Li Qinru, a 54-year-old village doctor who works in the village of Zaoshi in Jiangxi province, has served in his post for 36 years. In that time, he has worn out over 200 pairs of shoes and walked more than 10,000 mountain roads.

Though the local government has issued a preferential policy to train locals as village doctors, no villagers in the county have so far taken advantage of the program. Zaoshi is located in the county's most remote mountainous area; the village's only cement road to the outside world was built in 2012.

Li is more than a doctor to the local villagers. He visits seniors to bring them daily essentials and check their physical conditions. Li has practiced medicine since the age of 17. However, he never followed other village doctors into more populated areas to increase his salary. Instead, Li chose to retain his post despite the low income, high risks and poor conditions, because he knows the villagers need him.