Beijing Women's Federation

A group photo of officials from the two sides during the meeting

The German delegation tours Langyuan Vintage CreativeCultural Park

The Beijing Women's Federation (BWF) held a meeting with a nine-person German women's delegation in Lang Park Cultural Vintage Town in the district of Chaoyang in the capital city on November 18.

The German delegation was led by Ursula Mannle, Chairman of the German Hanns Seidel Foundation (Hanns Seidel Stiftung), and former Minister of the Federal Officeof Bavaria.

As an affiliated organization of the Christian Social Union, one of the major political parties in Germany, the Hanns Seidel Foundation has become an important channel through which the ACWF can hold exchanges and dialogues with German women. The two sides have held frequent visits and conducted fruitful cooperation in many female-oriented projects over the past few years.

In addition, the BWF held talks with the Hanns Seidel Foundation delegation on household services industries and female-oriented entrepreneurship and employment during their previous visits to China in 2015 and 2017.

Members of the visiting delegation are mainlyinfluential female politicians in Germany. The main purpose of their latest visit was to learn more about the progress of women-oriented entrepreneurship projects and conduct exchanges with their Chinese counterparts on the development of women's affairs and employment in the two nations.

The delegation toured the Langyuan Vintage Creative Cultural Park, which was rebuilt on the site of former factories and has been equipped with a reading room, a theatre, a restaurantand a self-service fitness center. Over 80 percent of incubated programs there have been design-related projects by women.

During the tour to Hyland Incubator, a supplier of big data services, the delegation was deeply impressed by the "visualized topics of smog" and the presentation of fans of domestic smartphone maker Xiaomi. Along with the cozy environment and diverse utility of spaceat Ideapod, a multifunctional office area, the concepts of design and innovation ofits female founder also left them with a positive impression.

Moreover, the delegation talked with founders of the H7 Jewelry and other women's projects about the integration of classics and tradition with innovation and future in its business operations.

For her part, Mannle fully affirmed the work done by the primary-level women's federations in Beijing to assist local women in entrepreneurship and employment. She said that she could feel the remarkable development of China each time she visited the country, adding that the business experience of Beijing’s female entrepreneurs and their unique role in China’s modernization drive hold lessons for their German counterparts.

During the visit, officials from two sides reached an agreement on further strengthening innovative and pragmatic exchanges and cooperation amongst women in the two countries in a new era.

Those in attendance at the event included Lu Yamin, Deputy Director-General of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) Liaison Department andhead of the department's Europe Division; and officials from Beijing Women's International Center and the Women's Federation of Chaoyang District.