Father's love is priceless. Painting is an expression of love.

    Born in Qing Shui, Taichung, in 1972, Zhou Yuru faced a series of hardships in her youth. At 22, she married but divorced due to domestic violence, and the same year, her mother passed away from illness. At 24, she was involved in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down, with no sensation below her neck, relying on a respirator to survive.
 
    Faced with such adversity, Zhou Yuru once considered suicide. However, under the endless care of her father, Zhou Chaotang, she realized she couldn’t give in to weakness and vowed to persevere. With unwavering determination, she learned to brush her teeth using her hands and teeth, perform daily tasks like eating and washing her face, and even mastered computer graphic design, architectural drawing, and oil painting.
 
    With the warm companionship of church brothers and sisters, Tzu Chi volunteers, and other friends, Zhou Yuru let go of her attachments, experienced selfless love, and found hope and gratitude for life, like a lighthouse guiding a ship through the darkness. She emerged from the darkness with a positive and optimistic attitude, using her life to inspire others.
 
    As a result, her father's love helped Zhou Yuru rediscover the meaning of life. Under the guidance of painter teacher Ruan Liying, she began the second half of her life, one stroke at a time. To date, she has organized over 10 exhibitions, participated in over 40 exhibitions, been honored by the president on two occasions, and established the Joyful Creativity Space Workshop. She leads individuals with disabilities to become self-reliant, helping them learn painting and continuously encouraging them to participate in exhibitions and apply for street performer licenses. She has been invited to share her life story across Taiwan, using her father's love to overcome paralysis. Painting positive energy into life, spreading more light and hope, he truly deserves the title of “Paralysis Mouth-Painting Angel.” From among 3,683 candidates recommended worldwide, earning the Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation’s “28th Global Love of Life Award in 2025.”

Search for Life Fighters from 233 Countries Worldwide

    Everyone can break the shackles of life; everyone’s life holds boundless possibilities.

    For 28 years, the Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation, with the support and encouragement of communities worldwide, has tirelessly promoted the “Global Love of Life Movement,” advocating: Be good to yourself—cherish your own life; be good to others—respect others’ lives; be good to the Earth—protect the Earth’s life.

    To date, they have honored 481 Global Love of Life Award recipients from 81 countries across seven continents, along with 16 Global Love of Life Literature Award winners, including the chivalrous poet Cheng Chou-yu and Chinese chef-poet Song Chengbao, and 41 Hope Award recipients, such as anti-drug hero Kao Chao-liang and reformed figure Wu Shih-hsuan. They have also cared for and supported over 350,000 of the world’s most vulnerable children with cancer, including Mary Donita Uy, a bone cancer angel from a Philippine slum, helping them fight cancer with love and live with hope.

    We are deeply grateful for the recognition and resonance from global media outlets such as CNN, BBC, NHK, Yahoo, YouTube, Facebook, and Baidu, which have widely reported our efforts as the “Nobel Prize of Life.”

    We are profoundly thankful for accolades including the 3rd National Public Welfare Award in 2001, the Hong Kong Loving Heart Award in 2010, the Ministry of Education Social Education Contribution Award in 2018, Colombia’s Congress Resolution No. 61 in 2019 granting its highest congressional honor, the United Nations NGO World Harmony Outstanding Contribution Award in 2021, and the China Charity and Filial Piety Culture Award in 2022. These recognitions inspire us to continue sharing, encouraging, and striving alongside global communities.
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    The foundation warmly welcomes nominations of life warriors who demonstrate effort, compassion, courage, and achievement from people worldwide. (Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation Global Love of Life Award Nomination Hotline: +886-2-29178770, Fax: +886-2-29178768, Address: 3F, No. 52, Mingde Road, Xindian District, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan, Website: http://www.ta.org.tw, Email: ta88ms17@gmail.com).
 
Unwilling to see her father grow old

    Born in Taichung in 1972, Zhou Yuru's father worked in construction, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night, enduring the harsh weather to earn a living and raise six children.
 
