Even so, Zhao insists she is just like everyone else. She entered primary school when she was 5 years old, and made her way through middle school and eventually to the university. She has been a voracious reader.

As an undergraduate, she won a number of scholarships and honors. She also had the idea of working after graduation. But she made up her mind instead to pursue a postgraduate degree.

Striving for a master's degree, she published six journal papers in succession and gradually established her own direction.

She doesn't think it's at all extraordinary for a hearing-impaired person to be admitted to a top-tier university as a doctoral candidate.

"I'm just an ordinary person, and I don't think I have much to show for my experience," Zhao said. "Everyone has problems, though mine are obvious. But this doesn't necessarily mean that I worked harder than others. The fact is, I really enjoy reading and studying."

As people have learned her story, she has won applause from many, especially online.

"I'm very happy," she said. "It made me realize that I've really encouraged some people."