History Will Never Forget Them—Ruijin Women (Part One)

Ruijin, located in the southeastern part of Jiangxi Province. established county administration early in 953. It was the center of the central revolutionary bases during the Second Revolutionary Civil War period. In November 1931, the First National Soviet Congress was held in Yeping Township in Ruijin County, and the temporary central government of the Chinese Soviet Republic was established. The women from Ruijin sacrificed greatly for the establishment, solidarity and defense of the first revolutionary regime founded by the Communist Party of China.In October 1934. due to Wang Ming's misguided "leftist" leadership, the Central Red Army, (the First Front Army of the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army) failed to smash the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign launched by the     

New Understandings——Accepting Burdens

YAN Cailing lives on the Loess Plateau in northwestern China. In spite of her lightheartedness and cheer, she actually leads an uneasy life. At 37,she has three children. When she was small, her family lived a hard life. Her parents couldn't afford tuition fees for all their six daughters. She went to school without textbooks, always having to listen attentively to insure she would remember the teacher's lessons. In winter, she wore thin clothes and ragged shoes. Even when both her feet were frostbitten, she still continued to go to school. In 1974, Yan Cailing was admitted to a senior high school but then failed to pass the     

Visiting Ruijin

Pencils made in the Ruijin Pencil Plant are sold in the United States, Japan and South-east Asia. The bustling commercial street in Ruijin.     

I Took Part in the Long March

Wei Xiuying was born in Ruijin, Jiangxi Province. She joined the Communist Party of China in 1932, and served as directorfor Xingguo County Soviet Government Committee for the Improvement of Women's Life, and secretary in charge of women's work in Jiangxi Province.In October 1934, Wei Xiuying took part in the 25,000-li Long March with the Central Red Army.After liberation, she served as the first-term director of the Jiangxi Women's Federation. In the early 50s, it was she who first found that schistosomiasis was serious in Yujiang County, and reported this condition in a report to the National People's Congress. The very day Chairman Mao Zedong saw this report, he gave the order "eliminate this plague". Wei Xiuying was appointed as the deputy head for South China Land Reclamation and Cultivation Bureau in charge of the development of Hainan Island. Before retirement, she was the Vice President for Jiangxi Provincial Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.Now, Wei Xiuying is 86 years old. Sh     

Shandong's Cotton Brocade

SHANDONG Province, also called "Lu," produces traditional hand-woven cotton fabric known as "Lu Jin ("Jin" means brocade in Chinese). Lu Jin has a soft texture and is made in various designs and colors. Although machine-made cotton fabric is easy to buy here, local people, particularly women, prefer this kind of cloth woven in the old style handed down by their ancestors. In the countryside of Southwest Shandong, a girl usually begins learning how to weave cotton brocade as a child and old women are often still busy at the loom. In Jiaxiang County, for example, there are more than 10,400 looms, 74,000 spinning wheels and 90,000 capable weavers, producing 6 million meters of hand-woven fabric annually. Lu Jin is a suitable dowry for local girls. Usually, a girl begins selecting designs and weaving for her dowry two to three years before marriage. When she gets married, she carefully puts the fabric in the cupboards she will bring with     

The Woman Who“Manages Weather”

TENG Youlian, a Miao woman and the chief director of the Meteorological Bureau of Mayang County, Hunan, is one of the most reliable people in the area. The local people affectionately refer to Teng as "the woman who manages weather," because she and her meteorological bureau can forecast weather precisely, and predict rainstorms and floods in advance. Several times, they have been able to greatly reduce the losses for Mayang County caused by disastrous floods. Though only a junior high school graduate, and one who had never formally learned meteorology, Teng studied very hard to gain practical knowledge after she transferred to the meteorological bureau in 1969; gradually, she became familiar with the work. In 1981, she became a technician in weather forecasting, and was promoted to assistant engineer in 1988. She worked diligently and carefully; in 1989, she set a record     

Marriage and Family Therapy

About the author: Chen Yiyun graduated from the Russian Language and Literature Departraent at Beijing University in 1964. She then enrolled at the Sociology Institute of the China Academy of Social Sciences in 1978. Upon graduation, she remained at the Institute as a research fellow. She later became editor-in-chief of the magazine Sociology Abroad. She translated and edited dozens of sociology books. In 1988, after she returned from the United States, she devoted herself to the research of sociology and marriage consultation. In 1993, Chen set up the Jinglun Family Science Center, a non-governmental organization which is a combination of scientific research and social practice. She organized scholars, social workers and volunteers from sectors of public health, education and legislation to conduct useful activities to promote democracy in the family, equality, health and civilization.     

