Writer with cerebral palsy pens love letter to Yinxu culture

Zhao Dian, a 38-year-old with cerebral palsy from Anyang, Henan province, concentrates as she taps on a mobile phone screen, while the rest of her body stays completely still.

Books are stacked in piles around her. Zhao's mother, Zhao Li, 66, keeps a few books set aside, making them easy for her to reach whenever she needs them.

Though Zhao Dian has never spent a day in a classroom, she has taught herself to read, write, and type using the Wubi input method — a keyboard system that builds characters from strokes, no pinyin required.

Zhao is a writer. She can often be found typing away into the late hours of the night.

Since publishing her first novel at 18 years old, she has written more than 1 million words.

"I'm an ordinary person who longs for freedom but can't take care of herself," Zhao wrote. Though her life is full of obstacles, she stays positive by insisting on doing what she loves.

Recently, history has become one of the topics. She has a particular fondness for Anyang's Yinxu Museum, which opened in February 2024. Yinxu is the first documented historical site of a capital city from late in the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC). Oracle bone inscriptions uncovered during excavations have helped flesh out the area's history.