Ou Xuelian makes shoe soles for PLA soldiers alongside her colleagues. [Photo by Li Dezhong/provided to China Daily]

Ou Xuelian, a 71-year-old role model from Datong, in Northern China's Shanxi province, won the honor of Military Mom on July 30.

Ou has volunteered for the army for 37 years. Her extraordinary deeds have won her not only widespread respect, but also prestigious titles, including the outstanding citizen award and deputy to National People's Congress. She has met national and provincial leaders eight times.

Ou's voluntary support of the People's Liberation Army is out of her gratitude for the soldiers. She was born into a poor family in 1943 when the nation was still in the grips of war. When her family was about to starve, PLA soldiers gave them their cattle and saved their lives, even though they didn't have enough food themselves. Ever since, Ou has treated PLA soldiers as her family.

Ou moved to Datong with her husband in 1963 and continued volunteering for the local army there. She now organizes groups of colleagues to bring drinking water and other daily necessities to them and do their laundry.

In the summer of 1989, Ou was invited to speak to the army in Datong, where she adopted her first military son, Wang Bin. The young soldier, whose parents had died, was moved to tears during her speech. When he said Ou looked like his mother, Ou decided to make her first "adoption". She has now adopted 75 sons.

When one of her sons, Chen Xijiang, wanted to study at a military university, Ou brought him study materials. After he was admitted, Chen wrote Ou to express his gratitude.

Ou's husband began helping her volunteer after his retirement, and they have hosted many events for the soldiers together. The volunteer work has become an essential job for all Ou's family members. Even her grandsons help out.

In her 37 years' volunteering, Ou has helped in seven provinces and autonomous regions and visited the soldiers over 700 times. She has made a total of 180,000 shoe soles, 8,900 kilograms of zongzi (a traditional Chinese rice-pudding for the Dragon Boat Festival) and picked 1,350 kilograms of tealeaves.

Her example has influenced many people. A local firm in Datong set up an exhibition room to spread Ou's stories and encourage more people to act like her.