The coastal city of Yantai in East China's Shandong province has been included in the list of national model cities of social development five times in a row.

The retention of the honorary title can be partly attributed to the contribution of ordinary people, who have devoted themselves to the development of the city.

Xu Xianzhao is the only police officer working at the police office on the South Huangcheng Island in Changdao county of Yantai since 2004. As the island is situated in the deepest waters of the Bohai Gulf, Xu has to deal with difficult living conditions; a paucity of goods and materials is common.

Since he first came to the island, Xu realized his priority should be offering support and help to disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly that live on their own and left-behind children that are being raised by the elderly.

In the past 13 years, he has helped four ex-convicts find a job and offered help to 13 poverty-stricken families. His devotion has won recognition from the people and the government.

In July 2017, he won the title of Ten Best Border Guards from the frontier forces of the Ministry of Public Security.

Xu Xianzhao is greeted by his colleagues at the Yantai Railway Station on July 30, 2017 after he attends an awards ceremony in Beijing, during which he receives the title of Ten Best Border Guards from the frontier forces of the Ministry of Public Security. [Photo/ql1d.com]

Xu Xianzhao is not the only person who bears the people's needs in their heart. Li Guizhen, a village doctor in the Guanli village of Qixia, a county-level city in Yantai, has remained at her post for 52 years.

She makes the most of her spare time by learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment methods, such as tuina, which literally means "push-and-pinch", guasha or skin scraping, acupuncture and cupping. She also gives these treatments to her villagers for free.

Though she had a chance to work in the county, she chose to stay in the village. Li said she never regretted it as she feels a sense of achievement.

There have been more examples of selfless devotion by grassroots workers like Xu Xianzhao and Li Guizhen. It's their contributions and sacrifices that have helped Yantai remain in the list of national model cities of social development five times in a row.

Li Guizhen, a 69-year-old village doctor in Yantai, measures a villager's blood pressure. [Photo/dzwww.com]