Armless pianist who plays with feet wins Chinese TV talent contest

Published on Monday 11 October 2010 18:12

A MUSICIAN who lost both arms in a childhood accident and plays the piano with his toes has won China's Got Talent, performing his version of James Blunt's wistful love song You're Beautiful to a packed audience at the Shanghai Stadium.

All three judges on the show on Sunday praised Liu Wei, 23, for his determination, urging him to keep pursuing his dreams, and the Beijing native said he would try, quipping: "At least I have a pair of perfect legs."

For winning the Chinese version of the show, he will be invited to play as a guest performer with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. He also has the chance of a performing contract. Mr Liu's arms were amputated after he suffered an electrical shock when he was ten. At age 18, he decided to pursue a career in music, using his feet to play the piano, much as he uses them to navigate on the computer, eat, dress and brush his teeth.

China's Got Talent a weekly show on local channel Dragon TV, has helped draw attention to the hopes of disabled Chinese.