From amputee to national team athlete

Ten years ago, when she was 14, Tang Xuemei lost a leg in the Wenchuan earthquake, but that didn't stop her from following her dreams.

"When I look back, I feel grateful and lucky. The disaster made me stronger in adversity and changed my world totally. Without it, I wouldn't have the life I have now," the 24-year-old athlete said.

Born to a rural family in Qingchuan county, Sichuan province, Tang had never left her home village until the magnitude 8 earthquake destroyed the remote mountain settlement.

Tang's school collapsed in the quake, and she was trapped under concrete slabs.

Although she was rescued after 28 hours, her left leg was so severely damaged that it had to be amputated below the knee.

Undeterred, she began playing sitting volleyball the following year, when a coach for the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Sports Training Center realized that Tang's height and long arms suggested great sporting potential.

Although she had never played the game before 2009, Tang's tough, undaunted spirit quickly saw her make the national sitting volleyball squad and represent China many times.

As the youngest player in the squad, she played in the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and the 2012 London Paralympics. The Chinese team won gold at both events.

"The sport brings me a lot of happiness. The shadow cast by the earthquake has almost vanished," she said. "The hard work and optimism of my teammates, who also lost legs, have deeply influenced me."

Volleyball gave Tang a new beginning, but she left the national squad in 2013, longing to try a new venture in a different environment.

In 2014, she moved to Hainan province because she liked the island's tropical climate, and opened a badminton center with a number of friends.

"Until I began running the center, I didn't realize that management was such hard work. It requires a lot of knowledge and experience, as well as the ability to deal with many things at the same time," she said.

"I read a lot in my spare time to fill the gap in my knowledge that was left after I failed to study hard during my years as an athlete. I feel I have become more independent and calm in the face of difficulties."

After learning a life lesson through her new adventure and experiencing a different world, Tang decided to start playing volleyball again.

"The most important thing is that I love the sport very much. I realized that it would be a pity to stop playing at such a young age. Many teammates are still practicing in their 30s," she said, adding that friends gave her a lot of encouragement.

Early this year, she left her badminton center in good hands in Hainan and traveled to Wuxi, Jiangsu province, to join the provincial volleyball squad.

"At this moment, my goal is to get back into the sport as quickly as possible and make a breakthrough. I also spend a lot of time reading and studying to improve myself," she said.

"When I look at the newcomers in the team, I see myself many years ago, cherishing the opportunity and striving to realize my potential."

Away from the sporting arena, she has set herself one more goal - to settle down and start a family. She will succeed, no doubt.