Paralyzed dancer returns to stage

Though partially paralyzed, Liu is still active onstage, and uses her upper body to perform.

"Although she went through many hard times, she keeps on fighting. And we admire her for that," said Thomas Bouillonnec, managing director of Piaget China, at the exhibition's opening on June 5.

Two years after her injury, Liu set up a charity in her name to help disadvantaged children access art education, including free dance lessons.

During her mentoring of the children, she initially found them to be introverted and unable to execute with the confidence of young people with an "easier" childhood.

"They just couldn't. We didn't even start to move and were just standing, but within a few seconds, half of them started to look away," Liu says. "That sight will break your heart because you can sense their lack of confidence."

But six months of dance lessons changed all that, she adds, for the better. The children unconsciously smiled while looking at their teacher and waiting for their class to begin.

"When their bodies move, their hearts follow. Their smiles were more attractive to me than their dance moves. Every time I saw them smile, I cheered up. It was magical."

The smiles of her students drove her to launch an exhibition of photographs because she wanted to share her experiences with a wider audience.