The Communist Youth League’s Chengdu Municipal Committee and the Chengdu Youth Federation recently issued an award in celebration of youth in the new era.
Called the “Chengdu May 4th Youth Medal,” it highlights the spiritual character and value of Chengdu youth and encourages members of the Youth League to dedicate their energies to the development of Chengdu. Yang Tiancai, a model student of Chengdu Open University, was awarded the prestigious honour.
Yang has first-grade disabilities, and graduated in 2019 from the Open University of China’s (OUC) junior college programme in Administrative Management at Pujiang College, Chengdu. He began to study in the undergraduate programme in the same major, at the same university, in the spring of 2022. He also serves as general manager of the Chengdu Baiyue Ecological Agriculture Development Company.
Yang, who suffers from neurogenic muscular atrophy, was once told he would not live beyond the age of 18. However, he has since achieved a "medical miracle” and is now a popular leader of rural revitalisation. As an outstanding youth, he is involved in fruit e-commerce sales and online livestreaming, and he is also known for his ability to promote and sell products.
From disabled teenager to model of inspiration, Yang keeps tapping into his unlimited potential in the online world. He relies on the e-commerce platform to sell high-quality agricultural products, such as fruit, and has achieved an annual sales volume of over 123 million yuan. This has helped more than 500 impoverished households out of poverty, helping farmers increase their agricultural income by more than 3 million yuan. In recent years, he has gradually transitioned into livestreaming sales, aiming to better align with new business models and contribute to the broader project of rural revitalisation and common prosperity.
In the face of challenges, Yang hopes to rely on his own concerted efforts to strengthen his entrepreneurial platform and provide more opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship for other people with disabilities.
By Chengdu Open University