Sichuan Province earthquake survivor Kate Liao who lost her legs visits Tauranga

Dancer Kate Liao was trapped for almost 30 hours under the rubble of her apartment building after a catastrophic earthquake struck China’s Sichuan Province 16 years ago. The earthquake killed almost 70,000 people but Liao was “lucky”. She was the only survivor from her building, but both her legs had to be amputated. She and her husband founded a charity to provide children free prosthetics and rehabilitation. The couple are visiting the Bay of Plenty this week with six disabled children from China who will be performing in a musical on Friday with children from Tauranga and Rotorua. Megan Wilson reports.

Kate Liao remembers sitting on the couch watching TV at her home in the small Chinese town of Hanwang when an earthquake struck on the afternoon of May 12, 2008.

“All of a sudden, the house, the whole earth started to shake,” she said.

Liao sat down to speak with the Bay of Plenty Times with her husband, Charles Wang, who translated the interview from Mandarin to English.

Liao, then aged 23, said her apartment building “collapsed” and she was trapped underneath the rubble with her 11-month-old daughter and mother-in-law, who both died.

“I was trapped for almost 30 hours,” the dance teacher said.

Liao attributed her miraculous rescue to her father, who stood outside her building “the whole time”.

“Most of the rescue workers told him I was too deep and they couldn’t get to me in time. But he was very insistent and he kept asking for help.”

Liao said there were times during the ordeal when she “lost hope”.

“But he kept calling for me. And eventually, I also wanted to come out and see him again face-to-face.”

Kate Liao's legs were amputated after she was trapped beneath the rubble of her apartment for almost 30 hours after an earthquake in China's Sichuan Province in 2008 struck. Photo / Alex Cairns

Liao said rescuers eventually found her.

“They used their hands, they used tools, and they were digging for a long time.

“When they finally rescued me, I could see tears running down their face. Their faces were dark and dirty except for streams of tears.

Liao said more than 40 people died in her building.

“I was the only survivor… I was the lucky one.”

Liao’s legs amputated

After being rescued, Liao was taken to hospital where her crushed legs were amputated.

The passionate dancer feared it would be “difficult to get back on stage”, but she performed two months after her amputations, “kneeling on top of a big drum”.

“That performance gave me a lot of confidence.”

Kate Liao has two prosthetic legs after her legs were amputated after the earthquake. Photo / Alex Cairns

Two months later, Liao was fitted with prosthetic legs.

“After I got my prostheses and after my rehab, I was able to go out and help kids from the earthquake to help them adjust back into society.”

In 2009, Liao went to Canada for a better pair of prostheses.

There, she became a Christian and was given options she was declined in China, including adding some height to her legs.

“This was a big change in my life … after that experience in Canada, I was confident that I could do anything.”

Meeting her husband, prosthetist Charles Wang

Liao said she was invited to participate in Dancing with the Stars in 2013. Her prostheses were “due for a change”.

“I needed some high-heel shoes for dancing so I went to this company where I met my husband.”

Wang told the Bay of Plenty Times he grew up in New York and moved to China for work in late 2012.

He remembered learning of the 2008 earthquake from the news.

“That was the year I switched from my biomedical engineer background to study prosthetics.”

Kate Liao and Charles Wang founded a charity called the Morning Star Baby Foundation which provides age-appropriate prosthetic limbs to children. Photo / Alex Cairns

Wang said being a prosthetist meant he could make a difference in people’s lives.

“I see people come in depressed and they can walk out with a smile, with a new beginning in life, with hope that the future is going to get better.

“I went to China hoping to do that for as many people as I can.”

In 2019, the couple started the not-for-profit Morning Star Baby Foundation to help children with amputations around China receive a free prosthesis and rehabilitation. They have helped more than 30 families.

They also opened a Morning Star clinic providing regular services for people who need prosthetics.

They live in Chongqing and have a 7-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.

From China to Tauranga

Liao said they were invited to Tauranga by LoveTheOne Trust chief executive Shanshan Kong. The trust offers special trips to New Zealand for people with additional needs.

Kong reached out to the couple about bringing children from their charity for a week-long school holiday programme in Tauranga, where they could participate in a musical production.

Kong had also approached Patrice Patel – a musical director in Tauranga at performing arts company Gobsmacked – about directing the production.

Kate Liao rehearsing in "The Tale of Dilbert Clancy" with Gobsmacked Productions in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns

On Sunday Liao, Wang and six Chinese children arrived in New Zealand. They have been rehearsing at Holy Trinity Church in Tauranga.

The production – The Tale of Dilbert Clancy – would feature 70 children, including from Tauranga and Rotorua schools, as well as Liao singing and dancing.

Tickets are on sale for the production today at 4pm at Holy Trinity. All proceeds would go towards the Morning Star Baby Foundation.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.