Liu Lingli was born in Hengyang, Hunan Province in 1973. She has been a teacher for hearing-impaired (听力受损的) children for 33 years.

When she was fourteen, she went to study in Nanjing Normal University of Special Education. After graduation, she became a teacher at Hengyang Normal School of Special Education and taught Chinese language to first graders. She practiced sign language in front of the mirror for about two hours every day till she mastered it.

In 2005, at the age of 32, Liu gave birth to her own child. Unluckily, the boy was found to be hearing-impaired when he was seven months old. Instead of taking him to hospital, she provided therapy (治疗) for the child herself after work. Because of Liu’s tireless efforts, her son could make some sound after several months of training.

In order to help her students speak, she puts her lips against their hands to let them feel the movement of the lips and the flow of the air. After class, she also has one-on-one training with each student for 20 minutes every day. As a result, she usually has a sore throat at the end of the day and her voice becomes hoarse.

Liu believes anyone can succeed if he never gives up. Thanks to her help, many students showed great improvement. More than 20 of the over 80 students she has taught have received higher education. Deng Liang, one of her first students, graduated from Tianjin University of Technology in 2007.

For her contributions (贡献) to society, especially her work with the hearing-impaired, Liu Lingli was elected as a deputy to the National People’s Congress (全国人大代表) last year, and received the Person Touching China award for 2023 in April, 2024.