Armlose Chinese Jia Wenqi, rechts, führt seinen blinden Freund Jia Haixia mit einem Ärmel seines Mantels an einem Kanal, der über eine Brücke auf dem Weg kreuz
Armless Chinese man Jia Wenqi, right, guides his blind friend Jia Haixia with one sleeve of his coat to cross a channel through a bridge on their way to planting trees in Yeli village, Jingxing county, Shijiazhuang city, north China's Hebei province, 16 March 2015. Jia Haixa and Jia Wenqi are the most unlikely pair of environmentalists you would ever find anywhere in the world. The first man is blind while the latter is a double-amputee. The two have managed to use their symbiotic relationship to plant more than 10, 000 trees over the last ten years. Haixa and Wenqi began their amazing partnership after futile attempts to secure jobs due to their impairments. The pair has now become each other's eyes and hands. Together they have taken on the task of transforming a three-hectare stretch of riverbank in Yeli village, in northern China's Hebei province. "I am his hands, " said Haixia. "He is my eyes. We are good partners." The 53-year-old was born with congenital cataracts that blinded his left eye. Then, in 2000, he lost sight in his right eye as well after a work-related accident. Wenqi, on the other hand, lost both arms in an accident when he was only three years old. The duo, according to Xinhua, met in 2001, when neither of them was able to secure work elsewhere. Although their prospects seemed poor, they had to find a way to earn a living. The pair hatched a plan to combine their skills and plant trees that would help them earn money and also benefit future generations. They leased a large stretch of the river bank from the local government for the purpose. Given their poor living conditions, the village authorities decided to exempt them from paying rent.
