Three years ago, the paediatric hospital affiliated to the Fudan University based in Shanghai conducted a survey of nearly 70,000 teenagers which found incidence of dwarfism was 3.77 percent.

Shen Shuixian, a senior doctor from the hospital, estimates that there are now approximately 8 million dwarfs across China, the group growing annually by 160,000 members.

Shen said, in addition to lack of growth hormone, disfunction of the thyroid gland, chromosome and bone growth abnormality, and premature birth could also lead to dwarfism.

The period from birth to three years is critical for medical treatment to prevent dwarfism. Medical treatment for children older than three with the condition often costs 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, which is quite a considerable amount of money for ordinary Chinese people, said Shen.

Besides effective help based on improving medicine, many dwarfs suggest that city planners should keep their interests in mind when arranging transport services and planning commercial complexes and provision of public services.

For instance, bank counters and handles of lavatory doors could be lowered, and some special passagesways, similar to those designed for other physically challenged people, could be built for dwarfs.

More important, dwarfs said they hoped they could enjoy equal rights as other people did in marriage and employment.

Lu Jiarui, 29 and 116-cm tall, said though she had a college diploma in English language teaching, she cherished little hope before graduating from Changchun Normal University four years ago.

"Actually, college life was among the most lost and helpless years for me, since almost nobody is willing to hire people like us dwarfs," she said.

Now Lu works as an English interpreter with the Changchun Gensci Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. With the support of the company, she has launched a website on children's growth to disseminate related medical information. She has also established an online community for dwarfs, which provides them with social contact.

Lu said the Red Cross Angels program recently conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 5,000 netizens. The survey found more than 50 percent of the respondents did not know children's height should be observed intensely from birth to three years; and that nearly 70 percent of the surveyed thought dwarfism was innate, and could not be treated medically.

"I don't want to see other children missing their best opportunity for medical treatment and becoming a dwarf like me. So I determined to run my website successfully, "Lu said.

During the past three years, with the help of companies and individuals, clubs for dwarfs have been established in Chinese cities including Shanghai, Nanjing, Changchun, Chongqing and Xi'an.

"Our goal is to launch a national dwarfs club to help them acquire better medical help, provide work solutions and find their soulmates,"Lu said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2009)