Deaf couple, Gu Hongjie (R), and Jin Xiaoyan are excellent designers in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo/wxwomen.com]

A deaf couple from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, have successfully patented over 60 designs.

Gu Hongjie and Jin Xiaoyan are both designers and have worked at the Jiangsu Longda Transfer Printing Textile Co for 16 years. They design 20 works every year, which are made into printing textile products and imported to the international market.

Many of their works, such as Fuwa and From Peace to Harmony, have won national or provincial level first prize awards. Ten of their works were exhibited in the US in 2010.

Gu, 41, lost his hearing after an injection he received in his childhood. He learned painting from Liu Dajiang, a deaf painter in Wuxi.

Jin was born in Qingdao, Shandong province and lost her hearing in an accident. They met each other and fell in love when they studied arts at a Special Education School at Changchun University.

The two are always ready to record their inspiration and note it down in a small notebook, even when they are walking. The Internet, magazines and newspapers are all resources for their creations. They have also learned how to use a computer to combine hand painting with computer graphics.

Gu and Jin enjoy playing table tennis in their spare time and are always willing to give a hand to anyone in need.