Chinese President Xi Jinping recently called for carrying forward the spirit of dedication of 95-year-old war hero Zhang Fuqing, encouraging people to come together and create a powerful force to forge ahead in the new era.

Zhang, a Communist Party of China member, was a soldier of the Northwest Field Army, which was one of the main forces of the People's Liberation Army during the War of Liberation (1946-49).

He was honored by the Northwest Field Army for performing meritorious deeds and won the honorary title of Combat Hero twice.

In 1955, Zhang retired from the army and devoted his work and life to the poverty-stricken mountainous areas in Laifeng, a remote county in central China's Hubei Province.

For more than 60 years, he deliberately kept his past achievements a secret, even from his children. It wasn't until the end of 2018 when authorities were collecting and recording veterans' information that he revealed his life story.