HANGZHOU, Sept. 10 -- A 26-year-old teacher who continued to teach at a village school in east China's Zhejiang Province after she was diagnosed with liver cancer has moved many Chinese ahead of Teachers' Day on Sunday.

People expressed their condolences and respects for Chen Yingli, a teacher from Zhen'an School, Dajing Township of Leqing City. She died in July.

"She is a true 'soul engineer' who deserves our respect," wrote an Internet user on Weibo.

According to Chen's family and colleagues, she continued to travel 120 kilometers of mountain roads each day to teach a 45-minute class after she was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in March this year.

Chen Yuchen, her father, said she returned to class because it was her strongest wish to teach the students who were going to take their senior high school admission exam.

"She had the dream of becoming a teacher ever since she was a little girl," said Chen. "But in reality, she taught for less than a year."

China's national legislature approved in 1985 the celebration of Teachers' Day on Sept. 10 to improve teachers' social status and promote the development of education.