For female delegates from Jilin province at the congress meetings in Beijing, is has been important to discuss the impact of a gender on their work and lives, for International women’s Day, on March 8, how professional women balance life and work, or how they handle their responsibility as a CPPCC member or a NPC deputy? So, let’s see what they say and find out.

Name: Xu Tao

Profession: Jilin University professor

Xu is celebrating her 8th International Women’s Day in Beijing as a CPPCC member attending both sessions.In giving us her views on balancing life and work, she says, "We all make choices in our lives, and I chose to devote myself to my work. Still, I feel guilty not being able to look after my family properly, but I’m quite happy about what I’m doing, for my job and for my students."

"After all, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, can you?" she notes.

When asked about her understanding of being a CPPCC member, Xu turns more talkative, and informs us, "Each of us [CPPCC members] raises our voice based on our specialty and research. That’s our fundamental standpoint.

In my personal experience, I like to take both the individual and national point of views into consideration in drafting my proposal, while asking myself whether it benefits both nor not. That’s the mentality I’ve had for the past eight years."

Name: Wang Xiaoyan

Profession: director, Jilin Provincial Dance Association

In answering a question about Chinese women’s role, CPPCC member Wang says women are playing a more important role in society and they should be given more equal opportunities in their work to see their true value.

As an experienced dancer, Wang puts emphasis on improving the skills of her art school students and suggesting that "they take a gap year as part of their college education to participate in local cultural events or social activities to take inspiration from their daily lives."