"I never care about other people's opinions, which are meaningless to me. I sing my songs everyday, doing my best to enjoy my life."– A jian

Most disabled people get government help, but He Yongjian is an exception. He has a condition which restricted his growth and he's only 1.15 meters tall, even though he is 25. “I was given certificate of disability by the County Civil Affairs Bureau long ago,” he says. “But I never got any welfare. They think I earn too much money to need it.

Happy childhood

He Yongjian, who calls himself A jian, is a singer in a nightclub in Beijing. In a crowd of tall and handsome actors, he is often taken as a child performer.

A jian is from Hunan Province. At the age of five, he suddenly got a strange illness. He started twitching and foaming at the mouth. His parents took him to hospital straight away. The doctors were able to put a stop to his fits but he had a fever for the next month and could hardly move. Not knowing what disease it was, the doctor suggested taking A jian to a hospital in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. However, A jian’s parents couldn’t afford to do that. Fortunately, A jian appeared to recover a month later.

Since then, A jian had the same illness once or twice every year until the age of 15, when he was just 0.8 meters tall. Now he is 1.15 meters tall, and he’s satisfied with that: “1.15 meters is enough. Anyway I don’t expect to grow any more, because I am already 25.”

The doctors suggested that one possible reason for Ajian’s condition is that his parents are cousins. But A jian feels nothing else but gratitude for his mother and father. “I love my parents very much. They were never disappointed with me, nor did they pose high hopes on me. They think it is the happiest thing that I survived. Especially my mother, she was the most kind-hearted woman in the world. She never shouted at me.”

When the time came for A jian to go to school, his parents were worried the other kids would laugh at him. His mother accompanied him to school and home together every day to protect him. “At that time, I was very clever in the class, and my mother gave me some pocket money everyday. I felt I had a happier childhood than any other kids.”

Singing for supper

At the age of 14, A jian had to leave home to go to the middle school in the town. “My mother gave 10 yuan to my roommate on the lower bunk, and asked him to watch out for me. It was my first time to leave home and live alone, and it was hard to get accustomed to the life in the school.” So after one year, A jian left the school and went back to live with his parents. “It was partly because my parents and I didn’t see much point in further study. It seemed that because of my height I could not get that far.”

Soon after, the family moved to Changsha, and then Wuhan. “At that time my father had a good income so he didn’t need me to work, but I thought I had to stand on my own feet. At 16, I began to sing in public.”

At primary school, A jian was often chosen to sing, and the teacher always praised him. At home, when A jian and his two brothers had a song competition in the summer evenings, his mother thought he was the best. So when A jian grew up, he felt singing could be his way out.

At first A jian sang in the main snack street in Wuhan, which is a well known gathering place just like Wangfujing in Beijing. Many other performers gave shows there at night. A jian quickly became well known because of his height and child’s voice. He went out to perform from 10 pm to 4 am every day, singing 100 songs in one night. People paid 10 yuan for three songs. A jian even gained wealthy admirers who would pay 500 yuan for his unusual performance. At that time, he was making nearly 10,000 yuan a month.

A jian went on his trade this way for one year. The boss of a performance company who had seen him thought he could turn A jian into a star so he offered him a two-year contract. In the first year, he brought A jian with him all around the country where he performed in large clubs. At the same time A jian was required to enter a college to study music. But when he recalls these experiences, A jian is full of regret. “At that time I was too young to concentrate fully on studying. I always avoided going to the classes. When the boss found I hadn’t made any improvement at all, he terminated the contract after one year.

However, this experience helped A jian get into performing in nightclubs. He says it’s a purer experience than performing in the street. “In the outdoor venues I just sold my voice, but in a club someone can appreciate your music. A jian’s unusual appearance has continued to make him popular in cities around the country. Since the age of 16, he’s performed in venues in Guangdong, Jilin, Shijiazhuang and Macao. “As a singer like me, it is the most terrible thing if no club invites you to perform. It means you are old-fashioned. I’m not worried about not being invited though, because I have worked very hard for today’s achievements.

I am a man

In 2000, A jian married a girl from his village, just as his parents hoped he would. But partly because he was always away from home, the marriage soon hit problems. The couple got divorced in 2002, and A jian paid his ex-wife 50,000 yuan in alimony. The brief union produced a son who is now two years old. Talking about his son, A jian can’t help smiling. “He’s nearly as high as my neck already and he’s not afraid of anyone except me. I hope he will be healthy, and can do whatever he wants to.

Now A jian has a new girlfriend, a beautiful 20-year-old dancer who’s a little taller than him at 1.62 meters. “She chased me actually,” says A jian. “I felt she was kind-hearted. We have been together for two years, but we are not ready to get married. Her family doesn’t agree with her marrying me, and I won’t consider it until she is 25. After all, she is so young. And given my situation I’m not going to be selfish.”

A jian’s still making a good living. He came nightclub on July 22 this year. “Every night I need to prepare two songs, and I can earn 30,000 yuan every mth. I am proud of myself for this. Though I am short, I am able to do better than many others. Now I must support my parents, son, niece and girlfriend as well as myself. I can give them a sense of security.” Instead of worrying about him, his family look up to A jian these days, seeing him as a man of experience.

Behind the happiness, however, A jian has been suffering the worst worry he has known. His beloved mother was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. “I never thought she would become ill. The moment I found out, I took her to Changsha so she could have an operation. But it was not successful.” Sadly, his mother passed away this week.

A jian has made friends all over the country but he says he doesn’t know many of them that well. “People change day by day. I cherish friends in my life, but I will have to find new ones in future. I’m not going to be able to keep go around the country singing much longer. Being young is important on the stage. Maybe when I’m 30 I will have earned enough money to rest at home and stay with my family.”

During the whole interview, A jian kept smiling, except when talking about his mother. He said he could answer any question and no subject was taboo for him. He says he has always lived a happy life. “I never care about other people’s opinions, which are meaningless to me. I sing my songs everyday, doing my best to enjoy my life. My parents and I think living should be a happiness. We have no reason to worry about life. But perhaps I would have preferred to have grown normally. After all, it’s pretty hard to find my size of clothes.”

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