Who is Zhang Guimei?

The awarding ceremony of the July 1 Medal was held today in Beijing. President Xi Jinping presented the medals to outstanding members of Communist Party of China (CPC), among whom Zhang Guimei gave a speech.

Zhang is the principal and founder of the Huaping Senior High School for Girls, the country's first public high school that provides free education for female students, in Lijiang, Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

For the past 13 years, nearly 2,000 female students have graduated from this school, successfully rewriting their destinies.