全文檢索
Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 9th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2006> Angel of cerebral palsy ─Yang Shu-Yi
Color paint with foot; triumph over nature
      Yang Shu-Yi was born with high billiflavin and misdiagnosed by a quack doctor. She did not have blood transfusion in time and resulted in cerebral palsy and paralysis of four limbs. Since she was 10 months old, she started rehabilitation under the care of her mother. She enjoys nature since childhood and especially loves to paint. She conquered the congenital barrier and practiced painting with her foot. Since 1991, she has been under the guidance of teachers, Chen Mei-hui, Huang Sheng-liang, Chen Yi-hsuan, in International Mouth and Foot Painting Association to study painting Chinese landscape painting, flowers, birds, birds and bugs. Due to the physical difficulty, the paintings have a unique style. 

      The artworks are printed on greeting cards and sold to countries worldwide. They are really popular and earn profit and dignity for her. She adopted and encouraged sick children in Africa; and she was awarded Golden Resolution Award for the Ten Most Distinguished People, Golden Eagle Award for the Ten Most Distinguished People from Ministry of Interior, Special Award from Asiatic Water Painting Exhibition. Yang Shu-Yi deserves to be called “Angel of Cerebral Palsy” for her bravery to conquer the physical difficulty, to paint using her foot and adopt African sick children.

      Born 1979 in Guansi Township, Hsinchu County, Yang Shu-Yi had jaundice the second after she was born. The jaundice became serious and her parents Yang Huan-Chang, Yeh Tong-Mei lacked medical knowledge and trusted the quack doctor. She did not have exchange blood transfusion in time and her brain was damaged with four limbs paralyzed. Since she was 10 months old, she had lived in hospital for long-term rehabilitation between National Taiwan University Hospital and Hsinchu County Guansi Township. Until she was older than five, her foot became more flexible but she still couldn’t stand on her sole of foot and walk normally. Her hands are crooked.

      When Yang Shu-Yi goes out, her parents need to bring “straps”. She can only crawl at home and constantly falls down. When Shu-Yi was 6 years old, she was encouraged and accepted by principle Wu Lung-te and teacher Chen Feng-chiao in Tung Guang Elementary School, Hsinchu County Guansi Township. With the help from classmates and seniors, she then was able to go to school and classes, eat lunch and go to restrooms. She is now pursuing education in National Open University after she finished the mandatory education in Tung Guang Elementary School and Fu Guang junior high school.

      When Shu-Yi was in the fifth grade in elementary school, her mother Yeh Tung-mei heard the news of foot and mouth artist Chen Mei-hui on TV (She learned to paint at 27. She used her feet as hands except painting, cooking and playing piano). So, she went to Taipei County Yong He City by the help of her parents and formally became a pupil of Chen Mei-hui to learn skills once every week for five years. Shu-Yi’s artistic talent and her persistent efforts have convinced Ms. Chen to generously offer free lessons to her. 

      Because Ms. Chen Mei-hui could not communicate in spoken language with Shu-Yi, her mother Yeh Tung-mei became their translator. Their patience resulted in Shu-Yi’s achievement of becoming the youngest artist in International mouth and foot painting association the first year when she was in junior high school. Shu-Yi focused on fine brushwork landscape painting in early stage; however, in recent years, she emphasized more on free-stroke painting of flowers and birds. She was under the guidance of teacher Huang Sheng-liang and Chen Yi-hsuan to step into an infinite state of mind in the world of painting. Ms. Chen Yi-hsuan especially praised Shu-Yi that: Shu-Yi’s painting has achieved fairly high standard in the aspects of composition, color, line and stroke. Her painting has careful composition with clear arrangement of lines to express rich emotion by ink color. It is rare the way she masters to interpret the artistic concept of landscape, flower and birds in Chinese painting by foot painting.

      The most praiseworthy thing about Shu-Yi is that she continuously works hard to paint and is always full of gratitude to everything she has. She makes cards with her color painting to earn money from international orders, adopts and encourages African sick children. She also teaches people with same condition to paint the sky outside of the window with mouth and foot and color the dignity of life.