Bai Ruyun, a cancer survivor from North China's Hebei province, was a contestant on a recent TV poetry contest, and while she did not win, her inspirational story has captured the hearts of the nation.

On Monday, Bai, 41, appeared on China Central Television's Chinese Poetry Competition wearing a blue puffer jacket and a modest smile. She stood in sharp contrast to her competitors, who were solemn faced and formally dressed.

Any preconceptions of Bai that the audience may have formed from her appearance were soon disproved when she quoted a 300-year-old poem during her introduction.