HE ZHIGANG, a disabled man from Yunnan Province, told a packed house yesterday of his struggle with disability and how he excelled at many things.

　He addressed his audience in the meeting hall of the Shenzhen Special Zone Press Group (SSZPG).A farmer’s son, He, 35, lost his arms at the age of 11 when he came in contact with a high-voltage transformer.

　With extraordinary will power, he finished his schooling and started a career.“I’ve never asked my father for a single penny,” said He.

　“I wanted to make every single penny by myself.”After many years’ practice holding a brush between his teeth, He became a skilled calligrapher making a living by selling his works to tourists in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, and then in Lijiang.

　He’s calligraphic skills took him beyond subsistence level to recognition as a renowned artist.Many people thought He was trading on sympathy — before they saw his works.

　He is also a competent sportsman, having won a total of 28 gold medals at provincial and national levels for running and swimming.

　Holding a brush in his mouth, He wrote four Chinese characters meaning “living a confident life” for his audience.

　Wu Songying, president of SSZPG, said that He’s experience had been much harder and richer than what he had told the audience and that he could be a role model for everybody.