Female pioneers put skills to the test
Nearly every day for the past two and a half years, Xu Chunmei and her teammates have patrolled forests in Heilongjiang province.
Walking an average of 5 miles a day in areas near Chaoyanggou Forest Farm, their main duties are to set up and maintain infrared cameras, find and record the tracks of wild animals, especially endangered species, and remove traps placed to catch such creatures.
The team, comprising six female rangers ranging in age from 27 to 38, was founded in February 2019 for wildlife conservation work in the area, part of the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces under the supervision of the Dongning Forestry Bureau.
Li Gang, deputy director of the farm, said: “Twenty rangers in Chaoyanggou work 89 square miles of forests. The female rangers have strengths for such duties. They are good at making work plans and finding more detailed information.”
Xu, 31, who was born at a forest farm, said: “I am a thirdgeneration forestry worker and I grew up in the forests. After graduating from junior high school in 2007, I continued my studies at Qiqihar Forestry School, a technical secondary school in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang.”
After graduating in 2010 she returned to her hometown and became a forestry worker, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather.
“I was appointed to patrol nearby forests to stop illegal lumbering and prevent forest fires,” Xu said. “At the end of 2018, when I heard that the team of wildlife conservation rangers was recruiting females, I wanted to give it a try.
“My father gave me great support and told me forest workers should walk deep into the mountains. However, I seldom had the chance to walk that far.”
As a forestry worker with several years’ experience, she was accepted as a member of the conservation rangers team immediately after submitting her application.
Xu said: “We usually set out for the forest at 8 am and return at about 4 pm. In the northeast it is really cold in winter and snow can sometimes reach up to our knees.
“During our work we continually study wildlife. I am happy when I can accurately identify the footprints of wild animals.
“We also use good methods to punish those found placing traps to catch animals. For 30 days we make them lead us to locations where there are more traps.
“In our spare time, we visit forest farms and villages to promote
knowledge of wildlife conservation and also tell people not to hunt. Wildlife conservation requires efforts from all of society,” she said.
Captain Courageous
Song Yin had all the qualities needed to become an athlete, but after graduating from university she joined an aerial rescue team, rising to become a captain.
Born in Shanghai in 1986, Song started work as a pilot when she was 24, has taken part in more than 200 missions and rescued 218 people who were trapped.
A pilot with the East China Sea No 1 Rescue Flight Team, one of the four such teams affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, she is one of China’s first female captains on maritime rescue helicopters.
After studying ocean navigation at university, Song spent two years obtaining her pilot’s license after training at home and abroad. Four years after joining the rescue team she was promoted to captain at the age of 28.
A captain faces challenges in finding time and space amid
strong winds and high waves to lower a lifeguard to rescue people trapped at sea.
“Because the lifeguard can be close to a boat at one moment and 10 yards away the next, the captain needs 100% concentration to prevent the lifeguard crashing into the boat,” she said.
“I’ve encountered numerous unexpected situations and dangers in rescue work, but each time I return to base with those who have been saved, I feel a deeper dedication to this profession,” she said.
Fast & Furious
Gu Huijing, 17, a schoolgirl in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has been discussed widely on Chinese social media.
In April, Gu won the first prize in a competition for vehicle maintenance in Dongguan, Guangdong, which attracted 33 teams from across the province.
News of a female winning such a competition trended on Sina Weibo.
Gu said: “Many people think vehicle maintenance is a job for men. That’s a stereotype. I don’t think gender has anything
to do with choice of occupation.”
She became interested in robots and driverless cars after watching car-themed movies such as Fast & Furious and
Transformers when she was at primary school.
Gu decided to study motor vehicles while she was in junior high school.
Driven by passion, Gu is also a realist. “I think the future of the automobile industry is bright, because we cannot live without vehicles,” she said.
She began preparing for the competition in Dongguan two months after starting junior high school.
“Competition at our school is intense, so I had to work hard to stay in the running,” she said.
“My record for reassembling an engine is 26 minutes — about 30 seconds less than the school record,” said Gu.
“The next goal is to represent my province in a national competition. If possible I also want to take part in the WorldSkills Competition and demonstrate Chinese craftsmanship to more people.”