Luo Bo / For China Daily

"I would pretend I was sick to avoid school because it was such an exhausting trip. Now I have a platform to call for more attention to be paid to the kids who are in a similar situation. I must tell their stories and try to improve their lives," Tie says. "Education is one of the few things that can make a difference to rural kids. Born and raised in a village, I know exactly how education can change children's lives."

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In response to Tie's proposal, the Ministry of Education sent her two replies last year, saying that there will be an increased focus on the preschool system in western China and poverty-stricken areas. Over the past year Tie started to undertake her own research and got a better idea of the major issues facing rural children as she prepared to write her own proposals.

Four years ago, Tie rescued four workers in a river in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on a trip to the city.

She was working as a toll collector for the Xiao-xicun toll station in Kunming, capital of Yunnan. Because of her good work, she was nominated for the National Role Model award in 2011.

In March 2013, Tie was promoted director of the toll station. She was exhilarated but anxious about also being elected a national legislator. It was a role that is considered a huge honor, but was a bigger responsibility than her family had realized. As director of the toll stations, Tie was required to manage more than 90 toll collectors and still find time to do research and conduct surveys on fields closely relevant to public welfare, especially children and teenagers.