The arts of inclusivity

Part-time video blogger Zhao Hongcheng has been sharing her everyday life as a wheelchair user, reviewing barrier-free facilities, or the lack of them, in urban public spaces.

A year ago, she posted two videos on streaming site Bilibili, in which she told of her experiences of visiting a few art and cultural venues in Shanghai, the facilities and services of which showed a great discrepancy.

In the comments section of the videos, many viewers expressed their commendation of the smooth experiences, or indignation at any unfair treatment she received, but Zhao also realized that efforts are still required to raise public awareness.

"The fact that the videos resonated with a lot of people made me realize that they have social significance," Zhao said at the recent Fourth UK-China Disability Arts Forum.

"There are still people who lack an understanding of why people with disabilities need to go to these cultural events, and many art organizations not only need to realize that they have visitors or consumers with disabilities, but also understand the requirements of this particular group."

Her becoming a blogger was a spur-of-the-moment decision. At the beginning of 2019, she and a few friends traveled to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, and she decided to film the experience as a reference for other wheelchair users who would like to go traveling.