The deaf leading the deaf, thankfully

Zhang Jiahua is believed to be the first person with a disability to sign up as a volunteer for the Shanghai World Expo.

Well versed in various forms of sign language, the deaf retiree is confident he will be of use in Shanghai next summer.

"Sign language varies from country to country," Zhang told China Daily by writing.

Each country has its own rules in terms of gesture, grammar, usage, and sentence order. For example, to denote the word "father", Chinese put their thumb to their lips while curling the other four fingers into a ball. But in the United States, people point their thumb to their forehead with their palm held open.

The 62-year-old Shanghai native said he wants to transcend language barriers altogether and impress visitors with the warmth of the city.

"Our deaf friends may feel alienated when they come here for the first time, so they are going to need some help," he said. "I am ready to show them around, both inside the expo garden and outside it as an interpreter and guide. I want to make them feel warm, well cared for and at ease as friends of Shanghai."

The 2010 Shanghai Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors, mostly from the Chinese mainland. As this number is likely to include people with various disabilities, a flood of city residents have expressed their desire to make their temporary guests feel as welcome and as comfortable, as possible.

Since the recruitment drive was launched in May, some 270,000 people have applied to volunteer, already exceeding organizers' target of 170,000.

This unprecedented level of enthusiasm has been met with a warm response in the city.

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"We were thrilled to learn that some of the applications were sent in by foreigners here," said Shen Ye, an official at a recruitment station in Xuhui District, one of 70 such stations in Shanghai.

Yet Zhang, who used to work as an assistant designer at a local plastic printing plant, stands out from the crowd due to his unique status. He began learning South Korea's brand of sign language in 2000 and served as a volunteer at an international conference for people with hearing difficulties five years later.

In October 2007, when working in the dual role of a teacher at a local school and as chairman of a local community association for the deaf, Zhang got to know a visiting US researcher. Over the course of the following eight months, the pair taught each other their native sign languages.

"Sometimes she would tell jokes and this made it much more pleasant to communicate despite some initial difficulties," he said. Now Zhang can communicate in Chinese, American, South Korean and British ways using visually transmitted sign patterns to convey his meaning.

Talking about his decision to apply as a volunteer, Zhang said it was an easy one to make with the full support of his wife and son.

"I learned from the newspapers and TV that many residents had signed up to help, including some senior citizens and retirees. Their enthusiasm impressed me," he said. "I am looking forward to seeing a successful expo and one that gives the world a wonderful and unforgettable impression of Shanghai."

Zhang is also curious to explore different cultures and make friends at the event. National pavilions of the United States, South Korea and the United Kingdom are top of his "shopping list," he said, as well as the pavilion for people with disabilities. Washington has yet to confirm its participation.