Thanks to her excellent performance as a village official, she was elected as a deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in 2013 as the only representative of more than 8,000 highly-educated grassroots officials in the northwestern province.

Ye Yu, a highly-educated grass-roots official. [Photo/people.com.cn]

"I had just given birth to my baby girl when I found out that I was nominated as a NPC delegate," said the young woman. "I would never expect such an honor."

The new mother had to learn how to fulfill her new duty, which proved both rewarding and demanding.

"I have more things to do after becoming a NPC deputy. I need to attend training sessions for deputies, carry out field surveys among voters, and I have to prepare for suggestions before the annual NPC session."

With more energy spent on her deputy duties, Ye cannot spend as much time watching her daughter growing up.

"Sometimes, I cannot believe my daughter is three years old, I did not spend enough time with her," said the young woman, her face sad. "At night, she does not want to sleep with me, she kept crying for her granny."

Ye admitted it's not easy to become a qualified deputy as well as a good mother.

"I have to balance the two roles. But thanks to my family's support, I can put more effort into my deputy role."

Her efforts are worthwhile. The smile on her face spoke for itself.

In this year's "two sessions", Ye will call for greater consideration for the environmental protection of Shangluo city.

The city, located on the central line of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, is phasing out polluting industries and developing the tourism industry to keep its water clean.