Role models selected for Chinese women

The All-China Women's Federation on Monday granted 10 Chinese women the title of "Role Model for March 8th Red Banner Holder," a national honor granted to those regarded as role models for all Chinese women to follow. Wu Juping, a resident from Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang province, tops the list. Last July, Wu caught and saved a neighbour's daughter, after the two-year-old girl fell from the window of her home on the tenth floor of an apartment building. Wu is employed by Alibaba.com, one of the country's largest Internet companies. The young mother has been hailed as "The Most Beautiful Mom" in the country since her heroic act. The runner-up is Tu Youyou, a researcher with the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, who has made notable achievements in the study of anti-malaria drugs. She has been praised for having saved millions of lives. The third is Fang Ping, a low-ranking political officer with the Chinese People's Liberation Army. She has won acclaim from her soldiers for organizing a company with her unique "Sunlight" work style. Other female role models include Xin Yingmei, the president of a software company headquartered in Jiangsu province; Zheng Xisan, a procurator from Hebei province; Nan Xiuxia, a villager from Shandong province; Chang Shoulan, a mobile movie projectionist from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; Zhang Bingbing, a textile factory worker from Tianjin municipality; Zhi Fen, Party head of a prosperous village in Beijing; and Hong Xiannu, an 87-year old master of the Yueju Opera (Cantonese Opera). The annual event began in 1960, but was halted during the decade-long Great Cultural Revolution (1966-76). In 1979, the national event was restored to encourage women to take part in the reform and opening-up drive. This year, in addition to the ten role models, another 339 individuals received the honorary title of "March 8th Red Banner Holder," and 202 institutions became the "March 8th Red Banner Collectives," according to the federation.