Armless Pianist Wins 'China's Got Talent'

A singer with no tongue might not get too far on “American Idol”.  But an armless pianist has emerged as the winner of “China’s Got Talent”.Liu Wei was born October 7, 1987 in Beijing. He is a Chinese disabled pianist from Beijing who won the first series of China’s Got Talent at the age of 23 by playing the piano with his toes.Liu Wei sealed his victory Sunday night in Shanghai by performing his version of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” – using just his toes!

Wei lost his limbs when he was electrocuted at the age of 10.  Eight years later, he decided to pursue his love of music.  He uses his feet to get dressed, eat and brush his teeth.The show’s three judges applauded the Beijing native for his determination and encouraged him to continue following his dreams.His upbeat attitude towards life, despite losing both arms in an accident created millions of fans and followers. His worldwide popularity became evident when he was cheered by a SRO audience in Vienna, Austria, in January 2011, when he performed “The Butterfly Lovers “in the Wiener Musikverein during the first stop of the China’s Got Talent tour.

Liu first moved audiences during his audition for the show, explaining: “For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life.”
But accepting his “CGT” prize in front of a capacity crowd at Shanghai Stadium, the newly-minted star revealed his lighter side, telling the judges “At least I have a pair of perfect legs!”