President Xi Jinping has written to a village official in Shandong province, congratulating her on recovering from leukemia and applauding her ongoing work for the welfare of villagers.

Zhang Guangxiu, a female official from Lushang village in Yantai, graduated from college in 2009 and decided to dedicate herself to working for the welfare of village residents.

She continued her work as an official, seeking to lift villagers out of poverty, even after she was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2010.

In February 2011, Xi, then vice-president, praised Zhang for her outstanding work and urged her peers to learn from her example. He also asked authorities to arrange professional medical treatment for Zhang's illness.

Zhang returned to Lushang in June last year after an operation in 2011 and gradually recovered from her illness.

On Jan 15 this year, she wrote a letter to express her gratitude to the president and report on her ongoing work.

Xi replied to the letter from Zhang on Jan 28, local news portal Jiaodong.net reported on Tuesday.

In the letter, Xi said he was happy to learn that Zhang had regained her health and returned to work.

"The development of the countryside requires efforts from grassroots officials who lead villagers," Xi said in his letter.

He expressed a hope that other college graduates would find enthusiasm for their work, as Zhang had done, settling in grassroots positions and dedicating themselves to the development of villages.

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