From time to time, Lei Rongzhen relives the moments when she was invited to join the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing in 2019.

The 56-year-old was among 812 people from across the country who were named a national model individual for ethnic unity and progress by the State Council that year.

"It was the most unforgettable day of my life, and simply unbelievable," says Lei, who has worked as a Party official in Fuyao village, Pingle county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, since 2007.

She was born and bred in Fuyao village, hidden in the mountains and far off the beaten track.

Lei sat in the audience when President Xi Jinping delivered a speech about ethnic unity at a commendatory meeting for the likes of her.

"I felt extremely happy and excited," she says, adding that the experience had helped her further realize the significance of her work since ethnic unity is a foundation of social stability and ensuring that people are happy.

Lei has become known to practically everyone in Fuyao village over the years.

Local villagers have essentially had her phone number on the speed dial whenever something comes up in their families, including domestic disputes or dealing with dear ones passing away.

She is apt to take the call any time, even in the wee hours.

"At first it (kind of) was my job and I couldn't say no," Lei says.

But as she got closer to locals, she felt they were like family members and thus part of her life.

"I try to resolve things on the scene as much as I can, and report it to higher ups if it's out of my hands."

One of her memorable experiences is a couple in 2014 who were on the verge of coming to blows about a touchy issue-getting a divorce.

Lei got the call at 8 pm and had to trek more than one hour along a bumpy and muddy road on a motorcycle to their home. On the way she sprained her ankle.

She then spent four hours with them helping them bury their differences and making peace with each other. It was 2 am when Lei rode home.

"It was difficult but worthwhile," she says, and the couple has never again brought up divorce.

Fuyao village is mainly populated by ethnic Yao and Han, who inevitably have run-of-the-mill conflicts. Lei says that quickly solving these problems, mostly caused by trifling matters and misunderstandings, promotes ethnic unity.

"No matter a thing is big or small, as soon as people call her, she's there to help villagers deal with it," says Lei Rongbi, an ethnic Yao villager.

Lei Rongzhen also set up a WeChat group to better answer inquiries from villagers, and worked the country's ethnic policy and knowledge into local folk songs, performed during major holidays.

The goal is to improve mutual understanding and respect among residents in the village.

Lei Rongzhen's work has won her the honor of model Party member many times, bestowed on her by the Pingle county government.

She has not rested on her laurels and has set up a grid-like reconciliation mechanism for Party officials in the village to look into potential neighborhood conflicts and find solutions to nip civil grievances and problems in the bud.

"We have focused on hot and complex issues from villagers, and categorized and then dealt with them," Lei says.

Her work has contributed to security, stability and good relations in Fuyao, and over the years there has never been a petition from the village to higher authorities seeking redress in an issue, the local authority says.

Lei, speaking of the motivation for her commitment to the job, says she feels she needs to treat other people's business as her own.

"It's my home, and it's my obligation to make it better, and I can benefit from that as well."

Since Lei became the Party secretary of the village in 2011, she has done her level best to improve infrastructure in the village.

Fuyao has 10 residential clusters scattered across a vast mountain range, the nearest cluster being a 30-minute motorcycle ride away from the village committee.

She once appealed to higher authorities for road funding and received about 5 million yuan ($785,000) from 2013 to 2018 that has made things easier for locals to go about their business in the village and with the outside world.

With the latest road section that was completed last month, Lei has helped to develop eight sealed roads altogether running more than 16 kilometers near the village.

"Everything has become easy for us," says Li Caineng, whose family used to live in an isolated mountain area that was all but cut off from the outside.

"The roads were mostly mud ones before, and we all got dusty when it was sunny and dry and muddy when it rained," Li says.

Better transport also enables locals to sell their farm produce outside.

With the standing Lei has among villagers, many have followed her by making the most of the advantages of their difficult location by growing sweet tea leaves and persimmons. It helped local average household income reach 40,000-50,000 yuan a year.