BEATING ADVERSITY
Chinese man with no arms or legs has learned to play video games with chopsticks
Yuan Lidong went from begging on the streets to support his family to becoming an inspirational internet sensation thanks to his unique gaming skills
A 32-YEAR-OLD man born with no arms or legs has become an internet celeb in China for using chopsticks to master video games.
Yuan Lidong slays the competition on PC game League of Legends with just his muscles and the lone utensil, reports Asia Wire.
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The father-of-one lies on his side pushing his computer's mouse with his left cheek and using the single chopstick between his teeth to smash its left and right buttons.
His gaming skills have gained him over 130,000 followers on China's popular live-streaming app Quanmin, where he's known as "Chopstick bro".
"It was like playing hide-and-seek with the cursor," Yuan explained, adding that he taught himself how to play in a month-and-a-half.
"I used to play console games - it's exactly the same," he said.
In just seven years, Yuan has gone from begging on the streets to support his wife and child to attracting 80,000 viewers per hour online.
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The streams are a valuable source of income for the self-described "Dolphin Man" (a nod to his lack of limbs) , who'd otherwise be forced to live off a measly government subsidy of £22 a month.
He said: "There are of course many inconveniences in life, but the toughest part about having a disability like this is still the inability to make enough money to support my family."
To make ends meat he's branching out with videos of his daily life with friends and family, including his elderly father who he also supports.
China's burgeoning live-streaming business is giving Yuan and others like him more ways to earn a living, but it also comes with drawbacks.
"On the internet, people end up saying and writing whatever they want about you," Yuan said.
He claims a viewer once accused him of lying about his disability, claiming his limbs had been "hacked off" by gang members.
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And despite the online attention he's receiving, Yuan claims people still have a lot to learn about his disability and what it's like growing up without arms and legs.
He said: "It's easy to forget that we're still regular people inside."
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