Deng Yangqiu has turned horror into humor.

The 22-year-old, who had to tear off what remained of his left leg to escape the rubble of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, sometimes asks spectators to close their eyes. When they open them again he is seated with his leg bent at the knee and his foot in the air, 180 degrees from where it should be if it were not a prosthetic.

He clasps his palms together and says: "Yoga!" He laughs and then does a handstand.