Zhang Guifang, 26, has become famous in the past two years by sharing her story of leading villagers to strive for better life as their Party secretary.

Zhang Guifang (Photos: CMG)

At the age of 24, she returned to her hometown after graduating from Tianjin Agricultural University. To her surprise, she was elected as the village Party secretary of Sanjia village, Henan Province, in December 2021. The grassroots election among 1,052 villagers ended with 890 votes in her favor.

Decorated walls in Sanjia village

She started by asking her friend to paint murals on walls in the village and defer payment for the work. The cheerful-looking village then was in the spotlight of media reports. As a result, her village was entitled to a sum of bonus money for improving its environment. She was finally able to pay the painter.

Decorated walls in Sanjia village

Zhang has been leading the villagers to build roads, lay water pipes, and clear rivers. The first public toilet, library, basketball court, and movie theater were recently built.

Zhang led the villagers to plant honeydew melons in mountainous areas. This has become the largest income source in the village.

Zhang Guifang and villagers harvest honeydew melons. (Photo: CMG)

As Zhang's Douyin social media account gets more famous, she is asking for suggestions of more specialized industries for her villagers. She is now receiving many new ideas.

(Compiled by Dong Feng; source: CMG)