    Although her father was not formally educated in architecture, he could draw professional architectural structural diagrams. Zhou Yuru, exposed to this environment from a young age, developed some understanding of structural diagrams.
 
    After graduating from high school, Zhou Yuru entered the workforce. With her striking figure, sweet appearance, and outgoing personality, she was often regarded as the “beauty” among her colleagues. Soon, she met the man of her dreams and began to envision a happy marriage.
 
    Unfortunately, happiness was short-lived. After marriage, her husband frequently faced work-related setbacks, and when his emotions flared, he would physically abuse Zhou Yuru. One day at the Qing Shui Mazu Temple, he attacked her again. “At the time, there were over a hundred people present, but no one came to help me...” Eventually, her parents were notified and rushed to take her to the hospital.
 
    After separating from her husband, Zhou Yuru planned to wait until her work was stable before bringing her son to live with her. However, things did not go as planned. One night in 1996, while riding her motorcycle home from work, she swerved to avoid a pothole and was thrown from the motorcycle.
 
    “Where am I? Am I going to die?” In the hospital's intensive care unit, Zhou Yuru was in a daze, half-conscious, and faintly heard her father and the doctor discussing her condition: “She may have to stay in bed for the rest of her life and rely on a ventilator.”
 
    “Even if she becomes paralyzed, I will take care of her myself. Please, doctor, do something to save my daughter...” Her father pleaded desperately with the doctor.
Zhou Yuru wanted to cry but couldn't. Her body was covered in tubes, feeling as though it were being crushed by a boulder. “What should I do? I can't bring my child back... What should I do?”
 
    This sudden accident nearly robbed Zhou Yuru of her future. The physical pain and emotional suffering felt like an invisible shackle, tightly binding her heart. While in the intensive care unit, she refused to be fed by the nurses and even experienced acute massive gastric bleeding. It seemed as though she had to torture herself in such a horrific way to protest the cruelty of fate.
 
    During that time, her father deliberately placed a radio by her bedside so that Zhou Yuru could listen to the broadcasts when she woke up at night. He also refused to cut her beautiful long hair, instead going to great lengths to fetch water to wash her hair, determined to maintain her daughter's radiant appearance.
 
    The elderly father rarely had a good night's sleep while caring for her. One night, Zhou Yuru had phlegm in her throat and was having difficulty breathing, but she was too weak to wake her exhausted father, who was sound asleep. She tried to move her fingers to tug at the plastic bag by the bedside, hoping her father would hear the sound and wake up. When she turned her head, she saw that her father's temples were already completely gray.
 
    Zhou Yuru realized, “My father is growing old. In recent years, he has never had a proper rest, all for my marriage, my family, and taking care of me...”
 
Faith brings stability to a wandering heart.

    Rehabilitation marked the beginning of another painful journey. During her hospitalization, a rehabilitation physician and a Christian patient visited her in the ward to show their concern.
 
“Miss Zhou, do you have a faith?”
 
“No,” she shook her head.
 
    The Christian patient, who was a few years older than Zhou Yuru, shared his rehabilitation experiences with her and led her in reading a passage from the Bible. “The power of prayer is great. No matter what difficulties you face, you can pray to God.” In the sincere prayers, Zhou Yuru felt a warm, steadying force that settled her restless, helpless heart.
 
    From then on, Christian friends frequently visited her ward to pray for Zhou Yuru, offering spiritual and material support. Their kindness nourished her long-parched soul. Thus, she entrusted herself to the heavenly God with peace of mind.
 
    After being discharged from the hospital, Zhou Yuru returned to her hometown in Qing Shui, Taichung, to recuperate. Before she returned home, her father had already renovated the house into an accessible space, ensuring that every detail—from the entrance to the bedroom and bathroom facilities—was thoughtfully designed for his daughter's needs.
 
    Thanks to her father's unwavering love, Zhou Yuru found a safe haven to anchor her confusion and helplessness, enabling her to set sail once again on the journey of life.
 
    “My father is getting older and has cancer. My brothers and sisters have helped me a lot over the years, but they also have their own families...” Zhou Yuru actively trained herself to live independently, hoping to lighten her father's burden.
 
