In Their Own Words — What Women Party Delegates Are Saying

Wang Yaping, the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk, and five other women delegates to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) shared inspiring stories — of their participation in scientific and technological innovation, poverty alleviation, rural revitalization and the promotion of revolutionary culture — during an interview, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, on October 16. Zhu Min, director of the Informatization and Industrialization Integration Research Institute, under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), and seven other women delegates shared their decades-long commitments in their respective workplaces during an interview, at the Great Hall of the People, on October 22.

Wang Yaping: Encourage More Young People to Join Space Industry

Wang, who has participated in two spaceflights, became the first woman astronaut to give lectures from China's Tiangong space station. She also set the record for the longest time living and working in space by a woman astronaut from China.

Wang said since she participated in her first space mission, on the Shenzhou X manned spacecraft in 2013, China has made great strides in its manned space program, and China has built its own space station.

Wang said she is looking forward to the participation of more young aspirants in China's space industry, especially as the country begins its fourth round of selecting and training reserve astronauts. She said she will always be prepared for more space missions, and she will always show her loyalty to the Party and the people.

Jiang Lijuan: Unite, Lead Villagers to Strive for a Better Life

Jiang Lijuan is Party secretary and head of Xiajiang Village, in Chun'an, a county in East China's Zhejiang Province. The village was a grassroots, working-liaison site of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, when he worked in Zhejiang many years ago.

Xiajiang, a former impoverished village, has blazed a trail in increasing the incomes and improving the livelihoods of residents through the integrated development of its agricultural, cultural and tourism sectors. It has accelerated the development of agritainment and homestay businesses, received a large number of visitors, and established a united Party committee with 24 neighboring villages for the realization of rural revitalization and common prosperity.

In 2021, the per-capita disposable annual income of villagers reached 46,959 yuan (US $6,708), almost 14 times the level recorded in 2003. In addition, a rising number of people are now employed locally, and many young people have returned to set up their own business ventures.

Jiang said Xiajiang will bear in mind the expectations of General Secretary Xi, and it will transform itself into a demonstration village of common prosperity.

Yang Yu: Chinese Revolutionary Culture Woos Many Young People

Yang Yu is director of the Publicity and Education Department of the Memorial of the First National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai. 

She has promoted the revolutionary stories and culture of the Party among domestic and international tourists during the past 22 years.

The past five years have witnessed the stable rise in the proportion of young people visiting the Memorial of the First National Congress of the CPC, with the number of visitors aged 35 or under registering a year-on-year growth of 23.6 percent in 2021.

Yang said the memorial has constantly adjusted and improved its communication methods in a drive to better share the Party's stories and its founding spirit, and to inject new vitality in the promotion of the revolutionary culture.

Zulhayat Ismayil: Hundreds of Thousands of Graduates Work in Xinjiang

Zulhayat Ismayil is deputy Party secretary and vice-president of Kashgar University in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. To support the economic and social development of Xinjiang, she returned to the region after she graduated from Peking University, with a doctoral degree, in 2008.

Ismayil has attended conferences of the United Nations Human Rights Council on many occasions to share with the world the true stories of Xinjiang, and to fight back against defamation and attacks from some Western countries in regards to the autonomous region.

During the interview, Ismayil shared the inspiring story of a young Uygur woman in Aksu, a prefecture in Xinjiang. After she graduated from middle school, the Uygur woman attended a vocational school, to study embroidery skills, and she later worked as an apprentice in an Urumqi-based garment factory. She has since founded an embroidery workshop in her hometown, and she has been leading women in creating a better life of financial independence.

Ismayil noted Xinjiang has made great progress in developing higher education over the past decade, and many residents have become living examples in demonstrating the importance of education to make a difference in their lives.

Graduates in the fields of linguistics, logistics and e-commerce are in great demand, and many recent graduates have landed jobs in Xinjiang since the autonomous region became a frontier area in the country's opening-up.

Ismayil said she will work with her colleagues to support the country's efforts in building a strong educational system.

Yang Ning: Build Hometown into a Beautiful, Prosperous Place

Yang Ning is Party secretary of Jiangmen Village, in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Yang recalled how many of the villagers had their doubts about what she would do for them when she became a village official after she graduated from Guangxi University 12 years ago.

She has since been recognized and praised by the villagers because she helped them shake off poverty, through her commitment and concrete actions.

The per-capita disposable annual income of the residents has registered a 10-fold increase compared with 12 years ago.

Dressed in the traditional clothing of the Miao ethnic group, Yang said she will intensify her efforts to transform the village into a beautiful and prosperous place in the years ahead.

Qian Suyun: More Young Talents to Care for Children, Teenagers' Health

Qian Suyun is honorary director of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Beijing Children's Hospital (National Center for Children's Health) Affiliated with Capital Medical University.

Over the past three decades, Qian has saved the lives of numerous children in critical condition, and she has given hope to their families with her medical skills and ethical standards.

Qian said China has promoted the establishment of national and regional children's medical centers, and it has adopted a hierarchical diagnosis system to expand the accessibility of high-quality medical resources at the grassroots level, and to push for the balanced development of grassroots hospitals.

Qian said a rising number of young people are expected to participate in the cause of children and teenagers' health, as society has shown full respect to the profession of doctors and attached more importance to health. The country has also adopted several policies and measures to promote the development of pediatrics.

Zhu Min: Boost Sci-tech Research and Innovation

Zhu has closely monitored the leapfrog growth of China's mobile communications technology from 3G to 5G, and she has experienced the integrated development of industrialization and digitalization during the past two decades.

