Ahead of this year's International Women's Day, which falls on Thursday, China Daily reporters talked with six businesswomen who are also national legislators or political advisers, inviting them to share their stories and insight on the role of women in today's fast-changing society.
Question 1: As a female entrepreneur, do you view your gender as an advantage or disadvantage in your career?
Question 2: Have you read the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook? How do you like it? How do you balance work and family life?
Question 3: With more Chinese families having two children, an increasing number of women are returning to be housewives. What do you think of this?
Question 4: Although Chinese women enjoy a high political and social status, there’s still a long way to go to achieve gender equality. For example, there are far fewer female national legislators and political advisers than their male counterparts. What can we do to further raise the social status of Chinese women?
A1.I don’t think there are apparent differences that distinguish male and female entrepreneurs. The key is to have the responsibility for the business. To be more specific, what I need to do is to manage the quality of the products and build a good relationship with local residents.
A2.As a working mom, I cannot spend all my day with my 2-year-old daughter. I try to spend as much time as possible with her when I am not out on business trips. My husband and I try to take good care of her. If he’s not working, then he’s home with the kid.
A3.A stay-at-home-mom faces more challenges compared with a working mom. Staying at home means the wife needs to take care of kids and other family members all day long, and probably nothing about her day is hers. But the thing is, everyone might have a bad day every now and then. I think stay-at-home-moms need more emotional support and more understanding.
A4. Women now enjoy equal rights with men in many aspects, though women might naturally shoulder more responsibilities in Chinese society and they face more challenges in terms of work-life balance.
"Women now enjoy equal rights with men in many aspects, though women might naturally shoulder more responsibilities in Chinese society and they face more challenges in terms of worklife balance. I think stay-at-home moms need more emotional support and more understanding because they face more challenges compared with a working mom."
Yang Ying, president of Yalong Bay International Rose Valley in Sanya, Hainan province, brought flowers to her room after arriving in Beijing on Sunday, the day before the annual NPC session started.
She is a first-time deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature. Flowers gave her "a feeling of familiarity", as she has been devoted to her gardening career for more than 20 years.
After she graduated from college in 1995 in Shenyang, Liaoning province, the arts major decided not to follow the same path as her classmates and instead chose to turn her love of flowers into a career.
Yang spent two years studying planting in Shanghai, gained some experience and later moved to Sanya to start her company. She felt the tropical climate there was more suitable for planting roses, as the winter demand for the flowers in inland regions was hardly being met by the limited supply.
"It was not easy at all at the beginning, but it was worth the great effort," she said. "A lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance are needed to build a 'rose valley' from scratch."
With policy support from the local government, her company expanded at a fast pace. The rose valley she cultivated created many job opportunities, which significantly helped boost local employment.
Around 70 percent of her company's 600 employees are residents of the surrounding villages. They are responsible for planting and watering the roses, and providing accommodation to tourists.
In 2013, President Xi Jinping visited the rose valley, which Yang said gave her "great confidence".
Looking ahead, she has plans to develop the rose-processing industry related to rose planting, such as the processing of rose oil and rose water, and wants to attract more visitors to the rose valley.
"An initial public offering is not an option for the company," she said. "Making a greater contribution to lifting more people out of poverty and helping them lead better lives are my top concerns."
A1: Women are more attentive and empathetic. They are usually more concerned about their employees from a humanistic angle. Take me for example: I often organize activities for my staff members such as watching movies as well as prepare tea and refreshments for them. At the end of last year, we went to see Secret Superstar, an Indian musical. Moreover, we have many sports groups such as for marathon running. I love it, and it helps improve our willpower and concentration at work.
A2: I read this book a couple of years ago. Sheryl had a hard time. She has experience at all levels in the company (Facebook). But a happy family is as important as a successful career. A woman’s achievement is not only based on her career, but also on a harmonious family and well-educated children.
A3: This phenomenon is likely to happen, since education for children is very important. For example, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor) is a very good female leader, but she was willing to sacrifice her chance of promotion when her child was young. She knows how and when to make concessions. And there are many opportunities for full-time mothers if they want to work. It’s just a matter of determination, as our country has lots of encouraging policies.
A4: The social status of our women has greatly improved since the start of reform and opening-up. In cities in South China, the changes are more obvious. I remember a survey by the All-China Women’s Federation that showed 92 percent of women in China endorsed the concept of equal pay for equal work. As the nation has developed, the status of women has generally been enhanced.
"The social status of our women has greatly improved since the start of reform and opening-up. In cities in South China, the changes are more obvious. I remember a survey by the All-China Women's Federation that showed 92 percent of women in China endorsed the concept of equal pay for equal work. As the nation has developed, the status of women has generally been enhanced."
