On the eve of International Women's Day (on March 8), the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) named 10 women the "Most Beautiful Women Strivers." 

They were: Huang Huilin, Zhang Ronghua, Ke Xiaobin, Zhang Yufei, Su Qin, Shi Yulian, Liu Juyan, Hui Minli, Fu Qiaomei and Zuo Li. They were also named National March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters. They have made outstanding achievements, and they have created better lives for the people with unremitting efforts. In this edition, Women of China English Monthly is offering a glimpse of some of the women's experiences.

Cultivating Talents, Spreading Chinese Culture

"Teaching has become a part of my life. I will continue to explore the best way of teaching, and I will give care to students, with every effort, for the rest of my life," says Huang Huilin, a senior professor and head of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture, under Beijing Normal University (BNU). Born in 1934, Huang was a soldier with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). 

After the war, she resumed her education, in Beijing, and in 1958 she graduated from BNU's Chinese Language Department. Since then, she has worked as a teacher at the university. During the past six decades, she has taught many courses, including literature, drama, film, communication and cultural theories. 

In 1992, Huang was designated head of BNU's Arts Department, and she was given the responsibility for establishing the university's film and television arts education program. She highlighted the quality of teaching and research — and the importance of practice — in arts education. 

She also led efforts to establish the Beijing College Student Film Festival. The festival, held annually since 1993, has become an important platform for students to put their learning into practice. In 1995, Huang became the first doctoral supervisor in film studies in China. 

Huang has always been dedicated to integrating the essence of Chinese culture into China's film and television program production, and she has long promoted international cultural communication and cooperation. In the era of new media, she has advocated the use of various forms of communication to effectively spread fine Chinese traditional culture to the world.

Serving Country, Fulfilling Corporate Social Responsibility

"Serving the country by operating businesses is my firm belief and original aspiration," says Zhang Ronghua, chairperson of Tianjin Rockcheck Group. 

Zhang and her husband, Zhang Xiangqing, started their business from scratch in 1988. The company, with nearly 10,000 employees, never wavers from the path of high-quality development. Their company is one of the top 500 private enterprises in China. 

Zhang Ronghua, who is also president of China Women's Chamber of Commerce, always tells women entrepreneurs in China the promotion of gender equality is an important part of their corporate social responsibilities. The chamber organizes forums, online courses and salons to help improve the all-round capabilities of women entrepreneurs. 

To help promote equal employment for women, Zhang Ronghua has called on enterprises to regulate their recruitment procedures. 

She has led her company in promoting the digital, and smart, development of intangible-cultural-heritage-related industries. Tianjin Rockcheck Group has offered services, such as entrepreneurship training and applications for funding support, to women college students, especially those who intend to start a business in the intangible cultural heritage industry. 

Under Zhang Ronghua's leadership, Rockcheck Puji Foundation in 2020 donated US $1 million (about 7.1 million yuan) to UN Women. The money was used to launch a program that has supported women recovering from economic losses resulting from COVID-19. 

The program has benefited more than 550 women-owned, small- or medium-sized enterprises, and approximately 6,000 women employees. The program has also provided 600 hours of free online services, and 50 courses, to help improve women's entrepreneurial abilities. 

Based on the program, in 2021, the foundation and UN Women China produced She Bounces Back: Stories of COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery from China's Women. The publication recorded Chinese women's efforts to help prevent and control the epidemic, and also their stories of recovering from the impacts of the pandemic.

Guarding 'Neurons' of China's High-Speed Railways 

"I will continue innovating and developing professional skills at my post. I hope more young women will join the team of highly skilled workers, and they will hold the belief of serving the country with their skills. Women technicians should unite in boosting China's strength in transportation," says Ke Xiaobin. 

Ke is a senior technician with Shenyang Railway Signal Co., Ltd. (SYRSC, in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province), under CRSC (Xi'an) Rail Transit Industry Group Co., Ltd. (based in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province). 

In 2003, then-20-something Ke began working in one of SYRSC's workshop where workers adjusted relays. Ke says if one compares the signal-control system of a high-speed railway to a person's "central nervous system," the numerous relays are the "neurons" of the railway control system, which guarantees the railway's safe operation. 

