Those who have watched the dance "The Thousand-hand Kwanyin? performed by the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe at the grand TV show on Lunar New Year's Eve, must have been so deeply touched by its special artistic charm that the presentation will be indelibly engraved on their memory. Not only did the dreamlike dancing touch our hearts, but the strong willpower revealed by the artists with disabilities was hugely encouraging.

Kwanyin, the Goddess of Mercy ?also known by Westerners as the Chinese Goddess of love and compassion ?has long occupied a unique place not only in Buddhism, but also in Chinese culture. The Chinese word "Kwanyin?is an abbreviation of "Kwan shih yin? which denotes "seeing the voice of the world?if rendered literally. Such a deity can be called as the deity who looks in every direction or the "Regarder of the cries of suffering beings?

According to legend, Kwanyin, the youngest daughter of a king, defied her father when he sought a husband for her. The angry king sent her away to a monastery with instructions that she should be compelled to obey. This only strengthened her resolve. So the king set fire to the monastery and ordered her execution when she was caught sitting erect reciting sutras. As she was about to be beheaded, the sword broke into two and a tiger from nowhere carried her away to a forest.

One day from afar she saw the king was sick and not responding to treatment, so she severed her arms and eyes to sacrifice them for him. The grieved king besought heaven and earth to make his daughter whole again. Soon, Kwanyin had arms and eyes by the thousand, and bowing before her father, she urged him to practise good deeds to which the king readily agreed.

Actually legends have Kwanyin in various forms. But the story of the Goddess in this one-thousand-hand form has had an immense appeal. Thus the thousand-hand deity is no longer an exclusive religious symbol but has become a popular cultural icon to religious followers and common folks alike.

The legendary Thousand-hand Kwanyin as interpreted by the special artists plucked the heartstrings of the audience. When the audience fixed their eyes on the TV screen, overwhelmed by the artists?near perfect performance, they almost forgot that the actresses (and actors) are a group of disabled people who were unfortunate enough to fall deaf during childhood. In their rendition of the legendary goddess, they not only demonstrated their superb dancing skills in perfect unison with elegant and forceful movements, but attained a yet higher level to turn it into a live myth full of artistic appeal and stirring power on the stage.

Though we only saw one leading dancer on the stage, we saw in our mind's eye a whole collective where 21 troupe members fused together as one human being with one shared heart. What we saw on the stage was the one Thousand-hand Kwanyin, serene, holy and beautiful, that existed in each of the dancers?hearts. While enjoying the colourful performance, we experienced a profound sense of tranquility and composure, a process of cleansing and purification of our souls.

We ordinary people can hardly imagine how much time and effort these artists must have invested in bringing about such a unique work of art. And only a collective with all its crew members bound together in unity, harmony and friendliness could make it. Indeed the performance is the best I have seen in my life.

The image of the Thousand-hand Kwanyin is symbolic of maternal love and infinite compassion. It seems to carry a message that only if you are kind and have a loving heart, there will be 1,000 hands out there to help you; that only if you are kind and have a loving heart, you will readily stretch out 1,000 helping hands to those who need help. And the enlightenment we gain from the performance itself is that people with disabilities are also creators of both material and spiritual wealth. Such a spirit of perseverance in pursuing and creating a better life in the face of adversity should be followed by all of us.