A teacher for disabled children, National People's Congress (NPC) deputy and world Paralympics champion, Xu Hongyan has never felt happier in her life, and she wants to especially share her blessings with other people with disabilities.

 

The 30-year-old woman, who is visually impaired, said that she must play an active role as the voice of common people, especially those with disabilities.

 

"I have to say that, compared with many other disabled people in the country, I am very, very lucky because I have the chance to get an education, training and a job," Xu told China Daily from the hotel where deputies of the 10th NPC from east China's Jiangsu Province were staying.

 

"So I must try my best to help those people in need. And I have given much advice and many proposals in protecting the rights of the disabled group."

 

Among all the deputies who are attending the annual session of the nation's legislative body, Xu not only is the winner of three gold medals for discus throw at the 10th, 11th and 12th Paralympics.

 

She also brought her daughter, who will be four months old on March 15, to Beijing from Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu, to attend the panel with her.

 

"I have to take her with me because she needs to drink my milk," Xu said, smiling sweetly as she cradled her 3-month-old daughter. "It is impossible for me to leave her alone in Nanjing for more than 10 days."

 

Xu's mother also came to Beijing to take care of the baby.

 

"It is very difficult for my baby to get used to the weather in Beijing, which is cold and dry. She failed to get a good sleep since she came here," Xu said.

 

Though she and her husband Sun Haitao are Paralympics world champions, she does not want to pressure her daughter to follow their footsteps.

 

"I will not insist on making my daughter an athlete, although my husband and I are both involved with sports," she said. "In my eyes, happiness is to lead a simple, safe and healthy life."

 

Besides relishing the joys of motherhood, her focus is on being an advocate for people with disabilities.

 

China has 60 million disabled people. Nearly 10 million of them are still suffering from serious poverty and most of them are still out of school, said Wang Xinxian, vice president of China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), also an NPC deputy.

 

"Maybe because I am a disabled person, I really feel sympathy for all these people with the same fate," Xu said.

 

For the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, Xu said both she and her husband, who also has a visual disability, will try their best to win the top prize.

 

She said she is still confident due to one very important reason: Her husband loves her deeply, giving her endless support and great strength.

 

"Since we fell in love in 1999, he has written several hundreds of love poems for me," she said with a smile.

 

(China Daily March 14, 2006)