When Huang Xiqin took a job as an appraiser after graduating from university in 1992, her occupation was a strange concept to most Chinese people.
"On the Chinese mainland, there were no more than 100 appraisers," said Huang, chairwoman of Guozhonglian Appraisals and a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Shenzhen in Guangdong province, where her company is headquartered, was the first Chinese mainland city to introduce the value consulting industry thanks to the reform and opening-up policies launched in 1978. It was not until 1996 that such qualification examinations were made available nationwide, she said.
"We had to learn from our neighbor Hong Kong. At that time, many of the appraisal reports in Shenzhen were written in traditional Chinese characters, which are widely used in Hong Kong," Huang said.
Enthusiastic about the new industry, Huang devoted almost all of her time to studying and she went on to pass three of the qualification tests for appraisers between 1996 and 1998.
It was challenging. The test for asset appraisers, for example, requires knowledge on almost all items related to company balance sheets. One of the subjects is electromechanical engineering, and examinees must master all major indexes of large-scale equipment in China in order to pass, Huang said.
"I was so busy that I could only finish work at 8 pm. I'd go to the library and stay there studying until closing time. After going home, I continued studying until midnight," she said. "I kept going like this for more than seven years."
Though tired and having almost no time for entertainment, Huang said she was thankful for the reform and opening-up policy that enabled Shenzhen to pioneer in many aspects and allowed her company to develop.
With branches in at least 21 cities nationwide, Guozhonglian Appraisals, established in 1998, has seen its annual revenue increase by 20 percent a year on average.
Huang said a government plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area may soon be made public, and she has been thinking about how to contribute to the area's development with her expertise.
A1. At Deloitte, about 60 percent of employees are women and nearly 40 percent of partners are women. The percentage is very high. We have the Deloitte Women of Impact program to help female employees be more confident and enjoy different roles in life. To encourage employees to develop their careers at the same time as taking care of their families, we provide many flexible working arrangements.
A2. I actually don’t like being asked this question. To me, it’s already a discrimination. Why are men not asked about how they balance life and work. My life and work is in harmony. I enjoy every role in my life. Don’t consider it stress being a mom, a wife and a professional. Enjoy each role as men do.
A3. Being a full-time mom is fully acceptable in China. It’s a personal choice. If a mom decides to spend more time with her children and put her work life on hold, it’s totally fine. For example, a colleague in my team decided to spend more time with her newborn, so I suggested a part-time arrangement and flexible working hours. But she turned that down and chose to be with her baby, which is perfectly fine. We know she’ll return to the workplace after a period of time.
A4. For me, it is always about merit, confidence and personal choice. For example, when Deloitte promotes partners, performance is what matters, not gender. Also, sometimes when we talk to female employees about promotion, they turn it down because they want to spend more time at home with their family. It’s their choice, and I respect that.
"At Deloitte, about 60 percent of employees are women and nearly 40 percent of partners are women. The percentage is very high. We have the Deloitte Women of Impact program to help female employees be more confident and enjoy different roles in life. To encourage employees to develop their careers at the same time as taking care of their families, we provide many flexible working arrangements."
Jiang Ying sees herself as a link between the private sector and the government.
Jiang, who is a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy CEO of Deloitte China, said, "My roles are never in conflict."
As a professional, Jiang specializes in tax, understands business and is familiar with the practices within that sphere. As a national political adviser, she has the opportunity to relay issues and questions raised by enterprises to the government, which can help create a more friendly environment for businesses.
Her proposals are about enterprises' long-term sustainable development as well as the development and evaluation of charity organizations to ensure they are trustworthy.
"I see myself as a bridge between the government and business," Jiang said. "By accumulating information on practices and questions, from a micro level, it can serve as research for the government to improve regulations."
Being deputy CEO of Chinese operations for Deloitte－a global professional services company－means Jiang's diary is always full. "I normally get up at 6 am. After preparing breakfast for my child, my day usually starts at 7:30, when conference calls start to come in," she said.
Jiang spends one-third of her time dealing with client matters, one-third on managing the company, and the rest out in the field, including serving in her role as a political adviser.
Regarding time management, the mother of two said the key is not to make time, but to arrange it properly based on the top priority.
For example, Jiang once set a goal to lose weight and arranged to exercise for one hour daily during lunch.
"When it was on the calendar, my assistant knew not to plan anything for me during that hour," she said. "This is the key, to arrange time for yourself, otherwise people will always schedule your life for you."
In 1990, while in her junior year at Fudan University in Shanghai, Jiang decided to transfer to the United States to study business and accounting.
