STORY: Faces of China: Blind English teacher helps blind children "see" world
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 5, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:30
LOCATION: CHONGQING, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Zheng Jianwei teaching classes, reading and studying
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
6. various of Zheng Jianwei teaching visually impaired children

STORYLINE:

Zheng Jianwei is a volunteer English teacher for the visually impaired in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Zhang himself is unable to see as well.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
"I was born with a visual impairment and couldn't see."

After graduating from the School of Special Education of Changchun University in 2006, he worked as an acupuncturist.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
"As an acupuncturist, my job was quite stable, but I thought maybe my life needed some change. Also, I wanted to study more, visit different places, and test for myself whether visually impaired people can go to school with those who have normal sight."

Dreaming of exploring more possibilities in life, he quit his job in 2009 to apply for universities in the UK.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
"When I first began to learn English, there were no Braille textbooks. So, I had to find a Braille printer to make a Braille English textbook. When I took the IELTS exam, I was given a special room where I was the only test taker. With more than 100 pages of Braille paper, the whole exam took 12 hours. To me, it's more like a test of physical strength, a marathon for my fingertips. But I felt very happy when I got my score."

Finally, Zheng was admitted to the University of Essex with an IELTS score of 6.5

In 2014, Zheng returned to China to work in education and offer free English classes for visually impaired children. 

So far, he has taught nearly 400 students.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHENG JIANWEI, Volunteer English teacher
"I majored in TESOL as a post-graduate student. After returning to China, I opened an English training course. In 2021, I recruited visually impaired children from all over the country and taught them English online for free for three hours a week.
I also hope to open a school where students of all kinds, disabled or not, could go to school hand-in-hand. Blindness does not mean no outlook. Children have unlimited possibilities. You did the impossible because you didn't realize it was impossible.
What the blind can do and what the visually impaired can do... they should not be confined by such questions. They should do whatever they want to do. And what we can do is to try our best to help them realize their dreams and see the world.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chongqing, China.
(XHTV)