as he considered it impossible for someone to play with their toes.[7] However, Liu, who was studying music theory, persisted and taught himself in secret how to play,[7] despite cramps and abrasion,[8] often practicising seven hours a day.[9][10] As he said, the melodies he can play are limited due to the length of his toes and he cannot play certain pieces he loves because he cannot reach across octaves.[7] Nevertheless, he aims to become such a good pianist that people won't notice that his arms are missing.[5]

Appearance in the talent show

In his first appearance, Liu received a standing ovation from the audience, many of whom were moved to tears, for a performance of "Mariage D'amour" by Richard Clayderman on August 8, 2010.[5] The semifinal took place on September 12,[9] and he played "You're Beautiful"[4] in Shanghai Stadium[4] at the final on October 10, accompanied by his singing. The jury panel of China's Got Talent, Shanghai stand-up comedian Zhou Libo, Taiwan singer-actress Annie Yi and mainland pop composer Gao Xiaosong, all praised Liu's performance.[4]

As a prize for his achievement, Liu was invited by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai to be a guest act on her Myself World Tour in Shanghai, which would give him the chance to perform in Las Vegas for three months.[6] In addition, he was likely to get a contract with Fremantle Media and Sony Music Entertainment,[4] and his itinerary was to include Hong Kong, Paris, Vienna and Taipei.[9]

In 2010, he won the Guinness World Record of typing the most letters alphabetically in 1 minute, using the feet: 251 letters.[11]

Quotes

(Source[12])

References

  1. 1 2 3 (Chinese) Personal profile (Baidu), see #54, and its Google Translation into English
  2. 1 2 3 4 Subtitles of his video profile (YouTube)
  3. 1 2 "A life less ordinary". Global Times. October 14, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Liu Wei proves China's got talent". China Daily. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Liu Wei, Armless Pianist, Plays With His Toes, Wows Audience". The Huffington Post. August 27, 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Armless pianist takes China's Talent title". ABC News. October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Armless piano player wins hearts in China". ABC News. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ Armless Pianist Liu Wei: "You either die or live life splendidly" (My Motivational Diary)
  9. 1 2 3 "Armless Chinese pianist scales new heights". China Daily. November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Beijing-born armless pianist Liu Wei to show unusual skill on world". What's on Ningbo. November 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  11. ↑ "China's Got Talent 2010 Winner Liu Wei on Guinness World Records Italian Show". YouTube. October 13, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  12. ↑ Description of his achievement (YouTube)

External links

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