A video of a 10-year-old boy singing the song You Are My Eyes went viral on the internet when viewers realized the boy was blind and felt deeply touched by his story of never giving up on life, local news portal dahebao.cn reported.
The boy named Chen Shibo comes from Chenyao villiage, Ruzhou city, Central China's Henan province and now studies in a special education school in Luoyang, another city in Henan.
According to his mother Ping Juan, Chen’s eye problems first emerged when he was almost 1 year old. When the baby heard a sound, he could not look in the direction where it came from, but just looked up.
In the following years, his parents took him to hospitals in the province for diagnosis and treatment. When Chen was around the age of 4 and brought to Beijing hospitals, he received a diagnosis of optic nerve hypoplasia.
The illness is a congenital condition in which the optic nerves are underdeveloped, which means that Chen could never see colors or sunlight for his entire life.
Chen Shibo, a blind 10-year-old boy, is on his way to class with his hand holding on to his mother's arm in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province, Dec 18, 2018. [Photo by Zhang Hongfei/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
His parents did not give up on him. They hoped that Chen could receive an education like other children, adapt to society and live an independent life in the future.
They wanted to send Chen to a special education school in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, but were refused due to limited enrollment quotas. Finally, one in Luoyang in 2015 accepted Chen when he was 7.
Chen has not let his parents down. He remains optimistic and works hard in school. His teacher said that Chen was a positive and thoughtful child, and the boy has been honored by the school many times for his good academic performance.
Chen likes music and sings well, so his mother helped him sign up for training in a music school. Every Saturday, Chen goes to learn guitar and singing.
"My happiest moments happen when I am on my way to class with my hand holding on to my mother's arm,” Chen said.
When they arrive at the music school, Chen will let go of his mother's arm and go upstairs to the classroom, located on the second floor, all by himself with his hand holding the handrail.
"It is more difficult for Chen to learn to play guitar since he cannot really see it. But he has perseverance and puts in a lot of effort," said Zang Yong, Chen's guitar teacher.
In singing class, Chen has also encountered problems. His mouth often has the wrong shape while singing, influencing pronunciation. Under the teacher's instruction, he has learned several difficult songs.
Chen Shibo, a blind 10-year-old boy, sings under the instruction of a teacher named Ji Lina in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province, Dec 18, 2018. [Photo by Zhang Hongfei/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"I was deeply moved by the kid when I first met him. I even cried, both for his clear and pure voice and the suffering," said Ren Chunsheng, Chen's singing teacher.
In the viral video, Chen performs guitar and sings the song You Are My Eyes, which was originally sung by Hsiao Huang-chi from Taiwan, who is also blind.
The song's lyrics speak for people with blindness: "If I could see, life may be totally different." "Because you are my bright eyes, let me see the world is just right before my eyes."
The video has touched the heartstrings of an enormous number of viewers, including Guo Zhixiong, a movie producer.
Guo invited Chen to attend the premiere of his upcoming movie The Business Storm of Ruhai, which tells a story of Chen's hometown.
Guo hopes Chen can realize his dream and sing a song at the premiere, and he also calls for more attention, care and developmental space for children with disabilities.
