Photos of a Chinese woman in her 70s riding a Harley Davidson in a black leather jacket recently went viral on the Internet. Before that, Huang Yanzhen stood out in a high-profile cheongsam competition and received an award at the National Political Consultative Conference Assembly Hall in Beijing.

It’s reasonable to think that Ms. Huang is a rich woman who’s never been bored by daily chores. But actually she has gone through many hardships in life from a very young age.

Ms. Huang is originally from Luoyuan in southeastern China’s Fujian province. In order to relieve the economic burden on her family, she started working in a steel plant when she was only 15 years old.

But hardships have not stopped her from enriching herself. She toiled during the day and studied at night. In the 1960s, Ms. Huang began performing in entertainment activities held by the factory.

Unfortunately, she had a bone fracture in 2015 after an accidental tumble at home. But this did not stop the strong woman from working hard at rehabilitation. She withstood the challenge and recovered from her injury.

After learning about her story, a famous Chinese photographer offered to take some fashion photos for her. Posing next to a motorcycle in front of the camera, Ms. Huang, dressed in leather motorcycle gear, dares to break convention. Though she didn’t really ride the bike for safety concerns, the photos were still cool enough to rock netizens.

After the photo shoot, Ms. Huang traveled to western China. It was not a smooth trip for her, because she suffered severe altitude sickness. However, forcing herself to stay calm and quiet, she gradually adapted to the environment. It was a miracle for a 73-year-old woman.

At first, Ms. Huang worried about her privacy after gaining fame on the Internet. But she later looked it from another perspective, that is, her lifestyle might have a positive impact on other people.

According to Ms. Huang, many of her peers have been troubled by daily chores, believing life has become meaningless. However, her optimism has helped those people regain their happiness. Even some women in their 20s and 30s have been touched by her story.

At an event calling for social attention to breast cancer in Oct. 2016, Ms. Huang said that she would devote more energy in public welfare in the future.