Boy With 180-Degree Bent Back Finally Stands Upright: "Miraculous News" Moves China

Underwent Four Complex Surgeries Over Two Years
Continued Rehabilitation Training for an Average of Six Hours a Day

Jang Yancheon, known as the "Folder Boy" in China due to his 180-degree bent waist, has finally succeeded in standing upright. On August 25, Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Jang Yancheon took his first steps while standing straight during a recent live broadcast. Growing up in a small village in Shandong Province, China, his neck gradually bent backward, causing his body to fold into the shape of the letter "Z." Even when he tried to stand straight, his height was only 120 cm, and when standing naturally, he measured about 80 cm.

Between his four surgeries, he continued rehabilitation training for an average of six hours a day. Two months after the final surgery, he finally showed the world his successful upright walking through a live broadcast. SCMP

Due to a lack of proper medical support, he had to attend classes and take exams either kneeling or lying down during his school years. Despite these challenging circumstances, he always remained optimistic and never gave up on his studies. In 2022, he took China's college entrance exam, the Gaokao, lying on a yoga mat, and was accepted to a nearby university to major in energy and power engineering. Notably, his math score was the highest in his class.

To support Jang Yancheon's education, his mother, Wei Meiying, quit her teaching job to devote herself to caring for her son. When Wei Meiying posted about her son online, China’s top orthopedic specialists personally examined Jang Yancheon and diagnosed that his spine had lost its muscular support function.

World’s First Successful 180-Degree Spinal Correction Surgery

Starting in 2024, Jang Yancheon began receiving treatment from Professor Liang Yijen, who is renowned for treating spinal deformities, and completed the final surgery in June of this year. Over the past two years, he underwent four extremely complex surgeries involving the cutting and realignment of his lumbar spine, cervical spine, hip joint, and thoracic bones. These surgeries were extremely risky, carrying the potential for total paralysis or death, but they were completed successfully, and he was able to lie flat on his bed immediately afterward. The medical team announced this as "the world’s first successful case of a 180-degree spinal correction surgery."

Starting in 2024, Jang Yancheon began receiving treatment from Professor Liang Yijen, who is renowned for treating spinal deformities, and completed the final surgery in June of this year. Handout

Between his four surgeries, he continued rehabilitation training for an average of six hours a day. Two months after the final surgery, he finally showed the world his successful upright walking through a live broadcast. Professor Liang Yijen stated that this treatment normalized his cardiopulmonary function and praised him for demonstrating perseverance beyond that of ordinary people. Jang Yancheon said, "I have suffered all my life, but now I am so happy to look like a normal person. I feel like I have been reborn," adding, "I took the college entrance exam kneeling, but I want to take the graduate school entrance exam standing up."

Gradually regaining his health, he is scheduled to return to university in September. After seeing Jang Yancheon straighten his back and continue rehabilitation, online users left congratulatory messages such as, "I applaud him for enduring unimaginable pain," "I hope he lives a new life with a straight posture," and "Straightening a body that had been folded for so long is nothing short of a miracle."