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Emily Chan

Li Xia suffers from an incurable genetic disease that has left him paralysed from the neck down.
Yet the 36-year-old has overcome the odds by setting up a mini farm that he cultivates from inside his home in China.


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China society

Quadriplegic man in China runs a smart farm with just 1 finger

Photo: AFP

China paralysed man, who can only move a finger and a toe, creates smart farm system, start-up

A paralysed young man in China who can only move a finger and a toe, dropped out of primary school but taught himself electronic circuits by reading books. Photo: SCMP composite/CCTV

Li Xia lies in his hospital bed. He relies on a ventilator to keep him alive. Photo: CCTV

The 36-year-old Li, above, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five. Photo: CCTV

Li’s mother Wu Dimei, above, has been by his side throughout his struggles and is now an integral part of his business plans. Photo: CCTV

Members of Li’s family visit him in hospital. People online say his story is proof that life has “limitless possibilities”. Photo: CCTV

Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

Filipino domestic workers gather on a street in Hong Kong. Indonesia and the Philippines have provided millions of helpers to the rest of Asia over the decades. Photo: Dickson Lee

Newly arrived domestic helpers from Indonesia wait for transport in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Myanmar helper Piang Ngaih Don was killed by her employers in 2016. Photo: Facebook/Helping Hands for Migrant Workers, Singapore

Members of the Filipino community working in Kuwait attend a meeting at the Philippine embassy in 2018. Photo: AFP

News

People & Culture

36-year-old Li Xia operates a high-tech farm in southwestern China with just one finger and one toe, using sensors, cameras and a computer


36-year-old Li Xia operates a high-tech farm in southwestern China with just one finger and one toe, using sensors, cameras and a computer.


China

Li Xi

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}36-year-old Li Xia operates a high-tech farm in southwestern China with just one finger and one toe, using sensors, cameras and a computer

36-year-old Li Xia operates a high-tech farm in southwestern China with just one finger and one toe, using sensors, cameras and a computer