Photos provided to the People's Daily by the British Council.

Beijing (People's Daily) -- A barrier-free art exhibit opened at Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Art Museum on Tuesday in honor of World Disabled Day.

Co-organized by the British Council and CAFA, the art exhibition features the works of Anish Kapoor, a renowned Indian-British contemporary sculptor. A total of ten disabled participants attended a 40-minute guided tour, with the assistance of two sign language interpreters. Slope passageways, wheelchair ramps and accessible toilets are also available in the museum. 

One of the participating visitors, Li Hanyang, told the People’s Daily that the tour he had today was unprecedented.

“I’m a fan of art galleries,” Li said. “But this is my first time checking out an exhibition with the help of sign language interpretation, which helps me better understand the artwork displayed here.”

The tour covers 35 years of the artist’s career. “Symphony for a Beloved Sun” is what impressed Li the most. Dozens of blood-red bricks made of wax are shifted by conveyor belts toward a red disk that hovers above in the center. The bricks then drop to the ground. The art piece reminded him of Icarus in Greek mythology. 

Li graduated from Beijing University of Technology in 2015. After changing his job twice, the 28-year-old will work as a barista at Starbucks starting next week. “I’ll definitely tell my friends to come next time,” he added. 

According to Guo Shanshan, senior arts manager of the British Council, the event attracted dozens of people, who signed up in response to an invitation in an online WeChat group of disabled people.

“In order to guarantee the quality of the guided tour, we were not able to invite all the disabled people who wanted to join, which also tells us the demand is huge,” Guo said.

But she considered the event a good learning opportunity for both the British Council and the CAFA. 

“The universality of the work of artists such as Anish Kapoor gives us an opportunity to explore themes that allow us to reflect on both what we have in common as well where we can learn from each other through our differences,” Guo said. 

“The arts are for everyone, regardless of age, gender or disability,” Guo added.

“Working with people with hearing loss gives me a feeling that they really trust and rely on you,” Hou Wenlong, one of the sign language interpreters, said. “Oftentimes, we end up becoming friends.”

He pointed out that there’s a lack of professional sign language interpreters, and said a certain bias still exists in Chinese society today.

“I think the public doesn’t really know what it takes to become a sign language interperter,” Hou said. “You can’t learn it for two years and be a pro immediately. It’s not that easy. Sign language is constantly evolving. You have to communicate with people with hearing loss on a daily basis.”

The 25-year old majored in college in sign language studies and has been a sign language interpreter for three years. 

According to China Disabled Persons' Federation, the population of disabled people in China reached approximately 85 million by 2010.