October 28, 1999

Chief Progress and Contributions of the Chinese Rural Women

1. Rural women's productive force have been liberated and women have become an important force in thriving and developing rural economy.

The Chinese laws guarantee rural women to enjoy equal labor rights with men. The reform in the countryside has further aroused the broad mass of women's labor enthusiasm, led them shake off the yoke of the small-scale peasant economy and give their wisdom to full play in agricultural production. Among the 450 million farm labor force, 320 million are engaged in farm production, making up 71 percent of the total, of which 210 million are women, making up 65.6 percent. As the construction of agriculture being adjusted, a great number of male labors transferred to cities and village and township enterprises. Women thus have shouldered larger part of the task of main productions of grain, cotton, oil, vegetables and fruits. The output value they created has made up 50 to 60 percent of the total output value of agriculture. In Shandong Province, 4.5 million women opened 9 million mu (one mu equals about 6.7 are) of high-yield fields, 60 percent of the total land in the province, on average 1,016 kilograms per mu. In Hebei Province, 2.79 women grow 6.39 million mu of cotton, making up 65 percent of the total area of cotton in the province. The campaign to learn culture and technology and to compete in achievement and contribution ("Learning and Competing Campaign" for short) launched by the women's federations provide forceful support for bringing rural women's enthusiasm and creativeness into full play. Nationwide 120 million rural women actively participated in the campaign and have displayed their talents in planting, fish breeding and poultry raising, processing and other fields. Specialized households and villages headed by women have emerged everywhere. In Yi'an County, Helongjiang Province, there are more than 60 villages specialized in raising goose, with a total amount of 4 million, which has become an pillar trade in the county. Women also make use the open ground in front and behind their houses to develop courtyard economy. In Hunan Province alone, there are more than 3 million families engaged in courtyard economy, on average one family's income therefore increase 1,250 yuan. At present, one third of farmers income is from courtyard economy, which has been regarded as "women's economy."

2. Rural women have upgraded their calibers in education, science and technology, hence quickening the step of thriving agriculture, shaking off poverty and becoming well off through science and technology.

Over the past ten years, 20 million women have become literate, about 100 million women have learned one or two practical skills, 15 million women attended correspondence colleges and schools and more than 600,000 women obtained the title of farm technician. The number of demonstrative households of science and technology dominated by women has snowballed to 9.24 million. Many women learned to use variety of new techniques, such as picking cotton buds early, intercropping of rice and wheat, mulching, fish feeding and poultry raising in an ecological way, space-saving planting as well as fruit tree top grafting. In Jiangsu Province, new techniques and fine varieties have been applied to all the 6 million mu of "March 8th high-yield fields," with 15 to 20 percent higher output value than other fields. In Zaoting Village, Nanping County, Fujian Province, women learned techniques of fast pig raising and plastic sheeting of vegetables. Their economic result has rose four times and the village became the first one in the county with a family's annual income excelling 10,000 yuan. Lai Xiao from Inner Mongolia took the lead to use the techniques of breeding with freeze semen and artificial breeding under ordinary temperature and spread the technique to the whole region after she was succeeded. Now, about 51 percent of women in the area have applied to stock breeding.

3. Rural women have entered markets to participate in industrialized management, hence flourishing the rural economy.

To meet the need of market economy, a great number of young and middle-aged rural women began to do business and venture in markets. In Shandong, Fujian and Shaanxi three provinces, 2.8 million women are engaged in the circulation of commodities. In Nanzhao County, Henan, 52,000 women are engaged in products sale, more than 200 of them are rural entrepreneurs with one million yuan of assets. In order to link household small production with the ever changing markets, all localities have energetically developed industrialized management and have brought up a large number of market-oriented and high quality leading projects with good profit to help farmers become rich. Many women-run specialized production bases that combine demonstration, production and making profits have been set up. In Helongjiang, there are 99 leading economic production lines managed by women, including planting, fish breeding and poultry raising, knitting and embroidering. In Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 858 leading projects of flowers and trees, vegetables, fruits, tea and the like have been carried out, which helped more than 1,300 poor families get rid of poverty, the rate of shaking off poverty reaching 76 percent. In Baoji, Shaanxi Province, there are 158 production bases run by women's federation, yielding more than 200 million yuan of output value annually and involving women from 5,000 families to be engaged in specialized production. The adjustment of industrial structure has quickened the step that rural women transferred toward the second and third industries. Among more than 100 million workers in village and township enterprises, about 50 million are women, making up 43 percent of the total.

