Dedicated female educator, her girl students light torch of hope, inspirations for each other

Zhang Guimei, a dedicated female educator who founded China's first girls' free high school in a mountainous area in the southwest of the country, said that while she is paving a path out of poverty for rural girls, these students are also lighting the torch of hope and inspirations for her.

Huaping High School for Girls in Huaping County, Yunnan Province, is the first high school to offer free education to girls in China. Since its establishment in 2008, this small rural school has been helping girls from impoverished families who are unable to continue their studies after completing the nine-year compulsory education.

Zhang Guimei is the founder and principal of the school. The life-long educator has dedicated her 45 years to helping and motivating girls in mountainous areas to obtain higher education.

Zhang arrived in Huaping in 1996. At that time, the county was still mired in deep poverty. She was heartbroken to see so many teenagers, especially girls, dropping out of school. Some were even married off at a very young age. It was then that she made a bold decision: to build a free high school for rural girls.

The idea was met with skepticism, and even ridicule. But the girls' eyes, filled with hunger for knowledge, kept her going. With support from the local government, the school finally opened its door.

"Once I put forward the education issue during a visit to Beijing, specifically about funding -- this was before our school was established. A journalist asked me, 'Ms. Zhang, have you considered how much it costs to run a high school?' I said, 'I don't know the exact expenses per student.' He exclaimed, 'Then, how could you run the school?' I replied, 'Once we get started, we'll figure it out bit by bit. Take things step by step and day by day, and solutions will eventually emerge. Overthinking it won't help,'" Zhang said in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Zhang's dedication has borne fruit. More than 2,000 girls have graduated from the school, most moving on to universities across the country.

Now 68 years old, well past the usual retirement age, Zhang has continued to stay on the job, even living alongside the girls in the dormitory. Despite nearly 20 different illnesses, she refuses to slow down. She says it is the girls who give her the motivation to keep moving forward.

"These girls often say it's me who gives them the opportunity to study -- that education opens a path leading them out of the mountains. But in truth, they are the ones who give me the courage and the reason to live. They have helped prolong my life. Sometimes, I just want to see how this graduating class turns out, and that makes me want to keep going. Then, as I live on, I look forward to seeing the next class -- how they will grow up, and what they will achieve after they graduate from universities. And just like that, I find my own will to live, longer than I had expected," said Zhang.

Dedicated female educator, her girl students light torch of hope, inspirations for each other

A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.

Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.

In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.

"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.

Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.

In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.

"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.

By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.

After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.

"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.

Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.

As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.

Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media