When Xie Xia lost the bottom half of his right leg after the catastrophic Sichuan earthquake last May, he thought that his life was over.
"I felt very depressed for a long time," said the 23-year-old farmer from a mountainous village that was destroyed in the quake. "I received psychological counseling and many people encouraged me," he said.
But what has lifted the spirits of Xie Xia and other disabled survivors of the 8.0-magnitude quake the most has been the 4,000 athletes from around the world who are competing in the Beijing Paralympics.
"I had never thought they (Paralympians) could participate in such intense sports competitions," Xie said as he watched the opening ceremony Saturday night in a resettlement site in Anxian county, Mianyang, Sichuan province.
"With the Paralympics approaching, I read a lot about the Games and athletes, which helped rebuild my confidence, " he added.
To 36-year-old Shi Guangwu, a villager from Huangping township, Qingchuan county, who lost his right hand, the Paralympics mean a strong will.
"The disabled can do what others do. That's my understanding of the Paralympic spirit," he said.
"Never lose heart in life, even though you have disabilities," he added.
Shi and his wife, whose hearing was impaired, had run a small shop before the quake, but the quake destroyed the shop and their home.
They moved into a prefab home with their nine-year-old son and re-opened the shop.
"So long as we have hands, feet and a life, we can overcome any difficulty," reads a banner that Shi hung above the door of his home.
Eleven-year-old Guang Guang of Yingxiu township in the epicenter of the quake, Wenchuan county, lost half of his right arm.
"I watch them (Paralympians) with admiration. I hope I can gain confidence and fortitude from them," the 6th grader said, as he watched the athletes enter the Bird's Nest on TV.
The earthquake left more than 87,000 people dead or missing and more than 370,000 people injured. No figures are available for the numbers who were disabled as a result of the quake.