A 68-year-old woman in Wuhan, Hubei province, has taken a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant in order to help pay her grandson's college tuition this fall, Wuhan Evening News reported Thursday.

Huang Zhaoyang, 19, was raised by his grandmother, Zhang Xianyou, for six years. Huang's parents were farmers but now work as house painters away from home.

Huang's family has a debt of 30,000 yuan ($4,850) after an illness. Huang's parents are working to repay the debt and only return home for Spring Festival each year.

Zhang carries the burden of raising Huang and Huang's brother, who has gone to work after finishing middle school.

Zhang, who has little formal education, believes in the power of education and is determined to help her grandson enter university.

In this year's college entrance exam, Huang achieved a high score and has applied to Tsinghua University, one of China's top universities.

In the spring, Zhang was happy to hear from Huang's teacher about her grandson's top grades but privately worried about the tuition. She went to a local restaurant and took the job that pays about 1,000 yuan a month.

Liu Xi, a private entrepreneur who heard about Huang, said he would like to help him with the college tuition. Liu said he understands the hardship of Huang's family because he also came from a rural background.