Spending roughly a decade preparing for her 2023 book Alive: Like Light and Salt, writer Liao Zhi has taken a creative journey with her memories of surviving the disastrous Wenchuan earthquake. The then 23-year-old dance teacher was rescued from a collapsed building, but suffered the loss of her legs and her child.
Selected from Liao’s diary entries, the six-chapter book touches upon topics like “finding one’s true self” and “relationships”, revealing how the writer dealt with pain to set career goals and find the courage to become a parent once again.
The writer said her desire for life seemed to have been strengthened by the near-death experience and that may be why she took only less than a year to get back on track again. Swimming, running marathon and taking part in charity dance performances were only a part of Liao’s daily agenda that helped her see the light again.
Alive: Like Light and Salt is not all about dealing with difficulties. Liao has devoted several chapters to topics like “becoming a communication expert in close relationships” and sharing her thoughts on love.
Liao met Charles Wang, a prosthesis(假肢) engineer, when she was getting her new artificial legs. Although she was hesitant about getting remarried, Wang assured her that she was the one, even telling his parents that “I’ll never again meet such a good girl.”
“Her life-loving nature, her health y mind-set toward her disability and also her willingness to speak up for people with the same experiences as herself, such things let me see a different side of life. I’ve been deeply touched by her,” said Liao’s mother-in-law.
Liao set up the Home of Chenxing, a rehabilitation(康复) studio in Chongqing for disabled people in 2019, and has now helped over 100 people walk again with artificial limbs(肢). She’s also a leader of a charity group called “Seeing and Change”. “Society needs to be educated to see this particular group of people. We represent a part of society’s value,” Liao noted.
【小题1】What do we know about the book Alive: Like Light and Salt?| A．It’s mainly intended for earthquake survivors. | B．It’s inspired by her husband encouragement. |
| C．It’s focused on ways to handle difficulties. | D．It’s based on the author’s life experiences. |
| A．It helped her see the hope of life. | B．It pushed her to start a studio. |
| C．It urged her to write many books. | D．It enabled her to walk again. |
| A．To introduce Liao’s achievements. | B．To confirm Liao’s good qualities. |
| C．To think highly of Liao’s marriage. | D．To ask people to experience life. |
| A．Charity should be made international. |
| B．The disabled create more social values. |
| C．Liao is devoted to helping the physically disabled. |
| D．Society owes an apology to the particular group. |