"I wanted to go out to see a bigger world," she said. She joined Deloitte's office in Atlanta in 1995, and has since spent 23 years with the company based in Atlanta, New York and Shanghai.
She returned to China in 2000. At the time, Deloitte China had fewer than 300 employees－but today it has about 15,000.
A1: Women entrepreneurs may attract public attention more easily. But when it comes to difficulties, it is the same for both genders. Women need to be as stress-tolerant as their male peers. I’m working under great pressure. I get up before 6 am and go to sleep at 1 am. Working overtime is normal for me. Dealing with social pressures as well as family responsibilities is challenging for women.
A2: The balance has to be achieved with support from their families. I’m very grateful to my husband and my daughter. My husband has 20 years working experience in science and engineering and he gave me lots of ideas for my work. My daughter is also supportive of my career. Since she is in her adolescence, whenever she wants to talk to me, I’ll call her even if I’m at work.
A3: I’ve never been an advocate of full-time mothers. Regardless of how much pressure mothers bear in the family, I do not agree with that. It is critical for family harmony that women have a good career.
A4: There’s still employment discrimination toward women. As all families in China can have two children now, many women need to take more time off for maternity leave and their work efficiency may drop during pregnancy and the lactation period. It will make employers think twice before hiring a woman as companies are profit-driven. The government should carry out more supportive policies for mothers as well as enterprises.
"There's still employment discrimination toward women. As all families in China can have two children now, many women need to take more time off for maternity leave and their work efficiency may drop during pregnancy and the lactation period. It will make employers think twice before hiring a woman as companies are profit-driven. The government should carry out more supportive policies for mothers as well as enterprises."
How long does it take to make a prototype of an unmanned aerial vehicle after it is designed? The answer, according to Cheng Jing, general manager of Zhongguancun I-M-Way, is as little as seven hours.
Cheng is confident of her answer as I-M-Way－a hub for intelligent manufacturing in Beijing's high-tech Zhongguancun Science Park－has assembled companies for the whole industry chain, from agile manufacturing, industrial design and production to technology services and marketing.
"Even if there are problems with the design, the time needed to see a sample UAV will be no more than a week, as our structural engineers can help adjust the design," she said.
Cheng's business was launched about 18 months ago after two years of preparation. She said it is now home to 112 enterprises and has provided services for over 20,000 more.
Progress has not come easy, however. "I've been under great pressure since I started the project," she said. "I seldom get to bed before 1 am, and I need to get up every day at 5:40 am."
Cheng, who is a member of the 13th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the idea of establishing I-M-Way came after she and her husband found it was difficult for much of the research from Chinese institutes to be transformed for market application.
It was difficult to put the venture into practice at first. She had to visit many companies in Zhongguancun to persuade them to make prototypes in her laboratory, and she said it has been difficult to earn revenue because it takes time to make original technology ready for the market.
Yet Cheng said she would like to continue because of her passion and confidence for the real economy, as well as her interest in the development of cutting-edge technology.
In the proposal she plans to submit to the CPPCC National Committee, she has suggested the government establish a technological achievements transfer and transformation platform.
Initially, she said, it should start in Beijing, considering the large number of universities and scientific research institutes in the capital. But then it can be extended to other cities with abundant scientific research resources, such as Shanghai.
A1.A good investment manager needs to be an independent thinker, and better yet to be a contrarian thinker. He or she also needs to be strong minded, not moved by greed and swayed by fear. I don’t think there is definite difference in the above matters between genders. As a successful investment manager or an entrepreneur, you need to find your own principle and then stick to your principle. Meanwhile, you should possess good communication skills. Female leaders have an advantage in these respects. With the rapid development of technology, women should play a bigger role as mental strength will become more important than physical strength in modern society.
A2.I agree with “Lean In”, which means women need to take a step bravely. To be stronger, women don’t need act like men. As a Chinese saying goes, softness can overcome the hardest. The characteristic of a person with a successful career is perseverance, when women meet difficulties, they have a great tenacity and go through the hard times. A stern look and firm face could let you look very powerful, but doesn’t mean you are really strong.
A3.It is perfectly OK to be a stay-at-home mom. We should make the most appropriate choice based on our family situation and working conditions. With the advancement of the internet and artificial intelligence, people can get in the workforce and get out of the workforce, and then come back again. Even though women have looked after children for several years, they can always return as long as they are healthy. I support this kind of mom.
A4. The status of Chinese women is relatively high. They have a big influence in society and family. Education is important for enhancing Chinese women’s status. If they get better education and training, they could obtain more financial independence. Moreover, people’s traditional perspective should be changed. The enhancement of women’s status is related to people’s perspectives. If people think women shouldn’t do things, such as pursuing a career, women will face many obstacles. Third, women should change their own perception and think independently.
