A determined little girl walked 40 minutes in the evening in the hope that a neighbour she had only met once could help her with her homework.

The story came to light when a woman, named only as Mrs Ran, from Chongqing municipality in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, posted a message online saying she was amazed when a child she only remembered meeting once suddenly turned up on her doorstep.

She said: “She was carrying her school books, apologised for disturbing me and asked if I could help with homework.”

The woman said that the girl had been unable to seek help earlier because she had been working in the fields with her family, and her mother, who had not completed basic education, was unable to answer the questions that had been posed in her online classes.

Determined not to fall behind, she then picked up the books and wandered 40 minutes down the road to the nearest neighbour in the hope of getting assistance.

Mrs Ran admitted that she found the questions a bit tough as well and, in the end, had asked her younger brother, who was able to show the girl how to do the problems.

She then asked her father to go with her to make sure that the girl, who was not named but is in the third grade, arrived back home safely.

She added: “When she arrived, it was getting dark. I was very surprised to see she had managed to come all that way to me alone. She clearly likes learning very much.”

Many online commentators were amazed at the girl’s determination, with one saying: “You can see that she has a strong desire to learn. I hope that she manages to stay the course.”