Gray hair comes early for grassroots official

A photo of a hardworking grassroots official in Yunnan province drew attention online over the weekend because it showed him with gray hair - which was surprising at age 38.

Li Zhongkai is Party chief of an impoverished village in Dayao county, Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture, where he has been working in poverty relief for six years. He was recently honored for his performance.

County officials have been striving to remove the poverty label, and it's common for them to stay up late or have meals at irregular hours, which could have contributed to his gray hair, Li said.