At 5:00 am, when the first light of dawn appears, village cadre Zhang Shouying quickly makes breakfast and feeds her mother-in-law, who is over 90, before heading out to work.

Zhang Shouying talks with a senior villager. [Photo/Dazhong News]

She is then seen at a public canteen helping to distribute meals. The canteen offers a "one-yuan (about 14 cents) lunch" for more than 80 people aged over 75 every day in the Hongniya village, Hongning sub-district, Wulian county administered by Rizhao in East China's Shandong province.

Zhang, as the Party branch secretary and chairwoman of the village committee, is proud to see the seniors are well looked after. "My biggest hope for them is to lead a happy life," Zhang said.

Zhang married into the village in 1991 and became an officer responsible for assisting women's lives and work in 2000.

Her determination to help idle women get rid of poverty turned into reality in 2005 when she raised 150,000 yuan to rent spaces for home textile production. Twelve female villagers got involved. They made good products and established a good reputation. Now business is getting bigger and larger, with more than 300 people employed.

In 2011, Zhang was elected as the secretary of the village Party branch. After more than 10 years of hard work, Hongniya village was completely lifted out of poverty.

Zhang has won the National Poverty Alleviation Award Innovation Prize and was named a Good Responsible Party Secretary in Shandong province and a Shandong Provincical Labor Model.

She was recently elected a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress.