Shen Jilan, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), attended the opening ceremony of the third session of the 13th NPC in the Great Hall of the People on the morning of May 22. Photo: Xinhua

Shen Jilan, China's longest-serving lawmaker, passed away on Sunday, aged 91. 

Her death was confirmed by Guo Fenglian, Shen's former friend and head of Dazhai village, in North China's Shanxi Province, according to Beijing News. 

Born in 1929 in Pingshun county, Shanxi Province, Shen was the only National People's Congress (NPC) deputy in China who had served at all 13 previous NPCs since 1954, when she was only 25.

During her term as a deputy to NPC, which is China's top legislature, she had been actively promoting Chinese women's right to work, and successfully pushed for the inclusion of "equal pay for equal work" into the Constitution. 

Shen was awarded the Medal of the Republic in 2019, and was granted with titles such as "National Model Worker", "National Endeavour Award for Poverty Alleviation", "Excellent Member of the Communist Party of China", and "Pioneer of Reform".

Netizens from around the country expressed their condolences on the death of Shen, who used to be called "the living fossil of the NPC" or "Renda Huohuashi" in Chinese.

The comment section under the news on China's social media platform Sina Weibo was full with memorial candles.