4. Rural women have thrown themselves into afforesting and constructing ecological environment, hence pushing the sustainable development of agriculture.

Every year, more than 100 women voluntarily participated in planting trees, building tree-shielding systems and treating small watersheds. In total, they have planted 5 billion trees, covering more 60 million mu of land. In Fujian, more 3,000 women's teams planted trees on 944,000 mu. One team led by Ge Lanmei has planted trees on more than 340 hectares of barren hills. 51 women from Hongshiya Village, Qi'an County, Hebei fought six years and completed an one meter high and one meter wide 100-kilometer long channel around the mountain, and turned former 800-mu barren hill into orchards. The villager's average income increased to more than 5,500 yuan a year. Shaanxi woman Niu Yuqin led her whole family made efforts for 14 years to planted trees on 40,000 mu of deserts. She has received the Y. S. Rao Award issued by the United Nations. Liang Huixiu from Huichuan County, Hunan Province set up March 8th Green Stock Tree Farm by introducing the share-holding system into tree planting on barren hills and has obtained good economic results. Over the past years, 170,000 bases for growing trees as well as processing of the products have been set up across the country. The March 8th Jinsi Date Demonstrative base in Cangxian, Hebei yields 624 tons of dates, raises 100,000 seedlings and makes 200,000 yuan of profit annually. Led by the base, the date area in the county increases at an average rate of 80,000 mu a year. Now the total area has reached 500,000 mu. In the county there are more than one thousand date processing enterprises with eight series and more than 50 varieties.

5. Rural Women have increased their income, hence uplifting their family and social status.

According to a sample survey, rural women's labor income makes up 40 percent of the total. In some families, especially those specialized households headed by women, women's income makes up as high as 60 to 70 percent. The increase of women's income has not only improved the quality of family life in the countryside, but also uplifted their social and family status. In urban and rural areas in the country, families that the couple make important family decisions together account for more than 58 percent, which is showing a tendency of rising. The opening and reform have widened rural women's field of vision and their concepts, mental outlook and concept of values have changed fundamentally. Many rural women have changed from concerning themselves only with household affairs to state affairs and quotations of markets, from believing in fate to science and themselves, from satisfying with being well off to seeking further advance and making greater contribution to the society. A great number of outstanding rural women have emerged, who have lofty ideas, understand technology, know business and management. The recently elected "national ten best rural women" are outstanding representatives of rural women. Liu Fuyu, one of the national "10 best women farmers" from Jinshan District, Dalian applied herself to orchard technology with great concentration for many years. Every year, she would receive more than 50 items of state level research work on fruit trees, and many of her research achievements have won the honor of "Science and Technology Advancement Prize" awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture. Her orchard has become a demonstrative base of scientific research in the country. Through this base the state orchard research institute has spread more than 150 new varieties and technology across country.

6. Rural women have participated in the construction of spiritual civilization and furthered the stability of rural families and the advancement of society.

Women are the main constructors of families and have played particularly important role in the construction of family civilization. The broad mass of women have enthusiastically taken part in the construction of spiritual civilization focusing on setting up "Five-good family" and civilized villages and townships. They take lead in using science and technology, inspiring book-reading at home, advocate the family virtues of respecting the old and loving the young, the equality between men and women, harmony between the husband and wife, managing the house thriftily and accord among neighbors, hence promoting the construction of well-mannered mood in the family. They also take lead in beautifying family and various family cultural activities to push the improvement of surroundings and upgrade of family life. Their views on marriage, giving birth and educating children have also changed greatly. The broad mass of women are eager to participate in works for public good and security, such as devoting money to education, providing relief to the people in disaster areas, supporting the poor and the inadequate. They have set up thousands of "Women Helping and educating Group," "Women society for Prohibiting Gambling," "Women Society for Prohibiting," "Council for Marriage and Funeral Ceremonies" and other self-managed mass organizations, which have maintained the stability and unification of society and the improvement of the general mood of family and the society.