"The status of Chinese women is relatively high. They have a big influence in society and family. Education is important for enhancing Chinese women's status. If they get better education and training, they could obtain more financial independence. Moreover, people's traditional perspective should be changed. The enhancement of women's status is related to people's perspectives. If people think women shouldn't do things, such as pursuing a career, women will face many obstacles."
Having witnessed great reforms and innovations in China's financial market in the past 30 years, Zhao Haiying, chief risk officer of China Investment Corp and board director of China International Capital Co Ltd, has her own understanding of risk management and investment.
"As a chief risk officer, you need to be able to think independently and be mentally strong and sharp-eyed," said Zhao, who is a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Having gained a bachelor's degree in engineering from Tianjin University in 1984, Zhao received a doctoral degree in economics in 1992 from the University of Maryland in the United States.
"I wanted to make more contributions to the motherland, so I came back," Zhao said, adding that the rapid growth of China's economy has created many opportunities.
She once was deputy director of securities issuance supervision at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, participating in and witnessing major reforms in the country's initial public offerings sector.
While on the board of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, she also took part in the bank's shareholding reform and listing matters. "These are the epitome of great changes in China's financial industry," she said.
In her proposal to the CPPCC National Committee, Zhao suggested introducing a Chinese depositary receipt, which can be traded on the country's stock exchanges, to attract or retain technology and innovative enterprises in the home market.
This can promote supply-side reform in the capital market and give Chinese investors access to companies with good growth, she said.
"At present, the structure of investors is not diversified, the proportion of institutional investors is relatively small, and long-term institutional investors are insufficient, which may lead to speculation and distortion of the market's function in equity pricing and capital resource allocation," Zhao said.
The move would help domestic investors learn about high-tech innovative companies gradually, and benefit the development of institutional investors and improvement in the capital market, she added.
A1. In the first years of my career in the car industry, being a woman actually brought me some difficulties because in the early 1990s, almost all management positions in the industry were occupied by men and I spent a lot of time getting familiar with rules and norms in this male-dominated business environment. But now I am convinced that there may be some advantages in being a female executive in this field – we, as women, have greater attention to detail and a keener sense when it comes to consumption and market trends.
A2. There is no such a thing as an “absolute balance” between work and life. You have to choose which side is worth more input. I don’t think working hard will inevitably affect a woman’s family life as long as she can allocate enough love to her family members. I am positive that most families would understand and support a woman that pursues her career aspirations.
A3. I respect every member of my gender, no matter whether she is a full-time housewife or an office worker. Each of us has our own path.
A4. It is not an exaggeration to say that nowadays most women in China are treated equally. This is really a remarkable achievement for our country and can’t be easily achieved in many other nations.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that nowadays most women in China are treated equally. This is really a remarkable achievement for our country and can't be easily achieved in many other nations. I don't think working hard will inevitably affect a woman's family life. I respect every member of my gender, no matter whether she is a full-time housewife or an office worker. Each of us has our own path."
Wang Fengying, a national legislator and leading figure in the automotive industry, has suggested the central government encourage local authorities to scrap protectionist policies that hinder growth of the new energy vehicle sector.
Many local governments have set regulatory barriers to deny market access to NEV producers registered elsewhere, according to Wang, general manager of Great Wall Motor and a deputy to the National People's Congress.
"For instance, some regions have made a kind of entry list to deter automakers from other places that want to enter their market," she said. "They also ask automakers to set up manufacturing plants there, and those that refuse can face difficulties when their NEVs enter that market."
Such protectionist measures compromise the competitiveness of carmakers in local markets, reducing the incentives for companies to progress, which affects customers, Wang said.
Moreover, she added, some authorities have failed to correctly and adequately implement the central government's subsidy policies, resulting in confusion among enterprises.
In response to these problems, she has called on the central government to start by ordering local authorities to abolish policies or regulations at odds with those published by national-level departments.
She said the central government should also strengthen supervision of how local authorities implement policies and regulations on NEVs.
In addition, Wang suggested local departments be encouraged to cancel subsidies for customers who buy such vehicles and instead use the money to subsidize customers' payment of recharging costs and highway tolls.
People should also be given assistance to install charging equipment in their communities to facilitate greater use of NEVs, she added.
China has been the largest market for NEVs since 2015, when it overtook the United States, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Nearly 800,000 Chinese-made NEVs were sold to domestic and overseas buyers last year, up 50 percent year-on-year, while the country now has at least 1.6 million NEVs on its roads, the ministry's data show.
A total of 38,470 NEVs were sold in January, surging 431 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, which predicts more than 2 million Chinese-made NEVs will be sold worldwide in 2020.
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