Xie Kunshan: How wide is the heart, how big is the world

Disability has never prevented me from becoming a free person. My sleeves may be empty, but I can still master a happy life!

If you don't have arms, what do you do? If you lose a leg, how far can you go? If there is only one eye, what will happen to your world... These unfortunate assumptions of life, the legendary Taiwanese painter Xie Kunshan met. At the age of 16, he lost his arms and one leg because of the high voltage, and later lost an eye in an accident. However, such a seemingly extremely unfortunate person has become a well-known happy star in Taiwan. His story was made into a TV series, and the American Reader's Digest magazine also introduced his stories and experiences to people around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Take care of yourself: Lose your hands, how to put your rice in your mouth

When Xie Kunshan was awakened in the hospital, she saw her mother forbearing tears. My mother understands that the infection of his son's damaged limbs is spreading rapidly and his life may not be guaranteed. Everyone around me kindly advised her mother: "Don't save, let him 'walk'."

"In any case, keep his life," Mom told the doctor. "As long as Kunshan can call me a mother again, it will be enough."

The doctor performed a series of operations, cutting Xie Kunshan's left arm from the shoulder joint, the right arm was cut off from the shoulder 20 cm below, and the right leg was cut from below the knee. Xie Kunshan finally survived tenaciously, and his mother gave him a second life. He promised his mother: "I have no right to be a child, and I will not give up."

After leaving the hospital, Xie Kunshan became the mother's "newborn baby" again. Many nights, my mother was cold in order to feed him. Innumerable mornings, my mother refused to eat even breakfast, and was busy helping him bathe and dress. In order to reduce the mother's concerns, Xie Kunshan is determined to support himself. After much thought, he invented a set of utensils that he could eat himself. Wrap a movable cover on the end of a spiral hollow iron ring, put it on the remaining right arm, and then weld the spoon handle into an L-shape and insert it into the iron ring cover. Xie Kunshan was finally able to eat for himself. When he was speaking on campus, he often used this homemade item as "Kunshan" brand self-service tableware.

Next, Xie Kunshan's brushing teeth gradually no longer need the help of her mother or sister. He first opened the toothpaste cover with his mouth, and fixed the toothbrush tightly on the washbasin with a short arm, put it in his mouth, and brush his teeth by shaking his head back and forth.

Xie Kunshan made a faucet controlled by his feet and took a bath. He invented many of these appliances and solved his own problem of eating and drinking. In the end, he can take care of himself in almost all his daily life, and often use the remaining short arms to clamp the gangs to clean the house.

The Road to Art: Draw beautiful life with your mouth

After Xie Kunshan’s accident, the neighbors advised his mother: “Kunshan can earn a lot of money if he goes to the night market or goes to the temple.” The poor people’s severely disabled people seem to be only begging for a living. . Xie Kunshan did not want to hear these words at all. He said: "I have lost three of my limbs and I don't want to lose my dignity."

Xie Kunshan began to seriously think about his own life, he decided to continue to learn his own innate interest - painting. However, for the children of poor families, painting is a lavish hobby. The illiterate parents naturally can't understand, not to mention that the family has already owed a debt to the doctor. Xie Kunshan had to work with his brother who worked outside the home to occasionally buy him pocket money for soda, buy pencils and white paper, and prepare to study painting seriously.

Without a hand, taking a pen is the biggest problem. Xie Kunshan saw her sister doing her homework and felt that she should be able to use her mouth to bite the pen to write and paint. At first, the pen contained between the tooth and the tongue seemed to be a vise with a loose screw. The mouth was also clamped and unstable, and the mouth was fluent. After the tooth was used, the practice time was too long, and the mouth was poked out by a pencil. A blood bubble, oral ulcers continue. However, Xie Kunshan never gave up, he only buried his head and studied painting one by one. He turned his mouth into his most powerful hand, and the pen in his mouth became his closest confidant.

What if the pencil is broken? Xie Kunshan thought of another way: he found a small steel knife and forced the knife handle to bite at the big molar. In order to bite, he bite the handle and deformed. Then, he pushed the pencil to the table, then pressed it with the remaining right arm and cut the tip of the pen with a knife in his mouth. He shouted in his heart: "This piece of pencil scraps, the pieces are all confidence. Xie Kunshan, today you not only cut out the pencil, but also cut out your future path!"

