Yang gives routine checkups to the village elderly. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Moreover, village doctors don't earn much, and have heavy workloads. Yang is responsible for the healthcare of the entire village of nearly 2,000 with one other colleague. Additionally, village doctors don't earn large pensions for life after retirement. Because of this, few young people are eager to step into the profession.

But Yang keeps going. "Actually, I love this job and regard all the difficulties I encounter as obstacles to conquer. I get on well with the villagers, and they trust and respect me. It's a great pleasure to hear them call me 'doctor'," she says.

She remembers treating one old woman with high blood pressure in 2021. Yang visited her regularly to check up on her and one day, as she took the woman's temperature, she found that she had a high fever, and that none of her family members were at home.

Yang gave the elderly woman some medicine and stayed with her to observe her situation and didn't leave until she was feeling better and family members had returned.