Quan Peng, a man from Northwestern province of Gansu, had a to undergo an operation to remove a tumor from his thoracic vertebra when he was 17 years old. The tumor was removed but his legs were paralyzed because of his injured nerves. He has been bound to a wheelchair ever since. 

Despite being confined to a wheelchair,  Quan is more traveled than most people. He is now 29 years old. 

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Quan embarked on a journey with his trusty wheelchair on August 31, 2014. Starting in Beijing, his goal was to reach Sanya, the southernmost city at the southernmost province, Hainan. 

Quan is now in Fuzhou, having traveled 2,800 kilometers in 566 days. He said that Fuzhou is the fifth province and 22nd city he has visited during his trip.  

"My freedom was deprived by fate. I have to get it back," Quan said. 

Through the following he has gathered on his Weibo account and personal blog, Quan hopes to spread awareness on the importance of barrier-free facilities for people with disabilities. He wants to promote the fact that disabled people can live a normal life as he did by working a customer service officer and a vendor when he first came to Beijing. 

Millions affected 

There are 85 million disabled people in China, accounting for six percent of the total population. Seventy percent of those - 85 million - live in rural areas, far from the technology that can help them live normal lives. 

Bo Shaoye, a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, called for more support for people with disabilities during the annual session in Beijing. 

"A nationwide survey showed that an unproportionate number of handicapped people under the poverty line lived in rural areas," Bo said in the conference.  

These disabled people are denied employment opportunities and medical supports, leading them to earn only half of the average salary of a person without disability.

"About 900,000 handicapped people do not have their own houses and another 710,000 live in substandard and dangerous houses," Bo said. 

He added that 43 percent of handicapped people aged 15 and above are also illiterate. 

"The government should look into disabled housing, as well as social insurance and technical training programs, which will aid their employment prospects,"  Bo urged the government. 

In line with the Chinese government's aim to raise 55 million rural people from poverty by 2020, Bo addressed the government officials, "The authorities should review and create policies that help China's 9.64 million handicapped people who live in poverty, to ensure they live a moderately prosperous life by 2020." 

Tagsdisabled people in China, China's two sessions, Bo Shaoye, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, annual session in Beijing