Li Mei, a 40-year-old painter from Changsha, Hunan province, has overcome her severe hearing loss by expressing herself through painting. Li found solace in painting from a young age, as it allowed her to communicate with the world in a way that didn’t rely on verbal communication. “Painting brushes can help me create a colorful world in my imagination, telling my thoughts on paper, instead of through voices,” Li said in a typed response to China Daily.
Li’s passion for painting not only helped her cope with the challenges of growing up with hearing loss but also became her lifelong career. Painting allowed her to express her thoughts and emotions and brought her immense joy. Her artwork has been widely recognized in the local art community and has received numerous awards.
In addition to finding success in her artistic career, painting also played a significant role in Li’s personal life. While attending the Changsha Vocational and Technical School, Li met her husband, Hu Shiqun, who shares her love for art. Hu lost his hearing due to medication when he was only one year old. However, this shared passion for art brought the couple together, and they have been supporting each other in their artistic endeavors ever since.
Li’s story is a testament to the power of art in overcoming personal challenges and connecting people. Through her artwork, Li has found a way to express herself and connect with others despite her hearing loss. Her story also highlights the importance of pursuing one’s passions, as it can lead to unexpected opportunities and connections in both personal and professional life.
Li Mei’s story is one of perseverance, creativity, and love. By pursuing her passion for painting, she has found a way to overcome the challenges of her hearing loss, build a successful career, and find love and companionship. Her story serves as an inspiration to others to follow their passions and find their own paths to success and happiness.
Li Mei and her husband Hu Shiqun’s passion for painting led them to start a company specializing in 3D wall and ground paintings. The company, which was established in 2016, provides employment opportunities to hearing-impaired individuals who are passionate about painting. All five painters working for the company are hearing-impaired, and the couple has created a family-like atmosphere at work.
Hu, who understands the difficulties that hearing-impaired individuals face when looking for employment, is committed to helping others pursue their dreams. Through their company, he and Li have provided a platform for like-minded individuals to come together and create art. The company has been successful, and their artwork has been featured in many parks and scenic spots in Hunan province.
The couple’s large-scale murals and interactive pavement paintings have gained a lot of attention and appreciation from onlookers. Their pavement paintings, in particular, have attracted many visitors who have been eager to pose with the “landscapes” of the Zhaoshan Mountain scenic area in Xiangtan, Hunan during the National Day holiday in October.
Hu and Li’s art has not only brought them success and recognition but has also helped break down barriers and stereotypes surrounding the hearing-impaired community. Their work has shown that being hearing-impaired does not limit an individual’s ability to create beautiful artwork.
Li and Hu’s story is a testament to the power of art in bringing people together and breaking down barriers. Their company has provided employment opportunities to hearing-impaired individuals and has created a space where they can express their creativity and pursue their passion for painting. Their artwork has brought joy and wonder to many and has helped challenge the stereotypes surrounding the hearing-impaired community.
Hu Shiqun and Li Mei’s creative and imaginative artistry have transformed ordinary pavements into extraordinary works of art. The duo has used their brushes to create fantastical scenes, from fishes swimming in lotus ponds to rafts coursing down a river. Their artwork not only showcases their talent but also makes art more accessible to the public.
For Li and Hu, each design carries a message and has a humorous soul behind it. Their artwork represents their desire to connect with the world and to inspire others to pursue their passions. Through their company, they want to introduce painting to more people like themselves and help them find a way to make a living doing what they love.
Li hopes that their story will inspire more hearing-impaired individuals to realize their dreams and pursue their passions. By sharing their story and showcasing their artwork, they hope to break down barriers and stereotypes surrounding the hearing-impaired community and show that they are capable of creating beautiful art that can inspire and bring joy to others.
Through their artwork, Li and Hu have shown that anything is possible with determination and creativity. They have demonstrated that one’s ability to create art is not limited by their hearing impairment but rather, it is a unique and valuable way of expression. Their artwork has helped them connect with others and bring happiness and inspiration to the world.
Hu Shiqun and Li Mei’s creative and imaginative artistry have transformed ordinary pavements into extraordinary works of art. The duo has used their brushes to create fantastical scenes, from fishes swimming in lotus ponds to rafts coursing down a river. Their artwork not only showcases their talent but also makes art more accessible to the public.
For Li and Hu, each design carries a message and has a humorous soul behind it. Their artwork represents their desire to connect with the world and to inspire others to pursue their passions. Through their company, they want to introduce painting to more people like themselves and help them find a way to make a living doing what they love.
Li hopes that their story will inspire more hearing-impaired individuals to realize their dreams and pursue their passions. By sharing their story and showcasing their artwork, they hope to break down barriers and stereotypes surrounding the hearing-impaired community and show that they are capable of creating beautiful art that can inspire and bring joy to others.
Through their artwork, Li and Hu have shown that anything is possible with determination and creativity. They have demonstrated that one’s ability to create art is not limited by their hearing impairment but rather, it is a unique and valuable way of expression. Their artwork has helped them connect with others and bring happiness and inspiration to the world.
Li Mei’s journey to finding her voice through painting has been a long and challenging one. Growing up with severe hearing loss, Li often felt isolated and different from her peers. However, her discovery of painting in primary school opened up a new world of expression for her.
Through painting, Li found a way to create a colorful world that conveyed her thoughts and feelings, rather than relying on spoken words. Her passion for art led her to pursue a degree in advertising design at Changsha Vocational and Technical School, where she met her future husband.
Li’s first mural project, which involved designing and painting a wall for a kindergarten, was a pivotal moment for her. She realized how happy she was when she was immersed in painting and how it gave her a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
After graduating, Li landed a job as a typist at a public institute in Zhuzhou, Hunan. Although her job was respectable in her father’s eyes, Li felt unfulfilled and isolated from her colleagues. She rarely picked up her brushes during this period, and her husband knew that she was unhappy.
