Yu Boya delivers a speech at a testimonial recognizing role models at the Xiaoshan Culture Center in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Aug 3. [Photo/ori.hangzhou.com.cn]

A woman named Yu Boya in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, and her relatives were honored as a 'Civilized Family' at a testimonial recognizing role models at the Xiaoshan Culture Center on Aug 3.

Yu, who was born in the 1990s, had in March donated the 200,000 yuan ($28,640) which she intended to spend on her wedding ceremony to epidemic relief efforts.

During the ceremony, Yu delivered a speech sharing her feelings about winning the prize.

"We never expected that what is considered a tiny bit of help in our eyes would attract so much attention from society," Yu said. "We have received more blessings from this than the wedding ceremony itself."

Yu said that she and her family members have been deeply touched by the medics who have been working tirelessly in the fight against the epidemic. As such, everyone in her family, including her then fiancé, agreed with her proposal to donate the wedding funds.

"Like what my mother said, 200,000 yuan is a large sum for a working family like us. But this amount is nothing compared with the sacrifices made by the medics, who have been risking their lives to protect us," said Yu.