From farmlands to factories, and now to smart CNC workshops, time has unfolded a remarkable story of women’s empowerment in China. And a key starting point of this story traces back to Beijing.
by Li Qian
In a bright, dust-free smart workshop in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, the air hums with the rhythm of machines. Young women focus intently on computer screens, their fingers clicking swiftly. Lines of code cascade before their eyes, while nearby, a massive robotic arm responds in perfect sync-bending, cutting, and shaping heavy steel bars with precision.
This is the Yangfang State-Level Skill Studio, named after a female computer numerical control (CNC) operator, Yangfang, at a CNC factory of Jiangnan Industries Group Corp. Different from the workers of the past, Yangfang and her colleagues have a new name: the “Numerical Control Girls of Hunan.”
Such a scene would have been unimaginable in the male-dominated construction sites in the past days. For many of these young women, their grandmothers’ greatest hope was simply to sustain their families through farming. Their mothers, the generation of the 1970s, ventured beyond their hometowns to work on assembly lines, becoming the living embodiment of the slogan that “women hold up half of the sky.”
From farmlands to factories, and now to smart CNC workshops, time has unfolded a remarkable story of women’s empowerment in China. And a key starting point of this story traces back to Beijing.
A SEED PLANTED IN BEIJING, THIRTY YEARS AGO
The “Numerical Control Girls of Hunan” may not be aware of it, but in 1995, a gathering that would shape their destiny and that of millions of women worldwide took place in Beijing — the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. It was there that delegates from over 190 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
This was more than a document, it was a promise and a seed of change. Phrases like “Women’s rights are human rights” and the call to “mainstream a gender perspective in all policies and programs” were revolutionary. The Declaration sketched a future for the Yangfangs everywhere: where girls would not only be visible but empowered to choose; not only participate but lead. Thirty years is enough for the seed to grow into a forest.
SKY AND MOUNTAINS — ENDURING DREAM AND UNWAVERING RESOLVE
In this forest, countless stories have blossomed, forming a grand symphony.
The highest notes sing of the stars. When astronaut Wang Yaping, in her spacesuit, floated out of the Tiangong space station, she had the cosmos behind and the Earth below. As China’s first female space-walker and “space-teacher,” she ignited scientific passion in countless young girls across the nation. Her journey proclaims that the sky is not the limit — their frontier can be the sea of stars.
The deepest notes echo from the mountains. While Wang Yaping explores the universe, deep in the mountains of Yunnan, Zhang Guimei founded China’s first free public high school for girls. With love and persistence, she has guided over 2,000 girls from impoverished families into universities. Her story affirms that the light of education must reach every corner, especially where it is needed most.
While the stories of Wang and Zhang represent grand epics of ambition and devotion, another revolution, quieter but equally profound, is unfolding in the digital world.
FINGERTIPS, CODE, AND THE WORLD — THE NEW BALLAD OF “CYBER MULANS”
In 2025, at the Bund Conference in Shanghai, a forum on “Cyber Mulan” captured global attention. The modern-day Mulans wear no armor — their weapons are smartphones and algorithms.
At their fingertips, distant heritage transforms into tangible income. Take Zhangyun, a Miao ethnic minority woman from a village in Guizhou Province. She inherits the ancient art of Batik dyeing, yet her exquisite creations were once hidden gems. Today, through e-commerce and live-streaming, she shares the stories behind each traditional pattern with a global audience. Orders pour in. Zhangyun has not only secured her own livelihood but also organized dozens of local women into a cooperative, lifting the fortunes of many women and their families.
Zhangyun is just one of the millions of “Cyber Mulans.” According to Alipay, over 57 percent of female entrepreneurs on its platform credit digitalization as the key to success. Digital payments break down trust barriers; digital credit enables loans based on credibility rather than collateral; and digital marketplaces connect them directly with the world.
This revolution of ones and zeros is paving a highway for women’s economic independence and self-fulfilment on an unprecedented scale.
THE CONDUCTOR’S HAND BEHIND THE MELODY
Are these stories — from factories to outer space, from remote mountains to digital cloud — simply tales of individual triumph? Not entirely. Behind this symphony of individual successes, one can discern the steady hand of a conductor: China’s national will and top-level design.
In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a four-point proposal at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at the UN headquarters, offering Chinese vision to the world cause. In 2020, President Xi further proposed to convene another Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in 2025, marking the 30th anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. This was not just an invitation, but a reaffirmation of commitment.
China’s state policy of gender equality has been integrated into national development plans. For instance, the enactment of the Anti-Domestic Violence Law and the comprehensive revisions to the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests have woven an increasingly robust legal safety net for women across the nation.
A NEW CHORUS AWAITS IN BEIJING
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. For eight decades, the pursuit of peace, development, and justice has remained steadfast, with gender equality standing as an indispensable part of this global mission.
Once again, the world turns its eyes to Beijing. The upcoming Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women is both a tribute to the seed planted three decades ago and the beginning of a new journey.
We can imagine Zhangyun, the “Cyber Mulan,” bringing her Batik brand to the world’s fashion capitals. We can picture a young girl inspired by Wang Yaping’s space lecture now leading her own scientific research team.
Thirty years ago, the world heard Beijing’s promise on women’s development. Thirty years on, it will witness how the vision of equality, development and peace composes a new chorus. It is a song of every woman, and a melody of our shared future.
Editor’s note: The author is a commentator on current affairs in Chinese society, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc. He can be reached at liqian914@163.com.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Xinhua News Agency.■
