Exemplary rural leader to attend Congress

In 1996, Liu was elected the Party chief of the village. Troubled by the lack of natural resources, local villagers grew corn, millet, and potatoes to get by.

Through the conducting of several surveys, Liu found that it might be a good idea to grow pine trees, which could be financially rewarding. However, changing villagers' conventional ideas was never going to be easy, as many of them were wary of the risks and afraid of losing money.

Liu and her husband decided to set an example and, taking the risk, were the first to plant pine tree seedlings in their 200-square-meter plot. After two years, the saplings were sold for 75,000 yuan ($11,150).

Seeing abundant profits from growing pine trees, villagers soon followed in Liu's footsteps and planted a variety of seedlings including pine, poplar and Chinese spruce.

Whenever villagers met problems in cultivating the seedlings, Liu always gave advice. She even lent money to poverty-stricken families to help them get started.

In 2017, the village planted tree seedlings on approximately 6.7 hectares of land. By the end of 2020, net income per capita in the village surpassed 10,000 yuan.

As she is about to fulfill her duty as a CPC National Congress delegate later this year, she wants to use it as an opportunity to convey the voice and thoughts of the people of the villages, devoting herself to improving the teaching environment of schools in rural areas and the living conditions of local residents.

"I have never regretted staying in the village, and I will continue to serve the residents wholeheartedly for the rest of my life," says Liu.