Hezhe Gang lost his arms in a childhood accident and ‘writes with his mouth’. He has become internationally renowned for his calligraphy and courage. Visitors can witness this extraordinary individual practice his distinctive art. Hezhe Gang will be accepting personal commissions during this period. Everyone is welcome. 9.00 AM until 6.00 PM admission is free.

Hezhe Gang will enthral lovers of Chinese art and calligraphy, indeed anyone who relishes the triumph of the human spirit over physical adversity.

Hezhe Gang was born in China’s Yunan province on December 27, 1968, into the Naxí ethnic minority. One day, when eleven, a wooden gun in his belt, and climbing for fun on high voltage electricity poles, he accidentally touched live wires and lost his arms.

His mother’s grief cried filled him with guilt. He ran to hide behind a mountain where he wept for hours. When the wind finally dried his face, he vowed that during the future he would feed himself and not cause his parents any problems. He returned home and acted as other village boys of his age did: donning his own clothes, washing himself, feeding pigs.

A new life, running … Hezhe Gang, who had never really worked at school, began to study diligently, rising from the worst three to the best three students of his class. He also started to run 6 to 8 kilometres every day,trying to banish from his mind the awful future he had succeeded in creating for himself. But try maintaining your balance while running without arms! The 1984 Li-Jiang winter sport festival gave him the first chance to demonstrate his new capacities. The first run was a disaster, and he was left far behind other competitors. During the second one, he was among the first to cross the winning line. Finally, he won the third race easily, and fell down, face in the mud, weeping copiously. Suddenly, he realized that warm and thunderous acclamations coming from thepublic were for him, just for him, and that gave him wings, the necessary drug to persevere.

Even if the bird has lost his wings he still can fly…

From that time on, he won every competition -- competing against handicapped runners or normal athletes – at the district, provincial and national levels.

At the first national competition for handicapped persons, he realized everybody was well equipped. He was barefoot. How to wear socks when it took at least 20 minutes to don them? No time for that, and it was out of the question to obtain help from anyone. His feet were full of blisters, the pain terrible, but why complain? The pain was nothing for somebody with only one dream: opening the windows of a new world for someone without hands… running as a young and strong man, running, always running.

He won the 400, 800 and 1500 metre races, this until 1993 -- at the city, province and national levels. He won 32 gold medals for running and swimming and became famous.

All his life with a paint brush…

How many years may one run like this? Not many. And running is not a profession. Hezhe Gang started to search for a better way to learn, to gain knowledge of something which would support him for the remainder of his life.
One night during the first handicapped competition, he watched a TV program showing an armless 16-year-old boy using his mouth to write and draw.

Hezhe Gang was very impressed and did not sleep that night, repeatedly trying to ‘write with his mouth’, but his pen refused to cooperate. However, he was already happy to think about the day he would succeed. Arriving home, he began to practice with pen and paper. Ink was everywhere, on his face, on his clothes. His tongue suffered from excessive pressure on the pen: he could not even drink water without pain. Having bitten the pen for so long, facial muscles became stiff and stuck: he could not even open his mouth.

He decided to continue running in competition, and practice every morning his writing, often at the expense of eating. Four years later, signs on the paper started to resemble recognizable characters.

In 1988 Hezhe Gang successfully completed high school, but lacked money to attend university. Needing to work, he decided to write for others in the city streets.

At one point, he decided to visit Kunming, to ask the Provincial Handicap United Council to help him. They found him a job writing in one of the art factories, for 50 Yuan a month, copying famous calligraphy from ancient times. Hezhe Gang began to think that with a stable job his story should end. But he wanted to study, and study more.

If he wanted to be fed well by his brush, he needed to learn from masters. Hezhe Gang decided to quit his job and to travel to find a good calligraphy teacher. From Kunming to Li-Jiang to Harbin he searched, surviving by writing for others in the streets. One piece of writing earned him 2 mao . It was not easy. (1 US$ in 2004 is worth 8.25 Yuan: there are 100 mao in 1 Yuan). Eventually, he found two teachers who declined payment. He studied and learned, and gradually started to become famous. He was invited to Japan to a World Handicapped Writing and Drawing

Competition and returned with the first prize. He established himself in Shanghai where he opened his first calligraphy showroom.

In 1994, Hezhe Gang was invited to London, England, for a second International Handicapped Competition where he was commended by Prince Charles, and produced calligraphy for him.

That was the turning point. From selling his writing in the street, he opened 7 further showrooms and is now well known around the world. Jian Zeming, Ju Rongji, Jacques Chirac and many other personalities from Russia, Singapore, Japan and North America have commissioned his calligraphy.

Many people passing by his showroom in Li-Jiang old town ask why he is not also drawing. He replies that if you can write well it is already enough, and that he is not seeking immortality.

He had been suffering, and understood other people’s pain. In China, Hong Kong, Hezhe Gang helps physically handicapped people to fight and win. Helping a kid with no arms to be reborn is now, for him, the best way to continue helping himself.

In December 2003, Hezhe Gang was nominated as one of the outstanding youths of China.

Ámantee
131/Chaeng Wattana 13, Laksi, Bangkok 10210
Tel: 02-982-8694-5

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