Ma Yifei plays the piano during a music class in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 16, 2018.
For Ma Yifei, a 16-year-old visually impaired girl, the violin piece of the Beijing 2022 theme song, Snowflake, that she played in the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, is her best gift for Paralympians across the globe.
Ma, a sophomore in Ningxia Special Education High School in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, lost her eyesight at the age of two through illness. With the hope that music would serve as an extra way to reach out to the world, she started to learn to play the piano at five and violin at nine.
"It took a few thousand times for her to play a piece correctly as she always played the wrong notes because she could not see the keyboard." said Ma's mother.
"Sadness or joy, each piece is different," Ma said, adding that although Snowflake is related to winter, she can feel "warmth, hope and light." (Photo by Li Jing/Xinhua)
Ma Yifei plays games with friends in Ningxia Special Education School in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 21, 2013.(Photo by Li Jing/Xinhua)
Ma Yifei plays the piano during a music class in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 16, 2018. (Photo by Li Jing/Xinhua)
Ma Yifei reads a braille book during a class in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 21, 2013.(Photo by Li Jing/Xinhua)
Ma Yifei (dressed in pink) plays the violin during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022.(Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
Ma Yifei plays the Beijing 2022 theme song, Snowflake, on her violin at home in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 14, 2022.(Photo by Li Jing/Xinhua)
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
Time Needed for Incentives to Boost Fertility: Expert
Festive Frenzy Drives China's New Year Holiday Box Office to Record High
In a First, Marriage Registration Office Provides Documents in Braille
Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit
SW China's Yunnan Observes Tourism Boom in Winter
People Perform Folk Dances in NW China's Shaanxi
Investigators return to Long Island home of Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect
Roadside Concerts Become a Hit in SW China's Guizhou
Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
Rehabilitation Assistance Brightens Future of Disabled Children