For a girl living in the mountains, Zhang says formal schooling can benefit at least three generations.

If it was not for the school, girls here would mostly marry and have their children at young age and stay in the mountains for a lifetime.

When they are admitted to university, the current preferential policies for poverty-stricken students will ensure that they complete their studies smoothly.

"As long as I draw breath, I will choose to fight to the last moment of my life for my pledge to the Party," she says. For more than 20 years, Zhang has not only been passionate about education, but also raised funds to help local people treat diseases, build roads and water cellars and resolve disputes. "Party members should help the people, and we should take care of them if they have difficulties," she says.