His company Axis went into operation last year, and in February, he posted his first short video narrating his 26-year tug-of-war with fate. "The many screws and metal rods implanted in my body have made me an Iron Man in reality," he says in the video.

On instant messaging app WeChat, the video has garnered over 15,000 comments. A mother with two children suffering from the same illness thanked Liu for rekindling her sense of hope.

Behind the scenes, Liu's proposal to offer regular skills training to help people with disabilities find jobs has been accepted by a college in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. He also hopes his presence in Zhongguancun, a stronghold for high-caliber young entrepreneurs, can bolster confidence among China's 85-million-strong disabled population.

"I may be the first person in Zhongguancun to start a company from a wheelchair, but I won't be the last," he says. "I hope my example will encourage more people, disabled or not, to live a worthy life."