The Chief Work of Women's Federation in Promoting Women's Participating in the Development of Agriculture

As the biggest nongovernmental organization in China the All-China Women's Federation has given full play to its advantages in organizing, propaganda and coordination, actively cooperated with the government to carry out activities that suit women's characters and promoted women's involvement in the development of agriculture.

1. The "Learning and Competing Campaign." Early in 1989, in line with the country's guideline of strengthening agriculture and on the base of summering up the experience of local mass activities in learning and labor competitions, the All-China Women's Federation and the other 13 ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Agriculture, State Forestry Bureau, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly launched the "Learning and Competing Campaign" among rural women across the country. The campaign has been carried out mainly in three fields:

Firstly, based on thriving agriculture through science and education to provide rural women trainings in education, science and technology. Women's federations at all levels made unremitting efforts to push the literacy action. In Hunan Province, about 10,000 cadres have been organized to set up thousands of groups encouraging women to learn, and totally mobilized hundreds of thousands of women to participated in literacy classes. The localities combined learning culture with learning skills to arouse women's enthusiasm in learning. In many villages there appeared moving scenes, like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law running night school together, mother and daughter both teaching, son encouraging mother to learn and couples teaching one another. Pan Xiuhong who was totally illiterate entered the same classroom with her nine year-old-daughter and shared a desk with her. She finally became literate with excellent result and has been selected as the national "Best of Learning to Read and Write." Over the past ten years, 20 million have become literate. The ACWF also initiated the "Spring Bud Program" and used the 200 million yuan raised at home and abroad to help 900,000 girls return to schools. More than 700 people have won women's literacy prize issued by the ACWF and the State Commission of Education. Eight women's federations in Jilin, Hunan, Helongjiang and Xinjiang have won international literacy prizes. In 1995, the All-China Women's Federation was awarded King Sejong Literacy Prize issued by the UNESCO.

To cooperate with farm scientific and technological departments to carry out multi-level different trainings is the most effective work of the "Learning and Competing Campaign." More than 80 percent of women involved in the campaign got chance to receive training. In 1996, the ACWF and the Ministry of Agriculture together carried out the training project of "One hundred new techniques for millions of rural women," making the training extended further. In Shandong, 2.08 million women have received training of new technologies and 220,000 women have obtained green certifications issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and 100,000 women have gained the title of farm technician. They have formed a more than 300,000-women backbone contingent of science and technology. For two years running, about 100,000 women entered the examination for technicians Shouguang. In total there are 12,000 women farm, there, on average 13 for each village. The advanced science and technology have opened door for rural women to become prosperity. Cai Shuzhen from Lishu County, Jilin Province knew nothing about technology. She failed every time no matter raising chickens or rabbits, and owed a huge debt. She even did not want to live on. Failure made her realize she must learn technology if she wanted to become rich. After years' efforts in learning, she has been qualified as a farm technician, with million yuan of annual income.

Secondly, centered around rising comprehensive productivity in farming and developing high-yield, high-quality and high-efficient agriculture to carry out regional and specialized labor competitions that suit women's feature. Women in the grain and cotton production areas enthusiastically participated in various forms of competitions. Women in Hebei Province have been organized to participate in "March 8th Cotton Competition." The 4 million women partaking the competition have shouldered more than half of the management in the cotton fields, ending the decline situation of cotton production in the province. Local women's federations organized women to participate in "courtyard economy," "competition for marketing sale," "competition for leading projects," "competition for quality and benefits" as well as various projects, such as "silkworm project," "goose and duck project," "vegetable basket project," "woods and fruit tree project" and "feeding project," which further expanded competitions and advanced the regional growth of economy. Wuxian County in Jiangsu Province is the home place of Su embroidery. Embroidery there has become the leading project of the competing activity that involved in more than 100,000 women and enlivened the local economy. Nationwide, over 600,000 women have obtained the title of capable women above the county level, 21,000 women of provincial level and 1,200 won the national honor. More than 20 women won international honor of "Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life."

