A doctor, teacher and Party branch secretary are just some of the roles that 59-year-old Liu Guizhen of Duanjiawan Village has dedicated her life to over the past four decades.

Duanjiawan Village sits deep in the mountains of Daixian County in north China's Shanxi Province. It used to be a small, poor village that was subject to the harsh mountain elements and short of proper medical services.

Liu's father was a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). When he asked Liu to be a doctor in the village, Liu said she didn't want to do it. 

"But he said I was the one with the highest degree of education. If I didn't do it, who would?" Liu recalled.

"I knew the village needed a doctor badly, so I decided to take the job."

In 1978, 15-year-old Liu decided to become the village's doctor, making house calls, something she continues to do up until today. Thanks to her, many villagers don't have to travel long distances to be treated.

"She's so kind. She's been treating problems I've had for over a dozen years. No matter when we call her, day or night, she's always here but never charges us for it," a villager named Guo Zhiliang said.

In 1988, the village's only primary school teacher left. Many villagers persuaded Liu to take over the job. It was another role that Liu, as a CPC member, felt she couldn't say no to. 

"I'm a Party member. When the village needs me, I'm there," Liu said.

Liu's selfless efforts have won the hearts of many villagers. In 1996, she was elected as the village's Party branch secretary. And with this heightened responsibility, she was determined to lift the villagers out of poverty.

The village didn't have any resources or industry. After spending a long time researching, Liu decided to push the village toward growing Chinese pine trees. She took the lead in showing others how to grow the sapling, which later proved successful and encouraged the local villagers to take part.

"I earned 60,000 yuan (around $8,340) in the first year, and I kept planting," a villager named Yang Suowen said.

"My income has been rising, and my kids can now go out for schooling."

This business helped the village get out of poverty in 2017, inspiring neighboring villages to try their hand at the same industry Liu helped develop.

Now at retirement age, Liu is still busy working to make life even better for the villagers. In 2020, she paid 40,000 yuan out of her own pocket to build a bridge across a river, making it safe and convenient for villagers to commute.

Recently, she's been thinking about creating more possibilities for the future of the village – tourism, fish farming and even starting a mineral water factory.

"Every CPC member should serve the people with a spirit of selfless contribution," Liu said.

"As the villagers, land and my roots are still here, I will continue to serve them well."