I enjoyed English, biology, and chemistry at school, but which one should I choose to study at university? I did not know the answer until one evening when I sat down at the computer to do some research on great women of China.

By chance I came across an article about a doctor called Lin Qiaozhi, an expert in women’s diseases. She lived from 1901 to 1983. It seemed that she had been very busy in her chosen work, travelling abroad to study as well as writing books and articles. One of them caught my eye. It was a small book explaining how to cut the death rate from having and caring for babies. She gave some simple rules to follow for keeping babies clean, healthy and free from sickness. Why did she write that? Who were the women that Lin Qiaozhi thought needed this advice? I looked carefully at the text and realized that it was intended for women in the countryside. Perhaps if they had an emergency they could not reach a doctor.

Suddenly it hit me how difficult it was for a woman to get medical training at that time. That was a time when girls’ education was always placed second to boys’. Was she so much cleverer than anyone else? Further reading made me realize that it was hard work and determination (决心) as well as her gentle nature that got her into medical school. What made her succeed later on was the kindness and consideration she showed to all her patients. There was story after story of how Lin Qiaozhi, tired after a day’s work, went late at night to deliver a baby for a poor family who could not pay her.

By now I could not wait to find out more about her. I discovered that Lin Qiaozhi had devoted her whole life to her patients and had chosen not to have a family of her own. Instead she made sure that about 50,000 babies were safely delivered. By this time I was very excited. Why not study at medical college like Lin Qiaozhi and carry on her good work? It was still not too late for me to improve my studies, prepare for the university entrance examinations, and…

5 . If it had not been for Fan Jinshi and her team, the world cultural heritage at Dunhuang Mogao Caves in a remote Chinese desert might have long been destroyed by sand, weather or humans.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Fan has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Northwest China’s Gansu Province. The 1,600-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Caves are a huge collection of Buddhist art—more than 2,000 Buddha figures and 45,000 square metres of paintings spread among 735 caves. It is China s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeologist Fan was sent to Dunhuang after graduating from Peking University in 1963. While in Dunhuang, a remote village in the desert then, Fan lived in an abandoned temple. At first, she did not even dare to go out to the toilet at night. To protect the treasures from sand and dampness, Fan and other workers put doors on the caves,planted trees and started monitoring temperature and humidity(湿度) in the caves. They also control the number of visitors.

In the late 1990s, with tourism booming nationwide since national holidays were extended, the local government planned to go public with Dunhuang Mogao Caves, but found Fan firmly in their way. “The heritage would have been destroyed if it had been listed,” she said.

Dunhuang academy has now photographed and catalogued online all the sculptures and paintings. “Despite our efforts to minimize damage, we can’t completely stop them from being eroded(腐蚀). But the digital database will last.”

Fan was grateful when her husband joined her in Dunhuang in 1986 after 19 years of separation. Her two sons grew up in Shanghai with their aunt. “I have not been a good mother or wife. With regard to my family, I’m full of guilt,” she said. Fan, retired as the director of Dunhuang Academy but continues her efforts.