Thirdly, facing the market to provide socialized service for women participated in the campaign. The number of various local women's special associations of science and technology increased to more than 180,000, with 1.03 million members. In Weifang, Shandong Province, there are 258 specialized women's co-operatives. The coordinative units of the "Learning and Competing Campaign" have brought their advantages into full play to provide various services, including technology, funds, information and projects, promoting the development of the campaign. In 1996, the ACWF set up the National Women's Farm Technology Directing Center, which is composed by women experts and volunteers of scientific and technological works. The center has taught rural women farm science and technology, provided various information and popularized scientific and technological achievements. A hot line of science and technology for providing advice for rural women will soon be opened, which covering planting and poultry raining skills, information for farm production, gardening, pet's raising, processing of farm by-products, farm enterprises and the like.

2. "March 8th Green Project." In the early of 1990, in order to mobilize millions of urban and rural women to involve in the development of forestry and improve the ecological environment, the All-China Women's Federation and the Ministry of Forestry jointly launched the "March 8th Green Project," and take it as an important object of the "Learning and Competing Campaign," hence embarking the surge of planting trees to make the country green, which has now lasted ten years. Women's federations at all levels carried out colorful activities such as planting "trees of happiness," "trees of longevity," "March 8th forest" and "forest of the newly-born." Every year, more than 100 million women voluntarily participated in planting trees. In Beijing, more than 800,000 women annually participated in planting trees and flowers to beautify the capital. Shanxi Province has mobilized more than 3.8 million women to throw themselves into the combat of planting trees everywhere, up in mountains and down in valleys, completing the ten years' mission five years ahead of schedule. Nationwide, millions of women have received training for forestry knowledge and new techniques, at least grasping one to two practical techniques in planting trees and processing forest products. A large number of capable and outstanding women emerged across the country. The ACWF and the Ministry of Forestry have totally cited more than 1,000 winners of "March 8th Green Medal" and "March 8th Green Distinctive Project." More than 20,000 women have won the provincial level "March 8th Green Medal." With the support of forestry department, the ACWF set up 56 national demonstrative bases for "March 8th Green Project, with the total area reaching more than 100,000 mu. Now, 40 percent of these demonstrative bases have brought economic results. The March 8th Flower Demonstrative Base in Jinshan, Shanghai, covers a floor space of more than 15 hectares. Producing more than 200 varieties of flowers, nursery stocks, miniature trees and rockery. It has developed into a large women's company and has contracted many projects of greening and beautifying the urban areas of the city. Now its total assets reach 1.42 million yuan and annual output value more than 1.3 million yuan. Women's federations at all levels have organized women to take part in the activity of "making contribution for the basic construction of water conservancy works," as well as various competitions for water conservancy works and environmental protection. In 1999, the ACWF was elected to the "Global 500 Roll of Honor" by the UNEP in recognition of its outstanding practical achievements in the protection and improvement of the environment.

3. "Women's Action to Help the Poor." Among the poor population in the country, women are the most impoverished, bearing biggest pressure and badly in need of aiding. As organizations always taking safeguarding women's rights and interests as their duty, women's federations take up the responsibility of pulling women out of poverty in close coordination with the government. Thanks to the ACWF, some 4,100 women cadres and female core members in poverty-stricken areas have received training of various kinds for ten years running. From 1985 to 1995, 1.6 million women shook off poverty through the set of relatively scientific methods of management and export of female labor services arranged by governments and women's federations at all levels. In 1995, ACWF initiated "Women's Action to Help the Poor" and gave it priority in "Learning and Competing Campaign". In recent three years, smaller sum of loans, aid-to-the-poor activities, establishment of helping the poor base, forming pairs and mutual help between the eastern and western region have benefited another 860,000 women breaking the shackles of poverty. Women's Federation of Hebei Province has developed "Hand in Hand" and "One Helps One" programs, giving priority to 4 million extremely impoverished people. Capable women are encouraged to form pairs with poor families and the launching of 2.64 million projects helped 250,000 women in 119,000 families out of poverty. Now businesswomen, female cadres, scientific workers and reporters also take an active part in "Hand in Hand" and "One Helps One" has become "One Helps Ten or Many" across the county, the region and province. The consistent efforts made by women's federations at all levels have brought the forming of 660,000 pairs. Ten developed provinces have established close relationship with women's federations in poor areas.

