Over the past 6 years, Zhang Chaofan has given away 1.35 million yuan and raised 5.2 million yuan from the public to help more than 400 people with health problems—including teachers with cancer (癌症) and disabled children in poor families—learn traditional Chinese culture.

Zhang, 29, was born without a left arm in Changchun, Jilin, but her hard work to become stronger has encouraged many people. She was chosen along with 67 other honorees (领奖人) to receive the Eighth National Ethical Role Model award (第八届全国道德模范提名奖) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 5th, 2021.

In 2015, Zhang set up a handwriting and painting school in Changchun. When she found that some parents were unable to pay for their children's education, she made the lessons free and began providing 300, 000yuan every year to help them.

In early 2020, her school was made to suspend all courses because of COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) but it didn't stop her from helping the poor families. She raised more than 8.9 millionyuan and gave them away to Hubei hospitals.

"Women in the new times should have the courage to create value and also have a sense of social duty," she said. "It is my great honor to be chosen as a model. This will become a driving force for me to move ahead and keep helping the poor and the disabled."

Confucius（孔子）was one of the most important people in human history.He taught people to be polite and love each other.His ideas changed people's life.

Early Life

Confucius was born around 551 B.C.in China.That was over 2，500 years ago.Some say that Confucius was born into a rich family.Others say he was born poor.One thing is clear：Confucius lived during a time of great trouble.

Philosophy（哲学）and Teachings

Different groups in China were fighting.People forgot about good manners（礼仪）.This made Confucius sad.He wanted people to be kind and polite to each other.He believed in the idea of"ren".That means "loving others"."People should follow the Golden Rule，"he said.The Golden Rule is"to treat others as you would like to be treated".He believed that a good leader should treat his followers with care.This would help the leader set a good example.Confucius thought leaders could make people follow the law（法律）

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Confucius promoted（提倡）music education.He thought music had a strong influence on people and believed that music could make the things on the earth get on well with each other.

So music made it possible for our society to develop well.

Death

Confucius died at the age of 71 or 72.After his death，he was honored as a man of wisdom.His ideas helped shape the Chinese government.Today he is known as one of the most important teachers in Chinese history.

In 2004, Zhang Guimei saw a girl sitting silently on the side of a road on a cold morning, with a broken basket at her side.

Zhang, a local high school teacher, asked what was wrong. The girl told Zhang that she wanted to go to school, but her family was too poor to afford it. Zhang went to the 14-year-old girl's home and advised her parents to allow their daughter to continue schooling. However, they finally refused her. Unable to help, Zhang left. With the teenager always on her mind, Zhang was trying to work out how to help the local girls.

She came up with the idea of building a girls-only high school where students wouldn't have to pay anything. In 2007, Zhang attended an important meeting. She spoke, through media, to the public about her long-hidden dream. With the support from the local government and warm-hearted people, Huaping Girls' High School was opened in 2008. On the first day of the new school year, 100 students entered the school, most of whom were from mountainous areas. Since she started the school, Zhang Guimei has visited more than 1,600 families, traveled more than110,000 kilometers, and walked to many places to encourage parents to send their daughters to school for more than 15 years, so the girls could improve their education to change their lives.

Thanks to Zhang's efforts to help the students improve their studies, many of them were able to get offers from universities. Zhang Guimei worked silently for years, helping more than 1,800 girls in poor mountainous areas realize their dreams.