    “At first, my father wasn't comfortable with me going out alone, so he made me carry my phone with me. Every so often, he would call to check where I was.” From going out alone to shop, to handling errands at the post office, or even attending church services, Zhou Yuru gradually gained the confidence to navigate the streets and alleys on her electric wheelchair.
 
    The pastor, pastor's wife, and church members of the Nanshe Li Church in Qing Shui District, Taichung, have been very caring toward Zhou Yuru, and she considers the church her second home. In addition to providing administrative work and supplementing her income, the pastor's wife also offered her opportunities to practice designing church websites and posters. Over the years, she accumulated extensive experience in graphic design, laying the foundation for her future work in painting and composition.
 
    In 2012, the Spinal Cord Injury Potential Development Center in Taoyuan City organized a computer-aided architectural drawing training course. If participants passed the vocational training bureau's assessment, the center would help them find employment.
 
    Zhou Yuru's physical condition among all the participants, Zhou Yuru was in the worst condition, and her father did not hold much hope for her. “I've been drawing architectural blueprints for twenty years. These blueprints have many professional and complex lines. With your physical condition, how could you possibly draw them?”
 
    Zhou Yuru understood her father's concerns, but to pursue this opportunity, she decided to leave her family and travel to Taoyuan for the training.
 
    Zhou Yuru cannot sit for long periods, and her hands are weak. During the day, she studies drawing in the computer lab, and at night, she returns to the dormitory to review her lessons in bed. She often reads by propping books between her neck and shoulders, staying up late into the night. On one occasion, she woke up to find her neck stiff and immobile.
 
    However, the physical pain did not deter Zhou Yuru from dropping out. Her computer teacher kindly lent her a laptop, giving her more time to practice. While her classmates went out on weekends, she stayed in the dormitory with her laptop, practicing drawing to compensate for her weak hands.
 
    The most challenging part of the certification exam was completing a drawing within a limited timeframe.
 
    With the determination that hard work can make up for shortcomings, Zhou Yuru's architectural structure drawings finally received recognition. At the graduation ceremony, she received her Level 3 Computer Architectural Drawing Certification amid applause from the crowd.
 
Church and Tzu Chi Volunteers Lend a Helping Hand
    After obtaining her certification, Zhou Yuru stayed in Taoyuan for a pre-employment internship program to prepare for a job at a construction company in Taipei.
 
    Unfortunately, the damp and cold climate in the north triggered a relapse of her chronic sinusitis, causing severe dizziness. She returned to Qing Shui and was admitted to Shalu Tong General Hospital for surgery. The architectural drawing certification she had obtained through immense hardship did not pave a smooth path for her turbulent life.
 
    Dr. Tsai Ching-hsiao, the current Deputy Director of the Department of Otolaryngology at Tung General Hospital, is a devout Christian. She assessed that Zhou Yuru had poor blood clotting function, and traditional surgery would increase bleeding, so she recommended the latest minimally invasive surgery. However, the surgery required out-of-pocket expenses. Understanding Zhou Yuru's perseverance and difficulties, the doctor quietly covered the costs.
 
    One day, while out sketching, Zhou Yuru accidentally injured herself while getting into a car, resulting in a severe fracture of her thigh. After the surgery, she returned home to recover, and the hospital social worker referred her to the Tzu Chi Taichung Branch.
 
    “I don't need it; I don't want their help,” Zhou Yuru thought, recalling the pain she had endured over a decade ago at the Qing Shui Mazu Temple.
 
    “Ms. Zhou, we are Tzu Chi volunteers. Does your wound still hurt?” A group of Tzu Chi volunteers dressed in blue shirts and white pants visited her shortly after she was discharged from the hospital to check on her condition. Upon learning that she needed a pressure-relieving mattress due to her pain, the volunteers quickly sourced a suitable bed from recycled medical equipment and delivered it to her home.
 
    After several interactions, Zhou Yuru gradually let down her guard toward the Tzu Chi volunteers. What moved her most was that “the Tzu Chi volunteers helped me without asking me to change my faith?”
 
