Su Zhengmin, a graduate of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, caught the attention of Chinese netizens with the 6,000-word acknowledgment he wrote as part of his thesis, in which he reflected on his challenging road to success and expressed his gratitude to 65 people who helped him on his journey.

Of those people, Su talked most about Zhang Junlan, a retired journalist from Tianjin Daily who he said enlightened him most and gave him greater hope.

Su was born in a poor village in Xide county, in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province. The village is located in the Liangshan Mountains, which was once one of China's most poverty-stricken areas. There, his family barely had enough to eat and hardly any income.

His father passed away when he was 13, so he and his sister had to drop out of school to help the family. They often borrowed money to survive, so much so that their relatives eventually cut them off.

A month after being cut off, Zhang, who was on a business trip to research poverty alleviation efforts, learned about his situation. She encouraged Su to return to school and offered to give him 2,000 yuan ($298.3) per month until he graduated from university.

"It was 'mother' Zhang that reshaped my life and returned to my hometown many times to give hope to other children," he said.

During his undergraduate studies, Su partnered with more than 180 people to pay the school fees of 65 poor students.

After graduation, he took a gap year to teach young children in Liangshan.

Upon posting his thesis online, netizens became impressed with the help his "mother" gave him.

Zhang, who retired in May at age 60, has been committed to aiding poverty-stricken children for 25 years.

During that period, she has visited Liangshan 33 times and has lost count of how many students she has supported－possibly thousands, she said.

Since 1997, she has not only spent her own money, but has also raised funds from domestic and international charities, government agencies and officials, and Tianjin Daily, as well as readers who were moved by her investigative stories and poverty relief efforts. She has used the money to establish three branches of the School of Hope, a well-known nationwide charitable school project, and to fund scholarships at seven other schools.

Zhang has also started 60 classes for orphans and girls.

In a previous interview with China Daily, she said, "I will give the money raised by charity to the people and places most in need."

Her efforts began with a poverty relief campaign, launched in 1997 by the All-China Journalists Association, the former poverty alleviation development office of the State Council and the former China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, that she joined along with 100 reporters from across the nation.

During her first trip to Liangshan, she was shocked to discover residents' poor living conditions, the disastrous weather and diseases they had endured, and the rampant drug abuse in the area.

This motivated her to write a series of in-depth features about the "missing world" in Liangshan for Tianjin Daily.

Zhang's stories moved many readers to join her poverty relief efforts in the mountains.

"I never thought that numerous readers would share my feelings," she said.

Inspired by her, some charity organizations offered support. In 2010, a charitable workshop was set up at her newspaper.

She recalled "braving rugged terrain, challenging roads and often unpredictable weather conditions", as she visited the most remote areas of the region, frequently encountering floods, thick mud and landslides.

In a diary entry from 2004, Zhang wrote: "When we think of ourselves, our bravery is too little, our hearts are too narrow and our eyesight is too short … but when we have the grassroots in our hearts, our respect and courage grow, and as a result, life's value emerges."

Zhang said she remembers holding those poor children in her arms.

"They were weak and fragile, but I'm delighted to see they have grown taller than me, and now many of them have graduated from leading universities including Tsinghua University, Minzu University of China and the China University of Geosciences."

To her delight, Su and many young people from the Yi ethnic group have taken part in poverty relief campaigns.