The very model of a model folk hero

Last month China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying posted pictures of the persimmon harvest in the village online, showing young Yao women dressed in traditional costume and making sun-dried persimmons.

Lei says she was thrilled to see the post and grateful that Hua helped to bring the village specialty to more people's attention.

In April 2017 the village established a cooperative in which local officials led villagers to scale up sweet tea growing, upgrading the quality of their tea and drawing more publicity.

"She's done a lot for us, having the roads paved and the bridges built," says Lei Qingfei, a villager who grows persimmons under Lei's guidance.

"We're all very happy, grateful and moved by what she has done."

Although Lei's work has been recognized and complimented by fellow villagers, she does not seem to have let that go to her head.

"I couldn't pull off what I have done without the support of the Party's ethnic and preferential policies," Lei says.

As a grassroots official who has been named a National People's Congress delegate, Lei says she feels she needs to live up to villagers' expectations.

"They have chosen me, and I can return their trust only by doing my very best."