With this woodblock stacking tower that resembles a child's toy, Zhang Zhengyu practices gradually raising her stiff arms higher and higher. Small victories like these can be seen every day at Sunshine's rehabilitation center. (Chuang Kung-ju)

Last October the Taiwanese entertainer Selina was injured in Shang-hai during filming of a scene that involved an explosion. Burns covered 54% of her body surface, including severe third-degree burns across 41%. In January of this year, after 88 days in the hospital, she was finally released. Her smiles through tears and determination to push on with her life deeply moved people.

Because skin grafts were required from her scalp, she now sports a crew cut. Her limbs move slowly and -stiffly due to fibrosis stemming from her injuries. And she will have to wear pressure garments for at least a year to reduce scarring. Her experiences have given many people an understanding about the length and difficulty of the burn recovery process.

Indeed, the sudden accidents that cause burns and scalds almost always catch victims unprepared. But the scars that remain can change the course of their lives.

In an ordinary high rise on Taipei's Nan-jing East Road, an unusual atmosphere prevails on one floor. In the corner of a bright and open space, a stereo plays soft music while air conditioning maintains the temperature at a comfortable 25°C. Ranging in age from five to 60, some two dozen patients-or "classmates," as they call each other-are concentrating on doing exercises that would be simple for most people. When you look carefully, you see that some classmates have fingers that can't grasp or arms that can't extend straight. Others have great difficulty walking.