A former security guard in Hubei province became a certified lawyer after studying on his own for 10 years.

Zhao Hongbo, 44, was inspired to study law in 1998 after assisting a cousin with a court case.

At the time, he only had a high school education, but he has made steady progress since then, earning a college diploma in law in 2001 and a bachelor's degree in law in 2005 while working as a truck driver in Wuhan, capital of Hubei.

In 2006, he took a job as a security guard at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, which enabled him to attend classes at the university and in 2008 he passed the national judicial exam on his third attempt.

After serving a one-year apprenticeship, this autumn he started to practice full time, specializing in commercial law.