I was born with bad eyesight. At high school I couldn't read the blackboard. By the time I got to the university of Bath to study Chemistry it had got to the point where I couldn't really see images at all, only the difference between light and dark. And a few years later, once I was in the first year of my PhD， I was almost completely blind.
But climbing is my great passion (激情). I started climbing when I was young. My dad taught me everything about climbing. When I was 11, I led my first climbing route outside. People are usually amazed when they discover that not only do I climb, but I also lead climbs.
At university I joined the Mountaineering Club and was able to climb much more frequently. We had regular trips to indoor walls and weekends away outdoors. I developed a great circle of climbing friends and went on several trips to Europe. After these I started Alpine climbing and ice climbing, too.
When my sight dropped to a level where I could no longer read, I thought I might have to give up leading. But I never thought I would stop climbing. I just learnt to adapt with the support of my friends.
People often ask me, "Why rock climbing? It doesn't seem like a good activity for a blind person."
But when I think about the danger, crossing the road is far more dangerous, and also, it's something where I'm not in control.
It's quite possible that I wouldn't be such a good climber if I weren't blind. If I didn't have these challenges, it wouldn't focus me. That determination is built through my disability (残疾).
When I reach the top of a climb, I don't get to appreciate the view, but the feeling of achievement is extremely good.
Climbing is a way to prove my way of thinking in life - which is that I'm not disabled, I'm blind and able.