    With the warm companionship of her church brothers and sisters and Tzu Chi volunteers, she let go of her attachments and came to understand that selfless love is like a lighthouse, guiding ships in the right direction, capable of igniting inner hope and gratitude for life.
 
    “No matter how great the challenges I face, I will persevere because I have so much love from others; I will strive to share this love and encourage more people to cherish their healthy lives.”
 
    The church and the Spinal Cord Injury Association arranged life education lectures at schools and institutions, allowing Zhou Yuru to share her life experiences and encourage more disadvantaged students and spinal cord injury patients to bid farewell to darkness and embrace hope.
 
Participating in the first beauty pageant and achieving outstanding results
    In 2021, the Taiwan Night-Blooming Jasmine Sisters Entrepreneurship and Employment Association held the first “Beloved Beauty” beauty pageant for people with spinal cord injuries. The event aimed to encourage people with spinal cord injuries to step out and inspire others while also showcasing their efforts to businesses and organizations to provide employment opportunities and resources. Zhou Yuru participated in the competition with the encouragement and recommendation of her association and church friends.
 
    “I didn't want to participate at all; I just wanted to live quietly,” Zhou Yuru said with a slight pout, recalling her complex feelings at the time, yet still filled with gratitude.
 
    During the pageant, Zhou Yuru and 42 other participants received specialized training in posture, etiquette, and makeup, including adjustments to their posture from head to toe while seated in wheelchairs, proper placement of hands and feet, and facial expression training.
 
    "The most challenging part was makeup. Just opening the eyebrow pencil and applying eyeliner took a lot of time and effort. Every time I participated in an event, I had to get up extra early because applying makeup took at least an hour.
 
    The elegance and beauty others saw was meticulously crafted by Zhou Yuru with her withered hands. With her striking features and bright eyes, she exuded confidence. After the competition, she won third place in the first”Beloved Beauty" pageant.
 
Every step, every stroke, every mark of love
    “After the accident, I wanted to learn painting, but my family thought that with my physical disability, how could I possibly create good artwork? Besides, what future could there be in painting?” Even her father, who had always been the most loving toward Zhou Yuru, did not support her.
 
    “At first, when I tried painting with my hands, I couldn’t capture the strength of the brushstrokes. I then tried holding the brush with my mouth, but that put too much strain on my cervical spine, making it quite difficult.” Zhou Yuru's cervical spine was injured, making traditional easels unsuitable for her. Multi-functional easels, though lightweight, were more expensive.
 
    Tzu Chi volunteer Yang Mi, learning of Zhou Yuru's financial difficulties and her desire for a set of painting supplies, encouraged her: “If you're going to learn to paint, you should commit fully. I'll accompany you to the stationery store, and we'll buy everything you need in one go!”
 
    In addition to sponsoring the art supplies and paints, Tzu Chi volunteer Yang Mi also took the initiative to communicate with Zhou Yuru's father, convincing him to support his daughter's desire to learn painting.
 
    In 2014, through the introduction of a fellow injury survivor who was learning oil painting, Zhou Yuru enrolled in the “Taichung Spinal Cord Injury Association Oil Painting Class.” Under the guidance of instructor Ruan Liying, who introduced her to the basics of painting tools and paint, and with the experience shared by fellow students, she gradually progressed from copying works to painting the scenes in her mind, creating her own world stroke by stroke.
 
     “Earlier, I participated in the first Spinal Cord Injury Association Beauty Pageant Gratitude Tea Party and painted a piece titled ‘The Path of Gratitude’ to thank the sponsors of the event.”
 
    “The painting only used red and black,” Zhou Yuru said with a childlike smile. “When I was painting it, there was a typhoon. The nurse in charge walked past my room and came in to see me painting. She was surprised and asked, ‘Yuru, are you painting a storm?’ Why is it all black and red?”
 
    “While painting during the typhoon, I felt that life also has many storms. Before a storm, the sky is filled with fiery red clouds. The road in the painting represents the love of others, which opened this path for me to walk through the stormy phase of life.”

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