During the past 21 years, Ke has placed an incredible amount of effort into practicing and honing her skills. Ke even set a record by adjusting 1,360 relays within a month. 

Ke has also made outstanding achievements in technical innovation. In 2017, she established a model worker's studio. The studio's members yielded, under Ke's guidance, fruitful results through their unremitting efforts. For example, the members solved 31 technically difficult problems, they scored more than 45 innovative achievements, and they obtained several national patents for their techniques (used to adjust relays). 

Ke has patiently taught her skills and experiences to her fellow workers. Among her 50 apprentices, five have won the title of National Excellent Skilled Worker.

Showcasing 'Vigorous Spirit of the Chinese Nation'

"We will practice hard … for the coming Paris Olympic Games, and we will showcase the vigorous spirit of the Chinese nation, with perfect performances, during each world-level event," says Zhang Yufei, an athlete with Nanjing Sport Institute. 

With an obvious talent for swimming, Zhang began professional training in the sport when she was 5. Given her outstanding performance during the 17th Games of Jiangsu Province (in 2010), she was selected to the provincial team in 2011. Two years later, she joined the national team. 

Zhang's first Olympic experience was not pleasant. During the Rio 2016 Olympics, she was too nervous, and she finished sixth in the 200-meter butterfly. Although she was disappointed with the result, she didn't give up. 

In 2017, Cui Dengrong became her coach, and he helped her improve, through new training methods. In 2018, Zhang claimed the gold medal in the women's 200-meter butterfly, and she helped China win the mixed 4x100- meter medley relay during the 18th Asian Games, in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Zhang won the 200-meter butterfly, and she set an Olympic record in 2:03.86. Zhang and her teammates also won — and set a world record (7:40.33) — the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. 

Zhang's success continued in 2023. She won her first gold medal of the world aquatics championships, in Fukuoka, Japan, and she won nine gold medals during the World University Games, in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Saving Lives, Serving Public

"Whenever we put on the uniforms (of rescuers), we realize we must practice our skills hard, and be ready any time. When we are rescuing people, our uniform makes them feel safe," says Su Qin, head of Hefei (in East China's Anhui Province) branch of Blue Sky Rescue Team. 

Su joined Hefei's Blue Sky rescue team in 2012. As she had good command of various skills, including diving, first aid and operating a boat, she was named captain of the team in 2015. She has completed nearly 300 rescue missions, and the team has grown to more than 500 members. 

In July 2020, heavy rains caused flooding in many regions in Anhui. Su led her team in rescuing 824 people, and in evacuating 517 trapped residents. 

In February 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey. Su and 14 members of her team flew to the quake-affected area. She and her teammates worked day and night searching for survivors. During the seven-day mission, Su's teammates adhered to strict discipline, and they never gave up when they faced difficulties. The team won the respect and trust of the Turkish people. 

Su has planned and implemented several volunteer-service projects, and she has personally spent more than 5,000 hours performing volunteer services. Since 2017, she and her teammates have given a combined 1,000 public lectures, in schools and villages, aimed at teaching people how to avoid drowning. Some 500,000 people have learned about drowning prevention, and how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, from those lectures.

Promoting Rural Revitalization Through Technology-Based Agriculture

"I will lead villagers in contributing our strength to securing the food supply of the country," says Shi Yulian, Deputy Party Secretary and President of the Women's Federation of Nanxia, a village in Xiajiang, a county in East China's Jiangxi Province. 

Prior to working in agricultural production, Shi operated various businesses. In 2013, through the support of a government-education program, she entered Jiangxi Agricultural University, at age 40, to study the technical skills used in planting rice. 

Shi used the skills she learned to plant rice, and in short order she had a good harvest. She wanted her fellow villagers to live better lives, so she taught them the rice-planting skills. She also established a cooperative of high-quality rice plantations, and she promoted the application of advanced technologies among nearly 10,000 farmers in neighboring villages. 

The entire process of rice planting in her village is now mechanized, and Shi is able to manage more than 1,000 mu (66.67 hectares) of farmland, by operating a drone. 

Shi has cooperated with the team led by Zhu Youyong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, in the research and application of upland-rice-planting technologies. 

