When global eyes were on Beijing in 1995 for the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Chinese mainland made gender equality a national policy. This wave of change set the stage for generations of trailblazers to make their mark. 🌏✨
Meet Bai Xiang’en: born in 1984, she grew up inspired by this momentum. Without the Beijing boost, she jokes, she might never have stepped into a maritime classroom. 🚢💙
Back then on the Chinese mainland, no maritime school accepted women. That tide began to turn in 2000 when Shanghai Maritime University opened its doors to female cadets. Two years later, Bai joined the first cohort of women determined to prove they could navigate just as well as any man. After graduating in 2006, she faced rejection from shipping companies that weren’t ready for lady sailors. Instead of drifting off course, she went for a postgrad degree and scored a breakthrough as the first female officer on the training ship Yufeng. 👩✈️💪
Her biggest adventure came in 2012 as second mate on the research icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon). There, she planned routes, monitored ice flows, and steered through treacherous ridges when the ship got stuck in thick ice. By the end, she became the Chinese mainland’s first female navigator to cross the Arctic Ocean. ❄️🧭
Bai’s story mirrors how far women’s rights have progressed since 1995. From tech startups in Bengaluru to social movements in Jakarta, young women across South and Southeast Asia are riding this wave of empowerment. Her journey shows that with grit and support, you can break any ice wall in your path. 🌊🔥
Reference(s):
30 years on, China continues driving progress in women's empowerment
cgtn.com
