By the time she was 17, she'd become a skilled artist and had managed to finish a 20-page illustration.

It was accepted for publication by a renowned Chinese fiction periodical, earning her 600 yuan.

"That isn't a large amount these days, but it was almost three months' income for my family in 1996," she said.

"I spent 100 yuan buying books for myself and gave the remaining 500 to my parents.

"It was the first money I had earned, and I decided to try to make a living from art," she added. "I was also encouraged by a number of the periodical's readers, who became pen pals later."

In 2015, one of them－Yu Yimei, a woman from Luzhou, Sichuan province－persuaded Zhang to take up oil painting, because "traditional Chinese ink sketches and watercolor paintings always made the bedclothes dirty".

By watching online videos, reading books and copying the works of Western masters, Zhang was able to teach herself how to paint with oils.

She took two years to finish 200 copies of paintings by Claude Monet and won awards at several different competitions.

In 2017, she opened an online shop to sell her paintings following a suggestion from her younger brother. "I thought it was a good idea, as there was no place to store them at home," she said.

"More importantly, I thought this could provide a reliable source of income for my parents, who still have to work to support me."

Her store－Lily's Easel－opened in February on social networking app WeChat, and she sold her first painting the next day for 360 yuan ($56).

Sometimes, she shares stories about herself on the platform and receives a lot of encouragement.

"When one buyer told me he was captivated by my art and would cherish it, I couldn't help crying," she said.

Over the past four years, Zhang has sold over 300 paintings and made around 150,000 yuan.

Her talents go beyond the easel. Learning to type after getting her first laptop in 2005, she spent seven years writing a 260,000-word novel called The Blazing Girl.

Between 2012 and 2014, she also wrote a 150,000-word autobiography entitled My Existence.

"I wanted to write down my story to tell people like me to never to give up on ourselves," she said.

"I feel lucky to have met so many people who are so caring and warm."