After nearly four decades of hard labour as a farmer, cook, lorry
driver and street sweeper, a sudden million pound windfall might
tempt sweet thought of retirement.
But 53-year-old Yu Youzhen has a rather more unbending work
ethic.
Five years ago, her family land in Donghu village, near the city of
Wuhan, was bought by the government for a property development.
She used the compensation money to being building a property empire
which now includes 17 apartments worth some 10 million yuan (£1
million), according to the Wuhan Evening News.
Nevertheless, six days a week Mrs Yu dons an orange coat and goes
to work as a street sweeper, earning a monthly wage of £142.
"Work is not just about the salary, it makes one focused. Laziness
gives rise to all sorts of bad habits," she said, to
the Chinese newspaper.
The head of her cleaning team, Fu Guoju, noted that Mrs Yu had
never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in
the last 14 years in order to attend the funerals of her
mother-in-law and father.
Mrs Yu's dogged attachment to her orange jacket appears to stem
partly from habit and partly from a nagging worry over her feckless
children.
Her 33-year-old son, Liang, has had a chequered career, working
selling lottery tickets for a while and spending long spells at
home, lounging on the sofa.
"I want to be a role model for my children," said Mrs Yu. "I do not
want to sit around idly and eat up my fortune".
"My son once stayed at home for two months, and I kept scolding him
during that time. Now he is doing pretty well. He said to me later
I was right. I was worried he would hang out with bad people and
ruin our family."
Her son is currently working as a driver in her home village for
£120 a month while her daughter mans the kiosk at a cinema for £200
a month.
Since the Chinese newspapers revealed Mrs Yu's work ethic she has
become a minor celebrity. The Communist party's propaganda machine
has also been quick to pounce on her as an example of a model
worker.
"Starting from loving labour and living a meaningful life to make
her feel at ease, Yu Youzhen gives us a good starting point," said
the state-run Beijing News in an editorial.