Cheng Fangyuan—a Singer Who is Bold in Making Ewploration

FROM the first moment I met Cheng Fangyuan, I was affected by her indescribable zeal, and her persistent pursuit of art. To be a singer is not her whole life, she treats scholarly honors and official rank as nothing. When she steps into the spotlight, she wears a calm smile, as brilliant as sunlight. That smile reveals her animation and her strong character to all. Cheng Fangyuan started her musical career with the traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu. During her childhood, she liked singing and dancing, and often participated in school activities. At the same time, she started to study the erhu. The melancholy and mild music appealed to her. In the single notes and chords of the erhu, Cheng found the beautiful world of music.     

Mother's Lahe

IT seems to have become a kind of law of nature that the aged do not easily get accustomed to new situations. But my mother didn't relate to this law. Mother had lived in a small town in the frontier region for more than half a century. In the early 1950s she moved to Beijing. We were always worried that she would not become accustomed to urban life. But we never expected that she would live a vivid and dramatic life of her own free will. We lived in a lane in Dongsi, which is not long. It has a western-eastern exposure, situated between two streets. In     

徐静蕾和她的电影《一个陌生女人的来信》(英文)

Plot 剧情简介 During the late winter of 1948, a man received a thick letter on his 41st birthday. In the letter, a dying woman shared a sentimental love story, but the man-the hero-knew nothing about it. The story was set 18 years earlier. A woman fell in love with a dissolute writer who lived next door. Despite their two romantic encounters, the writer soon began to ignore her. After learning she was pregnant, the woman decided to have, and keep, the baby. To raise the child, she turned to a life of prostitution. She endured all the hardships, and she never asked the man for his help. Eventually, the child died. Soon after, the woman became critically ill. Before her death, she wrote to the man to tell him the story.     

A Grand Gathering of Ethnic Groups——The 5th National Games of Nationalities' Traditional Sports

AS you know, in addition to the Han nationality, China is home to 55 minorities with their own cultures and traditions. Most of the minorities live in the border areas of China. What a splendid scene it would be if all the ethnic groups put on their colorful costumes and performed their traditional sports at the same tournament! In November, 1995, Kunming on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau offered a chance for such a grand gathering when the 5th National Games of Nationalities' Traditional Sports was held there. More than 3,300 athletes attended.     

Woman Village Leader and The Red Peppers

YU Hua, 28, deputy head of Sanduan Village is very proud of her village. As she welcomes visitors, she is sure to let them know: "Our red peppers were reported in the Chinese Population News." Red peppers grown in Sanduan Village are distinctive for their good quality, bright color, and pure hot taste Traders came to the village to buy red peppers. Thus their reputation grew quickly and the village head was even invited to Beijing to take part in a     

Following Zhang Wenjin to the United States

In 1937,Zhang Ying studied at the Lu Xun Art Institute in Yan'an.After graduation she began working in the art world under Zhou Enlai's direction.In 1983, she followed her husband Zhang Wenjin to the United States as wife of the ambassador.During her two-year stay in the U.S., she came into close contact with many American women while working to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries.After her retirement in 1991,she sponsored the production of a 10-episode documentary TV program,"Zhou Enlai and the Arts."She also wrote a book about her experience in the United States,Called,Following Zhang Wenjin to the United States—Notes of an Ambassador's Wife.The following are extracts from the book.     

