Farmer by day, writer by night

Writing, let alone publishing, is a luxury for women from China's remote villages, especially those busy with housework or on the farm all day, or those who cannot easily get access to books or the internet.

Despite these obstacles, Ma Huijuan, a 38-year-old farmer from Yuchi village, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, persevered for eight years and is now an author of two books.

Over the years, she has typed 2 million characters on her mobile phones in her spare time, and she wrote personal essays about her daily life and those of other farmers. Ma's third book is due to be published in April.