Xie Kunshan heard that the famous Taiwanese painter Wu Xuansan started his class at the Academy of Fine Arts and tried to find him and asked him to follow the paintings. Mr. Wu was impressed by his sincerity and agreed to come to the class. Since then, Xie Kunshan towed the broken body every day, transferred a few buses, spent more than two hours to go to school, rain or shine. The most difficult thing is that the problem of urinating, which is difficult to talk about, cannot be solved. He didn't bother the teacher and classmates to help, so he didn't drink water from morning to night, and he couldn't hold urine in the school for 8 hours until he got blood in the urine.

At the age of 24, Xie Kunshan took the initiative to move out of his poor family and tried to go out to live independently. In order to make up the cultural class, he used to paint with his mouth during the day and went to the evening school to study the middle school course at night.

While he was eager to learn painting and knowledge, his right eye was blind in a collision. However, this did not block the progress of Xie Kunshan. He cherishes the opportunity to return to the classroom and bury himself in front of the desk and easel. He sleeps up to four or five hours a day and joked that "less sleep is more live."

After three years, Xie Kunshan was admitted to the best middle school in Taipei, Jianzhong. His paintings have also made great progress, and they have begun to win awards internationally and have been recognized by people. In 1994, his "Golden Pond" was sold for NT$80,000; his work has been selected for large-scale art exhibitions six times, and in 1997 he won the Visual Arts Award of the International Special Talent Association.

Happy helping people: nothing is impossible

After life is like chess, cars, horses, and cannons have been taken off, how should they do it? Xie Kunshan said: "Even if I fight a soldier, I will continue to do so."

Xie Kunshan’s face is filled with a bright smile every day, because he finds reasons for happiness every day. Since the prosthetic was not worn, the children would exclaim to the mother when they saw him on the road: "Mom looks at me, he has no hands." Young mothers often hold their children and say, "Don’t say this, otherwise people It will be very sad to hear." At this time, Xie Kunshan will turn and smile at the children: "Children, sorry, when my uncle came out today, I forgot to bring my hand out."

Xie Kunshan never talks about his body, and he never hides in the room and does nothing. With a grateful heart, he helps others as much as possible. No matter how busy he is, he must take at least one day a month to volunteer at Tzu Chi Hospital to take care of the most desperate people. A female patient lost her husband in a sudden gas explosion, and she herself was severely burned. The original beautiful face became terrifying. What makes her feel more painful is that the 8-year-old daughter who used to be spoiled by her in the past is now scared to cry when she meets her, and she is no longer willing to come.

After listening to her story, Xie Kunshan said: "You don't love yourself." Seeing the woman's incomprehensible look, he went on to say: "If this accident does not happen to you, but happens to your daughter, would you like it? Willing to take this pain instead of her?" The female patient nodded hard: "I am willing! I am absolutely willing!"

Xie Kunshan said: "I absolutely believe that you are willing! Please look back and see the mother behind you at the moment." Behind the female patient, the old mother who is combing her hair burst into tears. "Would your mother be reluctant to take this pain for you? But can she?" The mother and the daughter couldn't help anymore, and the tears sprang like a dyke, crying into a ball.

When Xie Kunshan saw the female patient again, she had changed her face. She had a smile and a smile on her face. She was willing to join her and use her still sweet song to inspire other patients. Xie Kunshan knows that she has put down the "baggage" and understands the truth: no matter what happens, in fact, we have more than lost!

Xie Kunshan's tenacity, optimism and enthusiasm touched a young and beautiful girl, her name is Lin Yizhen. In 1987, they entered the marriage hall. Now, their two daughters are already in their teens. Someone asked Xie Kunshan: "If you have a sound hand, what do you want to do with it most?" He said with a smile: "I will hold my wife in the left hand, right hand. Take two daughters and walk together for a better life."

Now, in addition to painting, Xie Kunshan is also invited to lectures in schools, communities and even prisons from time to time to encourage more people to raise the sails of life. He said: "Disability has never prevented me from becoming a free person. My sleeves may be empty, but I can still master a happy life!"