Former teacher finds catalyst for change

Zhang Qinghua was the only female member of the 14-strong team dispatched to Xi'an and Yulin in Shaanxi province to check that waterways reported to contain smelly and discolored water had been cleaned up.

The other members agreed that Zhang's status as the only trained scientist on the team meant the 40-year-old had the most taxing job.

Zhang took test samples from the upper, middle and lower reaches of every river the team inspected. Like her colleagues she could not avoid the scorching sun, but unlike the others she often stayed in the lab testing samples until after midnight.