An outpouring of love and appreciation via the Internet is being aimed at a middle school teacher in northeast China's Heilongjiang province who was injured while saving two students from an oncoming bus.

On China's popular microblogging site weibo.com, her heroic deeds have attracted much discussion, with 613,054 entries offering good wishes to "the most beautiful teacher" as of 8 p.m. Friday.

Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old teacher at the No. 19 Middle School in the city of Jiamusi, was crossing the road just outside the school's gate on May 8 when a school bus suddenly lost control and veered toward several students.

Zhang pushed two students out of the way, but she herself was hit by the bus. Her legs were crushed and have since been amputated.

"Although Zhang lost her legs, she has wings like an angel and we all have the best wishes for her to regain her health," wrote netizen "Huangyingyuhong."

Students from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine posted pictures of an on-campus prayer ceremony featuring hundreds of lit candles and red banners with the best wishes for Zhang. Their microblogs have also called for more students to learn from the heroic teacher.

On other major microblogging communities, including qq.com and 163.com, millions of netizens have shown their respect for Zhang, offered her their prayers and expressed the hope that the love relay could be passed on in both the real world and on the Internet.

Zhang has reminded netizens of other honorable grassroots figures, such as Wu Juping, a 31-year-old mother who saved a toddler from a 10-story fall in east China's Zhejiang province in July 2011, and Bai Fangli, who raised 350,000 yuan (over 55,000 U.S. dollars) by operating a pedicab to fund the educations of more than 300 children from poor families before he died in 2005 at the age of 93.

"Qingtianyintian201013" wrote on weibo.com that "[Zhang's] heroic behavior has aroused a circular response around her, as donations are coming from all walks of life and volunteers are helping with daily arrangements. A person's good deed will lead to countless good deeds."

On May 13, Zhang's father began to post on weibo.com under the username "Zhanglilifuqin," or "Zhang Lili's father." His posts have expressed the family's gratefulness for the medical workers helping Zhang as well as the kind-hearted people who go to see her in hospital, donate money and provide free transportation.

In his microblogs Zhang's father has also shown his deep love for his daughter, expressed his hopes that she will be cured and asked netizens to continue to spread this love.

On May 16, Zhang was honored as a national "role model woman" by the All-China Women's Federation. A total of 9.23 million yuan has been donated so far to cover her treatment costs, according to a local charity federation.

Zhang has undergone two successful surgeries and is currently in stable condition.

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