Meet the disabled candyfloss artist

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A man with physical disabilities is making an impression in central China’s Henan Province by creating art from candyfloss.

Kong Yonghua, a 32-year-old hawker, creates special patterns out of the sweet snack that both surprise and delight the locals.

Kong, who suffers from the degenerative spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis, usually sells at the local night market on weekends.

Instead of creating ordinary cotton candy, he designs colorful ones and with diverse features, such as cartoon characters, hearts and flowers. The flower version has multiple layers of petals, each of which gets a different color.

But making candyfloss is actually just a hobby as his main job is delivering materials to construction sites. According to Kong, he learned the candyfloss techniques by himself through studying dozens of machines he bought and several hours’ daily practice for over a year.

Kong Yonghua's candyfloss creations have turned him into a bit of a local celebrity. /Photo via Chinanews.com

At present, Kong can earn 5,000 to 6,000 yuan monthly (around 750 to 900 US dollars) through selling candyfloss. He has become kind of famous locally, and is sometimes invited to appear at company activities.

Even then, Kong does not live a rich life since he needs to spend a lot of money on medical treatment. Although he could apply for a disabled certificate and get welfare payments, he has chosen to use his own ability to earn money and pay his family expenses.

After he has saved enough money, Kong wants to open a decent store and turn his hobby into a career.

635km