A young Chinese girl's journey to create a future for herself, despite losing both legs in a tragic¹ accident, has become the story that inspired thousands of disable people in China.

一个年轻的中国女孩，尽管在一场不幸的车祸中失去双腿，仍奋力为自己创造未来。她的故事激励着全中国成千上万的残疾人。

Qian Hongyan, from Yunnan, south west China, made the headlines in 2005 when she was photographed 'walking' with the help of a basketball.Today, that same young woman is a champion swimmer with Paralympic dreams.In 2009, the determined² girl became a national champion in the Chinese National Paralympics Swimming Competition.Last September, she won another gold medal in the 100m breaststroke final in the Yunnan Provincial³ Paralympic Games.

钱红艳，来自中国西南部的云南省，2005年因借助篮球“行走”的照片曝光而登上各大媒体的头版头条。今天，同样的主角，这个年轻的女孩怀揣着奥运会的梦想成为了残奥会游泳冠军。2009年，这个意志坚定的女孩在全国残奥会游泳比赛中获得了冠军。去年9月，她还在云南省残奥会100米蛙泳决赛中获得了另一块金牌。

A four-year-old Qian Hongyan had both of her legs amputated after getting into an accident in 2000 where she nearly lost her life. Her family were extremely impoverished⁴. They farmed and produced silk for a meager⁵ living. According to People's Daily Online, with little resources available, her grandfather resorted to cutting up an old basketball to replace of her lower body.The little girl learnt to 'walk' on her hands by supporting her entire upper body using wooden pads with handles.The basketball helped her to balance and provided a platform to rest on when she got tired.

2000年，四岁的钱红艳发生了一场车祸，几乎送命，经抢救后仍不得不将双腿截肢。她的家庭非常贫困，以务农产丝勉强为生。据人民网报道，由于没有可用的资源，钱红艳的祖父就决定将“改装”后的旧篮球代替她的下肢。这个小女孩需要学习通过借助带把手的木板支撑自己整个上身用手“行走”。篮球的作用就是帮助她保持平衡，并在她走累的时候作为一个休息的支撑物。

She spent many years of her childhood being dubbed⁶ the 'Basketball Girl' by locals as a result.In 2005, Qian Hongyan's incredible hardship caught the widespread attention of Chinese, and later, international media. It also became a turning point in the then ten-year-old girl's life. With the help and support of donations, she was given the chance to travel more than 1,600 miles to Beijing and be fitted with her first pair of legs.

多年以来，当地人都叫她“篮球女孩”。2005年，钱红艳励志故事成为了全中国的焦点，之后国际媒体还报道了此事。这也成为了这个年仅十岁的女孩人生中的转折点。在社会捐款的帮助和支持下，钱红艳有机会穿越1600多千米的旅程到北京“佩戴”人生中第一双腿。

Then another blow came in 2007. Through donations, Qian Hongyan was able to attend and finish primary school.However, according to Xinhua news, she was faced with the reality that her family simply did not have enough money to allow her to continue her education beyond the age of 11.

2007年，钱红艳另一个大事件发生了。在社会捐助的帮助下，钱红艳能够上学，并完成小学学业。然而，根据新华新闻的报道，钱红艳当时的情况是家里没有足够的钱让自己在11岁之后继续学业。

While most people would be disheartened by the dashed hope of a future, Qian Hongyan set out to create her own destiny.

当大部分人都在为她未来破灭的希望而感到伤心难过的时候，钱红艳决定要自己改变自己的命运。

She returned to Yunnan where she was encouraged to join South of the Cloud, a local swim team for people with disability and one of the first of its kind in China. Qian Hongyan's high amputation⁷ made swimming particularly difficult.She revealed in an interview with China Daily: 'It seemed there was no way I could float in the water. I always choked.'But she really put her heart into the sport.

她回到云南，在家人和朋友的鼓励下参加了“云之南”游泳队——一个中国首例为身患残疾人士创建的地方性游泳队伍。钱红艳因高度截肢使得游泳变得异常困难。她在《中国日报》的采访中说道：“好像我根本不可能浮在水面上，经常被呛水。”但是她真的很用心地投入到这项运动中。

Within a few years, she was winning gold medals at national competitions and had dreams of representing China in the Paralympics in London 2012. In 2009, Qian made headlines again by winning one gold medal and two silver medals in the Chinese National Paralympics Swimming Competition.

不到几年的时间，她就在一些国家性的比赛中拿到了金牌，并梦想着能在2012年伦敦奥运会上代表中国参赛。2009年，钱红艳在全国残奥会游泳比赛中获得一金两银的好成绩再次登上各大媒体的头条。

In September 2014, Qian won the 100m breaststroke final during the Yunnan Provincial Paralympic Games, which put her and her incredible life stories back in the spotlight⁸.It seems that Qian has turned her eventful childhood into a life filled with inspiration and incredible strength. One that few in China could live to match. And one of determination.

2014年9月，钱红艳在云南省残疾人奥运会比赛100米蛙泳总决赛中获得金牌，她和自己的人生故事再次回到媒体的视线中。就好像钱红艳把自己命运多舛的童年变成充满希望和力量的人生，一段中国很少有人可以媲美的充满意志力的人生。