In 2023, Shi led villagers in planting nearly 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of corn, sugar cane and watermelons. As a result, villagers' incomes have increased.

Boosting TCM Industry Through Innovation

"However hard it is, I will continue moving forward, along the way of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. I will strive to build a hub for the innovation of TCM in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area, and I will spend the rest of my life advancing the Healthy China Initiative," says Liu Juyan, deputy general manager and chief engineer of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited (GPHL). 

Since Liu joined GPHL, in 2001, she has led her team in making breakthroughs in core technological research. The team has used various extracting technologies, and it has solved the difficulty of industrialized production of liposome materials used for TCM products in China. 

Led by Liu, GPHL in 2007 established the National Engineering Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Process Technology and New Drug Innovation. 

Liu has combined scientific innovation with industrial development. She and her team have conducted systematic management of the planting of herbs, and they have conducted in-depth research and development to improve the effects of medicines produced by GPHL. 

Liu has stuck to the strategy of driving the company's high-quality development through scientific and technological innovation. She has helped GPHL become the leader of a strategic alliance for technological innovation of high-quality TCM products. The alliance has pooled the quality resources of top TCM colleges and research institutes, and it has helped enterprises enhance their abilities to produce high-quality TCM products, and to promote their global competitiveness. 

Liu has made unremitting efforts to build a unique innovative talent system for GPHL. Now, the company has an expert team, composed of academicians in medicine, a key common technology research and development team, and a team responsible for industrialization of research results.

Developing, Performing Qinqiang Opera for the People

"I will always remember the principle that 'Art is from the people, and for the people.' Our troupe will always stage Qinqiang Opera (a traditional Chinese opera popular in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province) performances for grassroots audiences, and we will continue developing Qinqiang, to keep it thriving," says Hui Minli, secretary of the Party branch and general manager of Xi'an Yisushe Co., Ltd. (Yisushe).

Hui began learning Qinqiang Opera when she was 11. During the past 40 years, she has performed several classical roles. Her excellent performing skills, and her unique understanding of women characters, have won her wide recognition. 

In 2009, Hui was named head of the troupe, making her the first woman leader in the troupe's century-long history. Since then, Hui and her colleagues have performed Qinqiang Opera in front of more than 10 million viewers, in nearly 100 cities in China. 

Under Hui's leadership, Yisushe has inherited Qinqiang classics, and the company has created many new works. Hui attaches importance to the cultivation of young performers. She has guided young performers in pursuing both professional excellence and moral integrity. 

Hui has led her team in exploring new forms of performing Qinqiang Opera. They have adopted modern technologies to create innovative, attractive performances. Hui has also taken the lead in establishing both Yisushe Cultural Academy and a cultural block for promoting Qinqiang Opera. She has organized public lectures about Qinqiang Opera in several universities, in Xi'an and Beijing. 

To better protect and develop Qinqiang Opera, Hui, a deputy to Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress, proposed and participated in the drafting of Shaanxi's regulation on the protection, inheritance and development of Qinqiang Opera. The regulation took effect on January 1, 2022.

Deciphering Ancient Human DNA, with Passion

"I hope all women scientific and technological workers will remain curious, set no limits and never give up in research," says Fu Qiaomei, a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

In 2023, Fu received the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, for her original work in establishing the genetic history of early humans on the Eurasian continent (through the study of ancient genomes). 

Fu became the first Chinese scientist to receive the prize. Fu has been working on paleogenetics, specifically exploring human origins and evolution with ancient DNA. She has published 63 SCI (Science Citation Index) papers in major international journals including Nature and Science.

Experimental techniques play a significant role in ancient genome research. It is extremely difficult to extract DNA from the remains of fossils and human remains that date back thousands of years. Fu and her team have made unremitting efforts to develop experimental techniques, and over time they have made it possible to extract ancient human DNA — a very small amount — from soil microbes. 

The team's achievement has showcased China's ability to conduct independent scientific research and technical innovation. 

Fu has promoted scientific popularization, by sharing her research results during public lectures. Her lectures have helped the public learn about human origins, and about human evolution.

Sources: Publicity Department of the ACWF and China Women's News

(Women of China Enligh Monthly April 2024)