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Armless pianist who plays with feet wins Chinese TV talent contest
The Scotsman ^ | 10/12/2010 | Margaret Neighbour

Posted on 10/12/2010 5:03:15 PM PDT by WebFocus

A MUSICIAN who lost both arms in a childhood accident and plays the piano with his toes has won China's Got Talent, performing his version of James Blunt's wistful love song You're Beautiful to a packed audience at the Shanghai Stadium. All three judges on the show on Sunday praised Liu Wei, 23, for his determination, urging him to keep pursuing his dreams, and the Beijing native said he would try, quipping: "At least I have a pair of perfect legs."

For winning the Chinese version of the show, he will be invited to play as a guest performer with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. He also has the chance of a performing contract. Mr Liu's arms were amputated after he suffered an electrical shock when he was ten. At age 18, he decided to pursue a career in music, using his feet to play the piano, much as he uses them to navigate on the computer, eat, dress and brush his teeth.

China's Got Talent a weekly show on local channel Dragon TV, has helped draw attention to the hopes of disabled Chinese.


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: china; contest; handicap; talent

1 posted on 10/12/2010 5:03:18 PM PDT by WebFocus
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To: WebFocus

WATCH VIDEO OF HIM PERFORMING HERE:

http://www.rickey.org/?p=51515


2 posted on 10/12/2010 5:04:02 PM PDT by WebFocus
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To: WebFocus

Here’s another video of Liu Wei’s performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Qut0Nrsiw&feature=player_embedded


3 posted on 10/12/2010 5:05:44 PM PDT by WebFocus
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To: WebFocus

More here :

CBN NEWS

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/October/Armless-Pianist-Wins-Chinas-Got-Talent/

A Chinese pianist who lost both of his arms during his childhood wowed a packed audience at Shanghai Stadium with his inspiring performance on the television show “China’s Got Talent.”

Twenty-three-year-old Liu Wei, who had to have his arms amputated at the age of 10, performed the James Blunt hit song “You’re Beautiful” with his toes before a packed stadium crowd.

“Music is like water and air to me. I can’t live without it,” Liu said in an earlier interview.

Since his childhood, Liu always dreamed of pursuing a music career. He began his pursuit of that dream at the age of 18 and is proving that any disability can be overcome through hard work and perseverance.

All three judges of the talent competition - Shanghai stand-up comedian Zhou Libo, Taiwan singer-actress Annie Yi and mainland pop composer Gao Xiaosong - praised him for his for his determination.

“We all fought for our dreams when we were young, but no one has fought as hard as you,” Xiaosong said at one of the auditions.

“You tell us that to realize our dreams, we need to spare no pain,” Yi said.

The final show also featured winners and finalists from the Got Talent series in Britain and the United States.


4 posted on 10/12/2010 5:09:36 PM PDT by WebFocus
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To: WebFocus

Reminds me of Newbomb Turk.... The one armed violinist...


5 posted on 10/13/2010 6:55:15 AM PDT by Moleman
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