Sensen’s video has been viewed more than 2 million times. Photo: Handout
China society
+ FOLLOW
‘I fought dinosaurs’: Chinese boy, born with no fingers on 1 hand, tells people he lost them protecting his mum, becomes dumpling-making celebrity
- The boy was born with no fingers on his left hand but has learnt to live with the disability
- His parents said they have worked hard to help the boy to learn how to live as normal a life as possible
‘I fought off dinosaurs’: boy, 4, who has no fingers on one hand, told schoolmates he lost them while protecting mum, appears in viral dumpling video. Photo: SCMP artwork
A video of a four-year-old boy with no fingers on his left hand who skilfully makes dumplings has become an online hit in China.
Sensen, his nickname, was born without fingers on one hand, said his mother surnamed Chen. However, he has managed to overcome the difficulties caused by his disability and is able to do everyday tasks like getting dressed, peeling fruits and eggshells, as well as buttoning his coat, his mother told the Yangtze Evening News.
Chen, a resident of Luohe, in Henan province, central China, said she made the video as he was curious about making dumplings and asked his mother to let him try it.
“He has eaten all the dumplings made by himself. He was so happy when eating them,” the mother was quoted as saying.
The video has been viewed by more than two million people, with many hailing Sensen’s proficiency at kneading dough, rolling the dumpling wrappers and filling the dumplings.
“What a cute and hard-working kid! Keep it up,” wrote one person.
EVERY SATURDAY
SCMP Global Impact Newsletter
By submitting, you consent to receiving marketing emails from SCMP. If you don't want these, tick here
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Chen said she and her husband feel guilty about Sensen’s physical disability.
“The boy was born to us. But we didn’t give him a healthy body. We often feel sad about this,” she said.
Sensen’s mother said once he learnt how to do something for himself he never asked for help. Photo: Handout
“We chose to face up to this disability, rather than covering it up. We are cultivating him to be a confident child, hoping he would not care for how others look at him in the future,” said Chen.
Chen said she had taught the boy basic life skills, but said even tasks that are simple for ordinary people pose a great challenge for Sensen.
“For some things, no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t do it at first. He would then ask me to help him,” said Chen. “Feeling heartache for him, sometimes I would help him. But next time, I told him to try by himself. In this way, he grasped many skills gradually. Once he is able to do something, he won’t seek help anymore and he likes doing things by himself.”
Sensen told his classmates his hand was injured protecting his mother from dinosaurs. Photo:handout
When the boy started kindergarten a year ago, many of his classmates viewed him as strange.
He told them: “my hand was injured when fighting against dinosaurs to protect my mother”. Some children ended up admiring Sensen, said his mother.
She said she often uploads videos of her son’s everyday life on social media. She hopes the attention will encourage him, but said she does not want pity for him, because “my son is not miserable”, she said.
“When he grows up and faces frustrations, he can look back at these videos to see how great he was when he was a little child,” said Chen.