The difficulties in carrying out Program for Helping the Poor to Overcome Extreme Difficulties lie in the low return of the funds, which is also the key problem in altering the traditional way of eliminating poverty and changing "blood transfusion" to "making blood". Women in Luliang, Shanxi Province bring about a new method of chain poverty elimination with one household as a unit and one family leading several to shed off poverty continuously. As a result, the value of the circulating lump sum fund keeps appreciating, for nine years the return remains high at 97 per cent and more than 40,000 poor families now have enough to eat and wear. A pig raiser Zhang Ailan, after getting rich with loans, directly helped 400 families to eliminate poverty by raising pigs. Women there said happily: "Chain poverty elimination has helped us attain prosperity, we can afford to buy buffalos instead of only hens." Now women's federations in more than 20 provinces such as Yunnan, Anhui, Henan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region give aid to the poor by granting them small sum of loans. For over ten years, women's federations have won international financial support over 1,000 aid-to-the-poor projects with nearly one million women participating, absorbing over 60 million US dollars. In Yunnan Province, the United Nations Children's Fund, international organizations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and friendly nations have given support to 32 projects on women's development, bringing more than 4.8 million yuan.

Tenth Anniversary of "Learning and Competing Campaign" among Rural Women Nationwide

With its distinctive modern features, abundant activities and prominent social effect, "Learning and Competing Campaign" so far has undergone ten years and fully affirmed by leaders of the State Council. It has been strongly supported by governments and well received among women in rural areas. With a wide-ranging participation, this mass practice has proved a successful one sustaining long among rural women and evoking great repercussions in society. At a new stage of agricultural development, to meet the need of farmers to make a fortune, the ACWF worked out Suggestions on Strengthening the Work on Rural Women: Projects to train rural women with cultural knowledge and technology are to be initiated to help them attain prosperity according to scientific methods; "Learning and Competing Campaign" is required to have highly creative and pioneering substantial. In the spirit of that, all provinces have made development plan of the 3rd period according to local situation so as to push "Learning and Competing Campaign" forward under the developing circumstances.

To exhibit the great success achieved in the dual campaign, the talents and completely new look of rural women and encourage more rural women to throw themselves into construction of the new countryside and give a more vigorous push to the rural reform and development of material and moral civilizations, 15 ministries and commissions including the ACWF, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance have decided to jointly hold the following two activities to celebrate the tenth anniversary of "Learning and Competing Campaign".

1. Commending Conference.

Ten rural women champions, 500 capable women in the dual campaign, 104 advanced workers, 66 advanced coordination units, 100 March 8 Green Medal winners and 67 March 8 Green Works of high quality will be commended. On such a large scale conference with the largest number of people awarded ever, advanced workers in the dual campaign including the governors of provinces, secretary generals of provincial governments, leaders in other governmental departments concerning agriculture, forestry, husbandry, finance, scientific committee and aid-to-the-poor and cadres from women's federations and core female members at the basic level are to be commended for the first time. 500 outstanding women, among whom the most elderly is 67 while the youngest 23,and 67 ethnic people from 19 minority groups accounting for 13 per cent of people awarded from all walks of life such as growing, breeding, processing industries and marketing have made the conference a very representative occasion. The conference is also characterized by its high focus on science. All the capable women especially the ten female rural champions are all typical examples leading villagers to make a fortune through science and technology. 310 people with green certificates and technical titles for farmers account for 62 per cent. The conference will be convened at 9 o'clock in the morning on November,1 in the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People. Around 2,000 advanced women from all parts of China, basic level women cadres and mass deputies will be present at the conference on which three advanced women workers will deliver a speech. Leaders of the party and the state will award prizes for those commended.

2. National Exhibition of Rural Women's Achievements in Ten Years in the Dual Campaign