Overcoming hurdles

In Xinyu, Jiangxi province, Hu Meizhen, a 47-year-old villager with movement disabilities, is now prospering on e-commerce platforms. Having been restricted in the type of work open to her, at the age of 40 Hu learned how to type and use the internet, and opened a number of online shops.

In 2019, she established a company selling handmade Shuibei mahua (fried dough twists), as an inheritor of this local intangible cultural heritage snack.

Last year, the traditional snack brought her revenue exceeding 5 million yuan.

With her disabilities, Hu said she was "trapped at home" before. Family members were too protective of her and she rarely had the chance to explore the outside world and have social interactions. Also, as a woman she received more objections and less support when it came to starting a business.

However, e-commerce platforms have given Hu and her team of workers — 90 percent of whom also have disabilities — powerful wings to fly.

A number of women in Xinyu with severe disabilities have been given a new purpose in life by learning the skills to make Hu's products. She has also been giving free training lessons to empower more people with disabilities, helping over 500 of them run their own online shops.

Luo Ying is deputy secretary of the Rural Women Development Foundation, which has fostered thousands of rural women leaders since its establishment in 2013.

"Women are facing many harsh challenges in work and life when they become mothers. For rural women, we actually noticed that they are not restrained by their skills," she said.

"In many cases, they have no idea what they want and need, or what they can expect. If we can help them break down such constraints rooted in families and society, they have the chance to begin a new life," Luo added.

Hu, who values her participation in the Shanghai camp, is actively working to introduce her fried snacks to more places in China. Some of Hu's "sister" trainees at the camp are becoming her business partners and demonstrating combined "female power".

"Entrepreneurship is never an easy path, and it can be even harder for rural women, given challenges such as traditional attitude constraints, and the lack of resources and opportunities as well as inadequate support systems," said Janice Hu, China country head at UBS AG, at the camp.

However, she pointed out that female entrepreneurs have made remarkable achievements and shown huge potential. Reports show that in China, women make up 30 to 40 percent of entrepreneurs. In the e-commerce and internet sectors they account for 55 percent. On Forbes China's 2024 list of 100 Power Businesswomen, nearly 90 percent of the female entrepreneurs started their business from scratch.

"Women are not walking alone on the path of entrepreneurship, and boast a promising future," Hu said.

"In particular, we see female entrepreneurship in the countryside is often more warm and resilient, filled with a heartfelt love for the land and hometown. I believe that this sincerity will inspire them and carry them further."