In 1976, the couple returned to their hometown to care for their aging parents. "We continued as teachers at different schools and made progress with each others' help and encouragement over the following decades," Wang said. "We were witnesses to how times changed over the years and how life got better and better."

In 1980, they moved into a 100-square-meter house, a big step up from the 5-square-meter room they had at Liang's parents' home. "For over six months, we spent all our spare time building the new house ourselves," she said. "We lived there for 10 years and then moved into a smaller apartment in 1990."

Following retirement in 2006, the couple moved to Changchun, where their two daughters live.

"Our son bought an 80-square-meter apartment in Changchun for us so that we can enjoy our later years," she said. "We've joined in a number of community activities with other elderly residents and have taken courses at Changchun University for Seniors."

Wang has recorded all these details in her paintings, and the couple often enjoy looking through them together. "When I show my grandchildren the one of us collecting leaves to burn in the stove to save money on coal in 1970s, they cannot relate," she said. "They don't even know why we had to have a stove in the room. The quality of life has greatly improved. Life's essentials are no longer hard to get. There are many ways to lead richer lives, such as travel."

In 2012, together with their son's family, the couple went to Europe.

They visited famous attractions in France, Italy and Britain, all later recorded in Wang's paintings.

"I was born into a poor family, but fortunately, my parents appreciated the importance of education, so they made every effort to send me to school," she said. "Knowledge changed my life. So I made sure my children also understood the importance of education."

Her eldest son holds a doctorate, her elder daughter has a bachelor's degree and her young daughter has a postgraduate degree.

"I will continue to paint," Wang said. "And I hope my paintings are passed down from generation to generation along with our good family traditions."