Liao Zhi, dancer who lost legs in 2008 Sichuan quake, inspires a Hong Kong play
Extraordinary story of performer who returned to the stage just two months her legs were amputated has been turned into a drama, Angel’s Psalm, to be performed by Hong Kong’s Big Stage Theatre
Liao Zhi’s diminutive build belies her extraordinary strength and will to overcome adversity. The 30-year-old former dance teacher survived the devastating earthquake that struck Sichuan in 2008 but lost her baby daughter, her mother-in-law – and both her legs.
Seven months later she suffered another blow: unable to cope with the tragedy, Liao’s husband divorced her.
Liao, whose legs were amputated below the knees, not only managed to keep dancing, she and her dance partner beat dozens of performers from around China to win the first-runner-up prize in CCTV reality show Dance Out My Life in 2013.
Liao’s extraordinary story has been turned into a play, Angel’s Psalm, which will be performed at Kwai Tsing Theatre this week by local troupe Big Stage Theatre.
The production is based mainly on Liao’s autobiography published two years ago. However, director and scriptwriter Jimmy Lee Wai-cheung had met Liao and her parents before writing the script and was able to incorporate details that were not featured in her book.
Recalling her ordeal, Liao says, “It was frightening to be buried under the rubble. But what followed – the end of my marriage and trying to cope with life [without my child and my legs] – was even more challenging.”
Ninety-nine per cent of netizens were sceptical about my performance. They thought it was a hoax or media hype