Zhang Guimei, the headteacher of Huaping High School for Girls in Lijiang City, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, was born in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in 1957. At the age of 17, Zhang traveled to Yunnan and has been a teacher there for over 40 years.
The school founded by Zhang in 2008 was the first high school in the country to provide free education to girls. With Zhang's help, the girls were able to continue their studies after completing their nine years of compulsory(义务的) education. Zhang did so much to improve the education for girls from poor families that she was given the title "Role Model of the Times" in 2020.
If you know Zhang's own conditions, you will be more deeply moved by her. She has no personal property (资产), and she has lived in the student dormitory since its founding. She spends most of her salary and the bonuses (津贴) she receives on her students. Although she has serious health problems, she always takes morning classes together with the students. She has also walked up to 110,000 kilometers to visit her students' families over the years.
Thanks to her efforts, about 40 percent of the high school leavers have been accepted by key universities. More than 1,800 girls from poor families have entered universities through her education.
Zhang's story will be long remembered and encourage more people to follow her example.
