Here, hands can speak and smiles respond. And I learned to listen with my heart. I'm Xiaoling, a university student. I joined a social project at the beautiful workshop. Here, women with disabilities learn skills and make handicrafts.

They earn money by themselves and pursue the employment dreams. The moment I push the door open, it feels like switching channels. The noise of the outside world vanishes at once. All I hear is the soft sound of hooks and yarn.

Women sit around the table, working quietly. colorful yarn is neatly placed at the corners. A woman looks up and smiles. She makes a hand sign Her thumb moves up and down it means hello Then she points to a seat next to her I swallow the hello on the tip of my tongue Instead I copy her sign and smile back She hands me a hook and some yarn Some greetings need no words, yet go straight to the heart.

Wang has a speech impairment, but she is a quiet star here. Her skills are great Her work is always good And she works very fast She guides me through my first stitches My hands are clumsy The hook keeps catching She fronds and gently taps my wrist She lifts my hand to show me how I pull the yarn too tight And she shakes her head She smiles and helps me to loosen the yarn.

With her patient help, I finish the center of a sunflower. She smiles, nods, and gives me a thumbs up. We never speak a word yet we have shared a thousand words Even in silence we could understand each other During the break I noticed an order board hanging on the wall This national-level, beautiful workshop has trained over 1,200 people and helped more than 200 persons with disabilities find flexible work.

Besides crochet, the workshop regularly offers classes like Xiang embroidery, French embroidery, and bamboo weaving. These classes help participants enhance their artistic skills. Their handicrafts have been displayed in exhibitions many times in China and abroad. Each sample on the shelf is like a cultural name card.

They reach a global audience across languages and borders. Needle and thread are their voice. These women are making their stories heard. When it is time to leave Wong carefully finished the sunflower I practiced that morning She writes on her phone listen with your heart She pins the flower to my collar Points to her own heart, And then to me.

That's her way of saying, I see you. I place my hand over my chest, And then reach out to her. I hear you. With every thread and stitch, They with dignity and independence. Through the fingertips, they are telling the most moving verses of China's story to the world.

Thank you.