Guo Shuang, A Woman Conductor

BORN in a musical family in Beijing, Guo Shuang began to show her talent for music when she was nine years old and began to learn piano from her mother. At the primary and then the secondary school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, Guo Shuang studied piano, musical theory and composing. Later, she enrolled in the Conservatory to study conducting and piano under the famous conductors Zheng Xiaoying and Xu Xin, piano professors Wu Ying and Xie Huazhen. In 1989, she went to Germany     

The Story of Princess Wencheng A Folk Tale of the Tibetan Nationality

THE King of Tibet, Songtsan Gambo, was wise and capable. In order to make Tibet prosperous, he planned to marry Princess Wencheng of the Imperial Palace, who was both beautiful and kindhearted. He sent the resourceful Gawa to the Emperor to propose. In order to choose a satisfactory son-in-law among such a great number of suitors, the Emperor asked messengers to take part in a wisdom competition. He first asked the messengers to match the mares with their foals in a large herd. Of all the messengers, Gawa was the only one who passed this test. First he separated the mares from their foals and locked them into two paddocks. After half a day, he released the foals and herded them in with the mares. The hungry foals immediately ran to their mothers to suckle their milk. In this way it was easy to see who belonged to whom. After this test of wit the Emperor gave the messengers two more puzzles. The first one was to ask them to eat an entire sheep in one day, tan its hide, drink a jug of alcohol and walk bac     

AIona普拉提工作室

Alona Vostrikova teaches what she preaches; she promotes a strong body, and mind, during her Pilates classes. She teaches Pilates in the Westin Hotel, in Beijing＇s Chaoyang District. Alona was born and raised in Blagoveshchensk, a relatively small town in Russia that is close to the border with China. In fact, Alona was able to see China through binoculars. In 1997, Alona decided to cross the river and study Mandarin in Changchun, a city in Jilin Province. It was an opportunity for Alona, who had majored in physical education at the Russian State Academy of Physical Education, to start a new life and career-- in China.     

Ms Wong Pak Ling Expects "Equality, Development and Peace"

WONG Pak Ling and her husband Mr. Tan Giok Sie established their own company by their own efforts twenty years ago. She is now deputy managing director of the board of Fan In Trading Company Ltd. and President of Fan In Handicrafts Company Ltd. She is a noticeable woman entrepreneur in Hong Kong business circle. Because she will take part in the NGO forum of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the journalist interviewed her.     

The People's Doctor Zhao Xuefang Returns to Treat the People of Mount Taihang

AT the foot of towering Mount Taihang lives a doctor who is deeply loved by the people. She is Zhao Xuefang, director of gynecology at Changzhi Municipal People's Hospital, Shanxi Province. For over 30 years Dr. Zhao has relieved the pain of more than 20,000 patients with her medical skills and engaging manner. In 1955 ZhaoXuefang left the mountain and moved into the provincial capital. In 1963 she graduated from Shanxi Medical University and returned to the mountain. Since the day she became a doctor she has devoted herself to the lofty cause of helping the sick and the wounded. As with every patient, especially those with difficult or complicated illnesses or injuries, Dr. Zhao is clear about their cases. For the dying and the critically ill, she personally gives     

My Ping-Pong Family

WHEN I was born, my father was 40 and my mother was 36. Father is a man of few words and an introverted nature. He belongs to that type of people who are very tough and strong-willed; he has worked hard all his life. Mother, on the other hand, is extroverted and eager to excel. My personality is a combination of both of their characters. Father loves playing ping-pong ardently. He used to be a top player of the Henan provincial team and won the men's singles championship in a contest of five provinces in central and southern China. Mother, a worker at the No. 4 National Textile Mill in Zhengzhou, also loved to play ping-pong when she was young. It was because of the sport that she and Father were brought together and got married. When the Henan     

Quest for BeautyTimes and Methods ChangBut the Goal is the Same

THE Chinese traditionally have held a contradictory attitude about female beauty. In the Book of Songs women's good looks are praised: "How pretty she looks when she smiles at the right moment, how inviting her beautiful eyes are." These are lines which remain famous because the ideal they convey is still popular in modern China. Even the Ballad of Mu Lan, written during the Northern Dynasty, describes how Mu Lan made up in front of the mirror after she returned from active service for her father. Female beauty and women's jewelry was so appreciated in the past that fendai (fen is cosmetic powder and dai is a black pigment used by women in ancient times to darken their eyebrows) and qunchai (qun is a skirt and chai a hairpin) became synonymous with women. Yet at the same time, female beauty was considered mysterious, a taboo whose temptation was very much feared by men. Historically, great beauties were placed in two