Since promoting the Shanghai Expo in Los Angeles at the start of the New Year, Yao returned to China. Raymond reports that on Thursday, January 7th, Yao for the first time in months got rid of his crutches and appeared in the recording of a Phoenix TV talk show: “The Zhou Libo Show” ??·???, a talk show similar to some of the late night talk shows in the U.S. where the host Zhou Libo, a famous Shanghainese comedian that Yao Ming likes to watch, chats and crack jokes with his guests on news and happenings around the world and China.

Click here for more photos of Yao on the talk show.

Then on Saturday, January 9th, Yao shot a commercial and gave an interview (click here for the video, which is very slow to stream in the U.S.)

For the first time in public, Yao admitted there will be a new addition to his family. He thanked his fans for their support and good wishes, and asked that everyone give him and his wife some room while they rest and prepare for the arrival of their newborn child in a few months.

He also clarified the rumor that he can now walk normally without his crutches. He said he could now walk on his own for about 50 meters, but if it’s any longer than that, then his doctors advise that he still use the crutches.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 8:36 am and is filed under China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.