Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Zhuo Changli at this year’s National People’s Congress. (Photo provided by Sunny Sister)

With a big smile, maternal-child nurse Shi Zhaoping, told CGTN how her life has changed for the better since she joined Sunny Sister, a household services company in eastern China's Shandong Province.

"When I get smiles and recognition from my client, it makes me feel fulfilled and see a better side of me, that is of value to the society and the family that I serve," Shi said.

Shi's story of transformation from a laid-off worker to a professional caregiver is shared by many in Sunny Sister. 

"Since our establishment in October of 2001, Sunny Sister has trained 298,000 people and created 2 million jobs," said Zhuo Changli, CEO of Sunny Sister Service.

Starting off as a charity organization that offered employment to laid-off workers, Sunny Sister has now grown into a leader in the household services industry, with more than 200 franchises across China.

The growth of Sunny Sister in a way also reflects the fast expansion of China's household services industry. 

According to a 2017 report by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the country's household services industry employed more than 25 million workers in 2016, a 9.3 percent increase from a year earlier.

China's urban middle class often depends on less well-off workers from rural areas for household services, but in recent years a few unnerving cases of domestic helpers murdering their employers shocked the whole nation and called into question the professionalism in prevailing industry practice. 

In response, Zhuo said quality service and profits are equally important for the business to move forward. 

Zhuo also cited Chinese President Xi Jinping that household service is a type of work that needs compassion.