Liu Hongchuan opened a restaurant together with 10 friends who — like him — have disabilities, in the Shunde district of Foshan, Guangdong province, last month.

"We only accept shareholders with disabilities so that they can live a better life. I know the difficulty they have in finding a job," Liu said.

Liu, 38, once ran a successful restaurant in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, his hometown. Now, with about 15 years of experience, he is confident about the new restaurant's future.

It serves Cantonese and Sichuan-style food and in winter focuses on hotpot mutton.

Most of the 11 shareholders of the new restaurant are former athletes. Wu Tongyu, one of the shareholders and a native of Zhanjiang, had taken up wheelchair dancing, a strenuous activity. Chen Mantang from Guangzhou began racing wheelchairs in 2008.

Wu Yiying contributed to this story.