German couple devote lives to deaf kids in Changsha

It was a damp, chilly day when Dorothee Brutzer and her husband Uwe arrived in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, for the first time in November 1999.

"I remember the airport was very small, and I didn't see many children on the street," said Dorothee, who now speaks fluent Mandarin with a Changsha accent.

The German couple, who are known by their Chinese names of Du Xuehui and Wu Zhengrong, had just completed a two-year Chinese language course when they came to visit the Hunan Disabled Persons' Federation to learn about a charitable program funded by a German organization helping the province's deaf children with speech rehabilitation training.