Jiang Yanchen, 21, spent most of his life with his spine curved backward at a 180-degree angle. In that position, he measured just 80 centimeters. Standing up, if he managed to stretch out, he reached 120.
In 2024, he traveled from his hometown in Shandong to Chengdu to seek out Dr. Liang Yijian, a specialist in severe spinal correction at BOE Hospital. Between December of that year and June 2025, he underwent surgery four times: bones in his lumbar and cervical spine, hip, and chest were broken and realigned. The final surgery lasted 12 hours and corrected his curvature by 170 degrees.
After two months of rehabilitation, on August 25, 2025, Jiang took his first upright steps during a live broadcast. He now plans to take postgraduate entrance exams and study at a university in Chengdu.