Passing on the baton

Her efforts have paid dividends, winning no less than 43 medals－a collection of gold and silver－at national and international competitions, and several world records to her name.

"Although she lost her eyesight, she is firm in spirit. She has endured hardships that ordinary people cannot imagine, struggled with her destiny and achieved incredible things. She is an influential figure in Pingxiang," says Zhang Changwei, a neighbor of Jia.

Recalling her years as an athlete, Jia says she enjoyed the experience very much. "At that time, I always felt physically tired after training, sometimes for a whole day, but mentally happy, since my prospects seemed bright. I had a goal to strive for, and needed to ensure my performance times were better than those of the previous day. That was very fulfilling," says Jia.

In 2017, Jia retired and chose to become a teacher at a special education school in Pingxiang. Just a year ago, she found out that two young brothers, both with visual impairments, living in a remote mountainous village in Pingxiang, wanted to emulate her achievements.

Jia visited them to see if there was anything she could do to help. She discovered that they had never attended a special education school and that, due to an issue with his legs, the younger boy would never achieve his athletic dream. Jia could only help them attend a local special education school.

The experience made her realize that some physically and mentally challenged children living in remote areas may have little knowledge of special education. Even she didn't know about such schools until late into her education. As a result, she decided to become more engaged with special education.

She teaches normal subjects like Chinese, math, politics and special subjects for those with visual impairments, like Braille and directional walking. She carefully records the conditions of each student, and tries to teach them in accordance with their needs and skills.

She remembers a visually impaired student surnamed Gai. When he first attended the school, he was 11 years old and didn't know how to behave. He learned Braille from Jia, who often lent books to him.

One day, he told Jia that, thanks to her, he had discovered an interest in reading. At that moment, Jia was very moved.

In her spare time, she often does voluntary work with her husband Li Xiaowen, who was also a decorated para athlete. They offer a massage service to elderly people in the community, and visit visually impaired people in remote mountainous areas to offer help. Over the years, she and Li have done about 5,000 hours of voluntary work, donated around 200,000 yuan ($29,500) and helped nearly 1,000 disabled people.

"Jia sold her house to fund her parents' treatment and her family became poor, but she still tries her best to help others. We are all very moved by that," says Zhang.

"I have received so much help since childhood. I want to pass on the goodwill to others, even through the smallest things I can do," says Jia.