Jiang Yanchen, a 21-year-old man from China’s Shandong province long known online as the country’s “folded boy,” has finally stood upright for the first time in his life.
Jiang’s spine had been so severely bent backward that his torso folded in a near-180-degree angle, leaving his head and neck drooping near his lower back and forcing his body into the shape of the letter “Z.”
The breakthrough came after a grueling, multi-year medical journey that pushed the limits of human endurance and modern orthopedic science.
“All the pain is worth it when I see myself more like an ordinary person,” Jiang said after taking his first upright steps during a livestream broadcast on August 25.
China’s “folded boy,” whose spine was bent backward 180 degrees, was finally able to stand upright after four operations
Image credits: South China Morning Post
Jiang was born with a condition so rare and extreme that for years, no doctor in his hometown could offer a treatment plan.
Without muscular support for his spine, his vertebrae deformed over time, folding his body backwards until he was no longer able to sit, stand, or even sleep.
His condition also stunted his growth, standing at just 120 centimeters tall when fully straightened, and only 80 centimeters in his “folded” posture.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
Jiang soon became a symbol of resilience in the country as, despite his crippling condition, he remained focused on his education.
He was able to complete China’s notoriously difficult college entrance exam in 2022 while lying prone on a yoga mat, and was admitted to a local university to study Energy and Power Engineering.
He scored highest in mathematics among his class.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
His academic performance is not only a matter of personal pride, but also survival, as his mother, Yu Meiying, had to quit her job as a teacher to become her full-time caregiver.
Wanting his child to live a more fulfilling life, she began posting about Jiang online in hopes of finding help.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
Her posts eventually reached Wang Yu, one of China’s most respected orthopedic surgeons, who diagnosed Jiang’s condition as a complete collapse of the spine due to absent muscular support.
However, Jiang’s case was so complex, it was considered “medically uncharted territory” by Yu’s team.
According to his doctors, Jiang risked his life with each procedure, as they had to break and rebuild his spine piece-by-piece
Image credits: South China Morning Post
In 2023, Jiang’s journey toward recovery resumed when Dr. Wang Yu referred him to Dr. Liang Yijian, an orthopedic surgeon with a reputation for tackling some of the most extreme spinal deformities in the world.
What lay ahead was nothing short of a medical gauntlet.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
To have any chance at a normal life, Jiang had to agree to not one, but four separate surgeries.
Each one would require his doctors to break and reconstruct critical sections of his spine, his cervical, lumbar, chest, and hip bones, essentially dismantling and rebuilding the core of his body.
It was a choice no one should ever have to make: risk paralysis or passing away four times over, or remain trapped in a body bent in half.
Jiang chose to fight.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
Over the next two years, he endured every operation, every wave of pain, and the constant shadow of what could go wrong. Each procedure pushed the limits of surgical science and human endurance.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
In June 2025, following the fourth and final surgery, something miraculous happened.
For the first time in his life, Jiang Yanchen was able to lie flat on his back.
His doctors declared the operation a historic breakthrough: the world’s first successful 180-degree spinal orthopedic correction.
Jiang’s dream is to take his postgraduate exams standing tall, after completing most of his studies kneeling
Image credits: South China Morning Post
“His persistence is far greater than that of an ordinary human being,” said Dr. Liang. “He endured pain few people could tolerate.”
Image credits: South China Morning Post
The surgeries were just the beginning. Jiang committed to an intense rehabilitation regimen, averaging six hours of physical therapy each day between surgeries. Step by step, his body relearned how to support itself.
China’s so-called folded boy Jiang Yanchen, whose spine had been contorted backwards at a 180-degree angle for most of his life, has finally stood up straight. pic.twitter.com/0uK5opUv0o
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 1, 2025
Image credits: South China Morning Post
By August, he was ready to show the world what he had accomplished, and by the 25th, he stood upright for the first time, live on camera, bringing millions of viewers to tears.
“This is magical,” a local viewer said. “He used to be folded like that… and now he walks.“
“I cannot imagine how much pain he used to be in,” another added.
In an interview, Jiang said his dream now is to take his postgraduate exams standing tall, as he had to complete his university entrance exam kneeling down.
He’s expected to return to university this September.
“Amazing.” Netizens were impressed by both Jiang’s willpower and the procedure
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