Hu Yuying, a 78-year-old resident of Gangzha district, Nantong, Jiangsu province, has been devoted to charity work for the past eight years.

In October, Hu donated eight beds, 280 cotton quilts, and several hand-sewn clothes valued at over 22,000 yuan ($3,144) to poverty-stricken areas in Sichuan province. Those who have benefited from her deeds recently sent her a video to thank her.

Hu started collecting used clothing in 2011 and has donated more than 10,000 articles to poor areas over the past eight years, including over 1,000 cotton quilts and hundreds of pairs of shoes made by her own hand. 

She has also donated a total of 10,100 yuan to impoverished people and has supported three impoverished students with her pension of just 2,000 yuan per month.

Hu Yuying packs clothes to be donated to poverty-stricken areas. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

"My family lived a hard life when I was a young girl, but thanks to government support, we made it through the cold winters. So now I want to help others through hard times," she said.

She also encourages family members and friends to join local volunteer groups and spreads the word about her charity work in surrounding communities. Last year, her local community established a charity workshop and a volunteer group named after Hu.

In 2017, Hu's family was recognized as "China's best family". She was named "person of the year" in Jiangsu in 2018 and as a "good person in Jiangsu" in July.