Beijing Women's Federation

Participants pose for a group photo

Participants visit local urban planning hall, a culture center and an agricultural company

Participants pose for pictures

On September 19, Beijing Women's Federation (BWF)welcomed a six-member delegation of the San Francisco Bay Area China Council for the Promotion ofPeaceful National Reunification from the United States, in Tongzhou District, Beijing.

This delegation was headed byChi Zhouqi, wife of renowned leader of overseas Chinese Chi Honghu. They intended to visit women-oriented projects in Beijing sub-center and surrounding villages to learn about the living conditions of women and the work of local women's federations.

In a planning exhibition hall of Beijing sub-center, the delegation learned Tongzhou District's history, changes in itsplanning concepts foreco-friendliness and inclusiveness,and three functional orientations of administration, business service and culture and tourism through a sand table model and a promotional video.

Seeing the current construction of Tongzhou, especially the district's green center, they couldn't help praising the beauty of its greenery and modernization and took pride in China's ambition and strengthin building a millennial city which completely matches this era.

The delegation also went to Tongzhou Women's HomeatTongzhou Canal Academy, for a visit to a painting and calligraphy exhibition which was held tomark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). They feltthat thoseworks of overseas Chinese and professional artists embodied their praise to the motherland and the flourishing age.

In the academy's traditional culture classroom, overseas Chinese club and a lion dance museum, members of the delegation well recognized the academy's efforts in promoting Chinese traditional culture through various ways. While admiring how profound Chinese culture is, they felt that "Culture revitalizes the country and makes the nation strong".

The delegation also visited Beijing Hua'erduoduo Flower Fairy Agricultural Co Ltd, a Beijing women's exchange and communication demonstration base. Tongzhou District Women's Federation held an exhibition of the accomplishment of the "double learning and double competition" campaign over the past 30 years.The campaign aims to encourage women to make achievements and contribution through learning.

Members of the delegation communicated with womenentrepreneursand "Beijing Qiaoniang", orBeijing Smart Lady (who are skillful in making handicrafts). They inquired aboutSmart Lady representatives and the representatives fromdemonstration bases for women's development, wishing to know how they found ideas from local resources ofTongzhou, how they incorporated these ideas into the design and creation of handicrafts, and how they refined crafts and reduced production costs to finally realize mass production, as well as how they harnessed their talent and helped more women to become rich.

Through communication the delegationcomprehended how women's federations at all levels in Beijing supported women in starting businesses and finding jobs.

They also learned that in the past 30 years, a total of 125 women's entrepreneurship and development bases joining the campaign were established in Tongzhou.More than250,000 women were brought to develop the family-basedeconomy, over 900,000 women benefited from training, and about 400,000 women found their job. Significant economic and social effects were achieved.

The delegates all agreed that China is becoming better and the world has seen China's significant achievements in the past 70 years. Through this visit back to China, the delegation witnessed that their motherland is prosperous and strong. They had a stronger sense of patriotism and cultural confidence in their heart. A mutual consensus was reached that they should harness women's wisdom and strength, take part in social and economic development and contribute more to advancing social development and progress and the nation's strength and rejuvenation.

Chen Jianghua, Head of the CPC Tongzhou DistrictCommittee's Organization Department,head of the Division of American and Oceanian Affairs of Liaison Department of the All-China Women's Federation, heads of Beijing Women's International Center and Tongzhou District Women's Federation joined the tour.