Liu Wei (pianist)
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Liu Wei lost his arms at the age of 10 after touching a high-voltage wire during a game of hide-and-seek.[1] He regained consciousness after 45 days of critical condition.[1] His parents told him he should learn how to eat by himself, otherwise no one could take care of him when they become old.[1] His mother kept telling him that he is not different from the others.[1] In the hospital, he met an armless painter, which inspired him to learn to use his feet to write, brush his teeth and eat.[citation needed]
At the time, he dreamed of becoming a soccer player.[2] 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.[2] He won two gold medals and one silver at the National Swimming Championship for the Disabled in 2002.[2] He learned how to do other daily activities such as navigating online, eating, dressing and brushing his teeth.[3] He considers himself more fortunate than those without enough to eat, debunking ideas of those who believe him unhappy.[3]
Becoming a musician
He started playing the piano at age of 18[4] or 19[5] (sources vary) to pursue his childhood dream of being a musician.[5] His first teacher quit as he considered it impossible for someone to play with their toes.[5] However, Liu, who was studying music theory, persisted and taught himself in secret how to play,[5] despite cramps and abrasion,[6] often practicing seven hours a day.[7][8] 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.[5] Nevertheless, he aims to become such a good pianist that people won't notice that his arms are missing.[3]
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.[3] The semifinal took place on September 12,[7] and he played "You're Beautiful"[2] in Shanghai Stadium[2] 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.[2]
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.[4] In addition, he was likely to get a contract with Fremantle Media and Sony Music Entertainment,[2] and his itinerary was to include Hong Kong, Paris, Vienna and Taipei.[7]
In 2010, he won the Guinness World Record of typing the most letters alphabetically in 1 minute, using the feet: 251 letters.[9][10]