Despite the challenges, Li never gave up on her dream of becoming a painter. In 2016, she joined her husband’s company, which specializes in 3D wall and ground paintings. The company provided a welcoming environment for hearing-impaired artists, and Li and her husband were able to create large-scale murals and interactive pavement paintings that captured the public’s imagination.
Through her artwork, Li has found her voice and a way to connect with the world. She hopes that her story will inspire others who may feel isolated or different to pursue their passions and find their own way of expressing themselves.
Li’s decision to leave her stable job as a typist and become a wall painter was a pivotal moment in her life. Despite opposition from her father, Li took the bold step to follow her passion and joined her husband’s company in March 2016. She admits that wall painting is a challenging job, especially for someone with hearing impairment, as it requires working outdoors in extreme weather conditions. However, Li believes that painting is not only a means of expressing herself but also a way to help others who share her love of art.
Working in a team of five, Li faces the common challenge of communication with clients. Being hearing-impaired, they rely on typed words to interact with their clients, which is often time-consuming and has caused them to lose some projects. In addition, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created further uncertainty with some of their projects. However, Li is confident in their team’s painting and design skills, which were recognized when their 3D wall-painting artwork won first prize at a Hunan provincial competition for young entrepreneurs in 2016.
Li understands her father’s concerns about her decision to become a wall painter. After all, he wants her to have a stable and secure life. However, Li believes that the decision was necessary to find fulfillment and happiness in her life. She explains that wall painting is not only her passion but also her way of communicating with the world. Painting has allowed her to create a colorful world in her imagination and express her thoughts on paper, without relying on voices.
Li’s love for painting started when she was a child struggling to cope with her severe hearing loss. She often felt lonely in a silent world until a painting class opened a door to creativity and expression. The experience helped her realize that everyone has their imaginative world where they can convey their thoughts and emotions through painting. After completing her studies in advertising design at Changsha Vocational and Technical School, Li met her future husband in class. Her first mural project for a kindergarten made her realize how happy she was immersing herself in painting.
For nearly ten years, Li worked as a typist at a public institute in Zhuzhou, Hunan. Although it was a decent job, she felt unhappy and disconnected from her colleagues. Her husband noticed her discontent and suggested she quit her job and join him as a wall painter. Li knew it was a risky decision, but she trusted her husband and believed that painting was her true calling. Today, Li hopes that her story will inspire other hearing-impaired people to pursue their dreams and find their way to make a living
Li Mei’s journey has been colorful, and she has come a long way since her lonely childhood. With painting as her medium of expression, Li has found a way to communicate with the world despite her severe hearing loss. The 40-year-old painter has not only coped with her condition but also made painting her lifelong career. Drawing has also led her to meet her husband, Hu Shiqun, who shares the same passion for art.
In 2016, Li joined her husband’s company, which specializes in 3D wall and ground paintings. The company is more like a family where all the five painters are hearing-impaired. Hu wanted to help those who were passionate about painting pursue their dreams and create job opportunities for hearing-impaired people. The couple has created large-scale murals and interactive pavement paintings in many parks and scenic spots in Hunan province.
Li believes that their creations can make art more accessible to the public. She wants to introduce painting to more people like them and help them find their own way of making a living. Li hopes that more hearing-impaired people can be inspired by their story and try to realize their dreams. Under their brushes, the pavements are transformed into fantastical scenes, such as fishes swimming in lotus ponds and rafts coursing down a river.
Before learning to paint in primary school, Li felt lonely in a silent world. But a painting class opened a door to creativity and a way of expression for her. Li went to study advertising design at Changsha Vocational and Technical School, where she met her future husband. After nearly ten years of working as a typist at a public institute in Zhuzhou, Hunan, Li quit her job to become a wall painter. Despite the challenges of communication with clients and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Li is confident about her team’s painting and design skills.
Now, Li has an apprentice who just graduated from college. As she coaches the newcomer, Li is exploring her own style and hopes to become an illustrator and open her own exhibition one day. Her father’s attitude towards her has changed after seeing her successful career. Li and her husband have a studio in Shanghai to seek more business opportunities. Cao Yingjie, a client of the wall-painting studio, hired the team to paint street-style patterns on the surface of the stone counters of a grocery market in Baoshan district, Shanghai.
Cao Yingjie, a client of Li and her husband’s wall-painting studio, praised their team for their energy, creativity and professionalism in an interview with a local news outlet. He remarked that their passion for creating new things is evident in their paintings, and that they often work late into the night on designs for their clients.
Li is part of a growing number of people who refuse to let their hearing impairment hinder their artistic abilities, and instead use their talent to earn a living. On social media, many hearing-impaired individuals share their experiences to fight against bias, and to show that they can fully participate in social activities.
Although the number of hearing-impaired artists in China is small compared to the country’s 27 million hearing-impaired population, Li hopes that their stories can inspire more people to pursue their passions and achieve their goals, regardless of the obstacles they may face.
“Life can be challenging for those with hearing loss, as they may feel excluded from conversations,” Li explains. “But we are not alone, and we can find ways to express ourselves.”
Li and her husband have expanded their business beyond their headquarters in Changsha, with a studio in Shanghai to seek more opportunities. Li is also mentoring an apprentice and exploring her own style, with the hope of becoming an illustrator and opening her own exhibition one day.
Li’s father, who initially opposed her decision to quit her stable job to pursue painting, has since changed his attitude after seeing her success. Li hopes that her story, along with those of other hearing-impaired artists, can inspire more people to follow their passions and overcome any challenges they may encounter.