Wang Yongcheng speaks at a discussion at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing in March 2023.[Photo/npc.gov.cn]

Wang Yongcheng, a blind deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from East China's Fujian province, has been committed to making the voice of visually-impaired people heard and securing the full support of the public for blind massage.

Wang, also president of the Fujian Association of Persons with Visual Disabilities, lost his eyesight at the age of 19  in an accident.

Supported by his family, Wang decided to acquire a technical skill. Later, he began to study braille and went to Central China's Henan province to learn blind massage.

During his travel to and time in Henan, Wang often took buses in the wrong direction, went to wrong places and even fell into rivers. However, it was the kindness of others that supported him through all the difficulties.

In 1995, Wang returned to his hometown and opened a massage center in Sanming city of Fujian. In the early days, he often provided free massage services for people in surrounding areas and helped to ease their pain and discomfort.

Wang said that thrill and excitement ran through him when others called him “doctor” for the first time. At that time, he realized that he could also do something for others and society.

Their recognition gave Wang additional confidence and encouragement to further improve his massage skills.

The expansion of his massage business quickly created employment opportunities for dozens of people with visual disabilities.

With the support of the Sanming Disabled Persons' Federation, Wang launched a massage training session for the blind and started to impart his professional knowledge and skills to more people in 1996.

In 2009, Wang founded the Fujian Cross-Straits Blind Massage Training Center. So far, the center has provided free technical training to over 6,000 people and helped them shake off poverty and lead independent lives.

Meanwhile, Wang has closely followed national strategies on poverty alleviation and rural vitalization and built a paired-up assistance partnership with Yongyue village in Sanming, which is registered as a provincial-level poverty-stricken village.

Over 1.3 million yuan ($188,739) has been invested into the program to help the village improve its infrastructure and aid local disadvantaged people in leading a better life, which was highly praised by the Fujian Department of Civil Affairs.

As a newly-elected NPC deputy, Wang said he will strive to be a bridge between the blind and the rest of society and to speak for them in the fulfillment of his duties.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the country has further intensified its efforts to guarantee the basic rights and interests of people with disabilities, comprehensively improve their livelihoods, and enhance their sense of fulfillment, happiness and safety, Wang noted.

He added that over 20 laws and regulations have stressed the protection of the rights and interests of the disabled and that fiscal subsidies at all levels have put more emphasis on infrastructure and special allowances for them.

Nevertheless, the predicament faced by the disabled hasn't yet been fully understood by some members of society and some of their special needs haven't received due attention from the public.

Wang Yongcheng (C) holds talks with other blind people before attending the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing. [Photo/npc.gov.cn]

Therefore, Wang has been working on deepening the understanding and exchanges between the blind and other members of the public and making their voices heard.

Statistics show that as of the end of 2022, over 3,000 blind people  worked in medical institutions nationwide, and that they had run over 600 massage service centers across the country. However, the requirements of electronic registration for medical personnel and the filing system for opening traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics have made it difficult for the blind to verify their professional certificates and get the licenses for their TCM clinics.

Wang brought a wide range of advice from the blind to the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing. His suggestion received a warm response from the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and helped accelerate the revision of the regulations on medical message services by blind people.

Moreover, Wang also advised that the Ministry of Education introduce large-font textbooks for students with visual impairment in regular schools.

Wang Yongcheng (R) with his wife during his attendance of a panel discussion of the Fujian delegation at the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing in March 2023.[Photo/npc.gov.cn]

The lawmaker said that he will closely follow the guiding principles of the first session of the 14th NPC, make favorable policies of the Party and the country better known by people with disabilities, and help solve their difficulties.