Chen Guoyi was born with only one arm, but it hasn't stopped him from becoming a successful businessman - not even close.

　　He runs six companies that contribute more than 1 million yuan (US$120,000) in taxes to the treasury every year.

　　The 49-year-old from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region believed firmly that with one arm, he could do whatever others do - even better.

　　"I knew all the time I had to withstand more pain than others, and for a time, I saw nothing but dim hope in life," he said during an interview with Xinhua yesterday.

　　At age 16, he was offered a job - the result of a government policy designed to help disabled individuals earn a living - at a local boiler plant in the regional capital Hohhot.

　　"It was in 1971," he said. "My job was to teach the workers some basics about writing and mathematics. It changed my life."

　　The job offered Chen hope. "I suddenly found an enthusiasm I never felt before, and decided to further my studies."

　　Chen kept studying in his spare time for the next 17 years. He earned a diploma and later got a bachelor's degree from the Inner Mongolia Normal University.

　　His education paved the way for a career in business. But it didn't happen spontaneously.

　　"As a handicapped person, I've got to be strong and independent," he said. "To run a business will help more handicapped people find jobs."

　　In 1988, Chen started a small beverage plant that soon proved successful. His business later expanded into construction, real estate and further into the food and beverage sector. Within a few years he became a local business tycoon with six companies, 150 employees and tens of million yuan in revenue.

　　He was not the only disabled person to achieve success.

　　"Many handicapped people in the autonomous region are just as capable and persevering," said Gu Yucheng, an official with the regional federation for the handicapped, "They have all won the respect of others with achievements in different sectors."

　　The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has 964,000 handicapped people, including 690,000 in the rural areas and 274,000 in cities.

　　(Xinhua)