In the Central China city of Wuhan, a disabled girl named Du Chengcheng is helping blind people to "see" films through her eyes.
At the Cinema for the Blind, about 30 people are entranced by the sounds of a movie as a familiar voice explains the images. It’s the voice of Du Chengcheng, who has been an “interpreter” at the special cinema since it was started three years ago. This is her 100th time to narrate a movie for a blind audience.
Du said, “When I first heard a university student explain films for the blind, I was deeply touched. The smiles of the audience left a deep impression on me. I hope to bring happiness to blind people.”
At first, Du carefully scripted her explanations of the films, but eventually found that overwhelming because she was trying to describe too much.
Reporter: “In order to help the blind understand a film better, Du Chengcheng closes her eyes beforehand, listens to the film again and again, and tries to “feel” a film like a blind person. In this way, she has found that each film has a rhythm sensation, allowing her to better explain the film to the blind audience.”
Du watches films over and over again, and writes and rewrites the scripts. She says she usually has to watch a film 20 times before she’s ready.
Gui Yuchun said, “I was so surprised when I learnt that Du Chengcheng herself is a disabled person too. We really want to thank her for her devotion. The last time that I ‘saw’ a film was in 1970s, I feel so excited that I can ‘see’ a film again after 30 years.”
Du Chengcheng suffered from a nerve tumor when she was a young girl. After graduating from senior high school her condition deteriorated, and she had to undergo an amputation.
Du said, “As I was growing up, many people extended a helping hand to me. Going from walking to sitting in a wheelchair was very depressing. But my parents and doctors helped me through it. During my school life, I was carefully taken care of by teachers and classmates around me. I found that the world is full of love, so I decided to return the love to society.”
Living with a disability has not prevented Du from helping others---she says the cinema for the blind gives her a chance to give something back, to a society that has given her so much.