Character forming

"Lu has no arms, but she is like an angel. She can fly freely," says Ding.

Ding spent around four hours creating one comic work. She finished 96 comics within one month.

"I worked overtime, but it was worth it, especially when I read the messages left by the athletes and their relatives," she says.

Her comics have earned her friendships.

A carrot-shaped hair accessory she often wears is a present from Xue Juan, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics.

"It was really a surprise for me," Ding says.

Ding was busy creating comics for athletes at the Beijing Winter Paralympics. Officially invited by the IPC, she hopes to present more works.

"I'd like to create a comic through which viewers can feel the athlete's positive attitude that encourages people to go on and enjoy life," she says.

Ding had paraplegia due to a disease in her spine when she was 2 years old.

With the help of her parents, she did rehabilitation exercises at home after surgery when she was 3.

"I was able to stand up and walk on my own when I was 10, although not as well as normal people," says Ding, adding that her parents were always there to encourage and help her.

"It was really hard for me to do the exercises, day after day, at home. That is why I am able to feel how hard it is for physically challenged people to make such achievements in sports," she says.