The New York Times tells the story of dancer Liu Yan, who was paralyzed while rehearsing for the Olympics opening ceremony last August in Beijing:
Today, after recuperating for more than six months at No. 306 Military Hospital in Beijing, she is back home, adjusting to life in a wheelchair.
“Life is not that sweet or beautiful after an injury,” she said tearfully, during a recent interview here at the Westin Hotel. “You confront a lot of dilemmas and pain.”
Strangely, Ms. Liu’s story is barely known inside China because in August, fearing that news of her devastating fall would detract from Olympic celebrations, Beijing’s Olympic Committee asked witnesses and family members not to talk about the accident.
Even today, China’s state-controlled news media have not been given permission to tell the full story of what happened to a dancer so celebrated she was often selected to perform for China’s top leaders, including President Hu Jintao.
An accompanying article includes the transcript of an interview with Liu’s parents, given before her accident.