Zhu said she will cooperate with other sci-tech workers in research and development, and innovation, and she will engage in frontier fields and forge strong momentum for enhancing the country's strength in manufacturing, cyberspace and digitalization.

Shi Yulian: Profit from Sci-tech Development in Agricultural Production

Shi Yulian is deputy Party secretary of Nanxia, a village in Xiajiang, a county in East China's Jiangxi Province. Like Yang, she has encountered distrust from villagers.

In 2013, through the support of a government-education program, Shi entered Jiangxi Agricultural University, at age 40, to study the technical skills used in planting rice.

Shi has since become an expert in the utilization of drones for agricultural production, ploughed more than 1,000 mu (66.67 hectares) of farmland, set up a professional cooperative of high-quality rice plantations, promoted the application of the latest technology among nearly 10,000 farmers in neighboring areas, and lead farmers in living a more prosperous life.

Shi said new agricultural technology has fundamentally increased the efficiency of her rice plantation, adding she will thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, lead her fellow villagers in developing agriculture, and help the country safeguard its food security.

Yang Langlang: Education Vital to the Future of a County, Nation

Yang Langlang is Party secretary and principal of Chongqing Renmin Primary School, in Southwest China's Chongqing. 

She stressed the importance of curiosity, bravery and responsibility when asked what kind of education has a positive and lifetime effect on children.

Curiosity, Yang replied, is a driving force for students to acquire knowledge, and to explore the unknown world, and children with a brave mind don't give up when they meet difficulties or setbacks. In fact, it is more likely they will assume greater responsibilities in adulthood if given such opportunities during childhood.

Yang called for efforts to help children foster virtues and morals in their daily lives, and she emphasized that education should be conducted in light of trivial and ordinary practices, since it is of vital importance to the future of China, and to the Chinese nation.

Zhang Yan: Party, Country Attach Importance to Revitalization of Traditional Opera

Zhang Yan is a first-class actress in the Sichuan Opera Troupe. She said Sichuan Opera, included among the first items on the national list of intangible cultural heritage, is both a special performing art, with five basic tunes, and a treasure of Chinese civilization.

Zhang said many traditional Chinese operas, including Sichuan Opera, have faced difficulties and challenges in achieving revitalization, and in winning back the hearts of audiences.

She added the Party and country have always attached great importance to the issue, and that notable achievements have been made in the protection of traditional culture since the 18th National Congress of the CPC.

Yang Yanfeng: Improved Transportation System Creates a Better Life for Rural People

Yang Yanfeng is a veteran bus driver with No 3 Company of Yinchuan Public Transport Co, Ltd.

Yang said she is proud to have driven the first bus to Minning Township in 2019, after her company established that route.

During the past two decades, Yang has treated her buses as an extension of her home, placed necessary medicines and other items on the buses, and made the utmost efforts to better serve her passengers.

Yang said bus services are now available in all villages in Minming, and that makes it is easier for residents to go shopping, find jobs and send their children to schools in the township and nearby cities.

Qi Hongfang: 42-fold Increase in Naked Carp in Qinghai Lake in a Decade

Qi Hongfang is vice-director of a research center dedicated to protecting naked carp in Qinghai Lake, in Northwest China's Qinghai Province. 

Naked carp, a special species of fish, is found only in Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake, and it is on the national list of endangered animals (the result of overfishing and environmental deterioration).

Thanks to the tremendous efforts by Qi and the research center, Qinghai Lake now has more than 100,000 tons of naked carp, about 42 times the figure from the early days of ecological preservation.

Qi said China will promote the building of Qilian Mountain National Park and Qinghai Lake National Park to strengthen the harmonious co-existence between humans and nature, and to achieve the coordinated development between environmental protection and economic and social development.

During her interview, Qi extended an invitation to all people to visit Qinghai.

Liu Li: Hold Energy Security Fast in China's Own Hands

Liu Li is a frontline worker in the oil-extraction plant of Daqing Oilfield, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

During the past two decades, Liu has worked hard, contributed more than 200 technological-innovation achievements and won 38 national- or provincial-level awards and titles.

Liu underscored sci-tech innovation in the sustainable development of the Daqing Oilfield, which has delivered more than 11,000 sci-tech results in the exploration of underground oil, pocketed three State science and technology advancement awards, and ranked first in the world for its advanced technologies in the exploration of sandstone oil and gas.

Liu has taken the lead in building a special office for technological innovation, and she has strengthened the capacity building in the exploration of oil and gas in a drive to help China hold energy security firmly in its own hands.

Peng Qiuxiang: Make Judicial Services Available to Grassroots People

Peng Qiuxiang is chief judge of No 1 sub-court reserved for the hearing of civil cases in Xinyi People's Court, in Maoming, a city in South China's Guangdong Province.

Peng, who comes from a rural family in the mountainous region, is committed to making justice and fairness reachable by all people. She understands people's longing for judicial services, especially those from remote areas. 

She believes it is important to traverse mountains to mediate trivial disputes, and to spend half a day sending a verdict to its plaintiffs and defendants.

Some 136 grassroots judicial service centers have been established in Maoming, to expand legal services. Peng noted she will continually uphold justice, facilitate the building of an equitable, efficient and authoritative judicial system of Chinese socialism, and ensure people fully feel justice and fairness prevails in each case.

(Source: Xinhua and China Women's News/Women of China English Monthly)