From wheelchair, elderly woman a ping-pong phenom

From her wheelchair every day, 83-year-old Ju Shuqing enjoys playing ping-pong with her son in their spare time in Yitong county, Jilin province.

They have an unusual style, hitting the little ball with slender sticks rather than ordinary paddles.

But even though a cerebral blood clot in October brought paralysis, and Ju can only hold a stick with her left hand, she continues to be a ferocious competitor.

"Starting in 2000, I advised my mother to take up a sport with me to ease the pain in her shoulders, waist and legs," said Zheng Li, 57, Ju's son. "Now we do daily exercise, no matter the weather — wind, rain or sunshine."

They tried various games, including badminton, tennis and ping-pong and came up with different playing methods, even playing with two balls simultaneously and playing badminton with ping-pong paddles.

"Over the past decade, my mother has kept up the exercise and become enthusiastic about sports," Zheng said. "She became unable to move freely. But that didn't stop her."