Star uses gift of gab to garner opportunity

When he was child, he worried his parents couldn't protect him. Some of his childhood peers teased them. One boy even dragged Li into a water-filled trench, causing him to fall ill.

"My parents stopped the guy who did this to me and asked him to apologize, and he really did. I began to realize that my parents were stronger than I thought," Li said, adding that since then nobody ever bullied him.

Li's parents worked hard to earn money, hoping he would receive an education like other children, but because of their disabilities, it wasn't easy for them to find good jobs.

Li decided to study hard and help his parents live a decent life.

At college in Yunnan province, he showed a knack for hosting big events and won several competitions in moderating and acting.

Although Li received well-paid offers from big companies in Kunming, capital of Yunnan, before graduation, he chose to take a job at a county-level TV station in Yinchuan.

"As my parents cannot talk, I feel really lucky to be able to speak and wanted to maximize this language ability," he said. "That's why I chose my career."

Driven by his love for acting, Li also tried to get into show business. But he rejected several opportunities because they would have kept him far away from parents.

In 2017, he returned to the TV screen and started working for Yinchuan Media Group.

As short-video apps became prevalent among young people, Li found a channel to both share his passion for acting and record his parents' lives.

Though Li's parents can't hear him speak, they still turn on the TV and watch their son's programs, and they have "liked" every short video he has posted on Douyin.

His acting talent and hard work were soon recognized by viewers, and his popularity won him a spot on the CCTV program Yuezhan Yueyong, which means "The more obstacles you overcome, the braver you will be". He traveled to the capital to shoot the episode, which aired on March 10, and his parents came along.

"It was their first time to Beijing and the first time they ever took a plane. I feel proud that many people like me, either as a presenter or video blogger, and I'm able to take care of my parents, who have always supported me in their own way," he said.