Chinanews.com, Chengdu, January 14th, title: "Girl with Steel Legs" Niu Yu: Out of the "Smile Curve" of Life
Author Shan Peng
During the two sessions in Sichuan this year, Niu Yu, a representative of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress and deputy secretary of the Mianyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League (and concurrently) was busy with meetings, reading documents and participating in discussions every day.
As a "big V" with nearly 1.78 million fans on a mainstream short video platform, she took the time to post a set of pictures reviewing her past life: from losing her right leg in the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, to getting out of the haze of the earthquake and welcoming life with optimism, It took Niu Yu 15 years to walk out a "smile curve" in life.
Niu Yu, who was born in 1997, is one of the youngest NPC deputies in Sichuan this year. The feeling of pressure and responsibility coexist.” In an exclusive interview with Chinanews.com in Chengdu recently, Niu Yu said frankly that after becoming a representative of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress, her mentality has undergone a huge change: in the past, she cared more about the life around her, but after becoming a representative of the National People’s Congress, She saw that behind the peaceful years of life, countless people are carrying forward with heavy burdens.
"From attending meetings to listening to representatives speak, the sense of pressure and responsibility will increase. As a representative of the National People's Congress, I can do some practical things and speak out for the disabled."
On the short video platform, Niu Yu is well-known as a "girl with steel legs".
After the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, Beichuan County, Mianyang City, where Niu Yu lives, was severely affected.
Three days after being buried, the then 11-year-old Niu Yu was rescued from the rubble by rescuers. After more than 30 surgeries, he saved his left leg, but unfortunately his right leg was amputated below the thigh.
Niu Yu said frankly that he had also experienced the "darkest moment". "I was amputated at the age of 11. I experienced the feeling of having a crush on other boys in adolescence but feeling unworthy all at once. Because I am a disabled person, I want to put Hide yourself."
But now, whether on the Internet or in real life, Niu Yu's first impression is that she is optimistic and cheerful. She removes the sponge wrapped on the steel legs and no longer hides her body defects.
In 2021, Niu Yu will appear on the runway of Shanghai Fashion Week on "mechanical steel legs".
Talking about all these changes, Niu Yu said that he completely walked out of the shadow of the earthquake in the 2018 Wenchuan Marathon.
"The theme of the Wenchuan Marathon that year was 'New Life', and the day of the race happened to be my birthday in the lunar calendar. Participating in this race was also a special birthday gift for myself." Niu Yu recalled, "Running to the last few kilometers , I was so tired that I couldn’t tell which was the real leg and which was the fake leg. Some players who had finished the race came back to cheer me on, and shouts of “Go China” and “Come on Wenchuan” erupted at the scene. At that moment, I didn’t want to Hide yourself."
Because the Wenchuan Marathon was a hot search, Niu Yu's social account received more than a thousand private messages that day, "Reading these messages, I found that many people have similar experiences to me, and some of them have even suffered discrimination. and campus violence." Niu Yu said, this has become the motivation to support her to continue to make short videos, "I hope to give people strength and healing, let the outside world better understand the disabled group, and hope that the disabled will go out bravely."
At the two sessions in Sichuan this year, Niu Yu paid attention to the construction of public facilities for the disabled.
"The construction of public facilities for the disabled in Sichuan has been done very well, but there are still some places that are not perfect." Niu Yu said that many disabled youths want to participate in cultural and entertainment activities such as concerts, but they use wheelchairs or wear artificial limbs to participate in such activities. There are still many inconveniences in the event. "I hope that when holding such events, special groups can be considered more, so that they can also pursue and enjoy some things on an equal footing, instead of being 'rejected' because the facilities are not perfect." At the same time, Niu Yu also expressed The employment of disabled graduates from colleges and universities puts forward suggestions, "Giving care for disabled people does not mean losing fairness. I hope that enterprises will slightly lower the threshold for the employment of disabled people and increase tolerance when recruiting, and also hope that there will be more jobs for disabled people. "
Regarding the future performance of duties, Niu Yu said that as a representative of the National People's Congress of youth and disabled people, he will continue to pay attention to topics such as youth growth and the protection of the rights and interests of special groups, and help special groups better integrate into social life.
She also said that she will pay attention to the rural revitalization of minority areas in Sichuan and help the local areas improve infrastructure such as road transportation.
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