Cheng is still proud of a battle in which she took advantage of her beauty to kill a Japanese guard and then commanded four soldiers to take dozens more by surprise.

"So many battles were fought. But this was one of the proudest moments in my life."

After she learned the commander of her brigade surrendered to the Japanese in 1943, she refused to stay in the army, removed her uniform and returned to her hometown.

In the decades after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Cheng experienced the turmoil of the age. A fire burned down her old house, in 1953, and life became tougher. She labored, carrying fertilizer and opening an oil extraction mill with her husband, among other small businesses.

"Life was hard. After a day's labor, I used to wash my sweat-drenched clothes and wear them the next day. I did not have alternate clothes."

In the 1950s when she was carrying a bag of fertilizer, an army officer on an inspection tour recognized her.

"We once fought the Japanese side by side. I could see he was very surprised to see me. He later sent me eight bags of rice."

Half a century later, Cheng still gets emotional when recalling the scene.

"He was such a nice man. How can I ever reward his kindness?"

After her husband died 10 years ago, life became even harder for Cheng. She sold the gold watch she was honored with in the shooting competition for 14,000 yuan ($2,200) several years ago to cover medical bills.

"Although she's lived a hard life, Cheng still feels proud in her heart," says Lao Jiang, a volunteer who cares for old soldiers in Tianman county. "It is very hard for her to accept charity, as she always thinks it is for the weak and infirm."

Until May, she still lived in a dilapidated house, with no electricity or water, he says.

The township government rented the 10-square-meter room for her where she now lives. A piece of cloth hangs from the roof and divides the room into two areas. Behind the cloth is a bed.

"I will continue to stay in my room, until I cannot move," she says.

Contact the writer at wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn.