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A famous Chinese quotation says women hold up half the sky. It is a testament to the increasing importance of women in the modern world. With gender equality and women’s empowerment now the norm in most societies， the need for women to play a bigger role in ensuring global peace， economic stability， security and development has never been greater. On the occasion of International Women’s Day， March 8， ChinAfrica meets women achievers who have also become role models and looks at the contributions they have been making to the world around them.
cultural Samaritan
In Dongba culture， passed down by Naxi ethnic minority， mainly in southwest China， for thousands of years， Tayoulamu is one of 18 goddesses responsible for saving people whose souls cannot go to heaven. The deity’s name has now been bestowed on a Beijing woman of the Han ethnic group by a senior Dongba Shaman. Zhang Xu received the appellation for her efforts to protect ancient Dongba manuscripts written in a pictographic script that teeters on the brink of extinction.
“Physically， I am a Han people， but psychologically， I am a Dongba’s daughter，” said Zhang， who makes no secret of her love for Dongba culture. “I fell in love with Dongba pictographic characters at first sight and I don’t want them to disappear.”
Zhang， President of Beijing Association of Dongba Culture and Arts， has been engaged in preserving Dongba culture for more than 25 years， an engagement that began accidentally.
In 1983， she graduated from Beijing Broadcasting Institute （now Communication University of China）， and worked as a TV director at Beijing Television Art Center. In 1986， she directed her first TV series， Lost in the Forest， calling people to protect the environment. The series triggered a nationwide discussion on the relationship between humans and nature.
Encouraged by the success， Zhang decided to shoot a documentary on ghost culture. She was told about the Dongba culture， and went to Lijiang in Yunnan Province， an ancient city inhabited mainly by Naxi people， for onthe-ground investigation.
“When I first saw the ancient manuscripts written in Dongba pictographic characters， I was very excited，”she told ChinAfrica. “They are artistic works， not simply pictographs.” She was informed that the characters were facing extinction as fewer people can read and understand them. Zhang knew instinctively that she had to do something to protect these treasures. According to her， there is more to Dongba pictographic characters than their artistic charm； they tell the history of humans in the early stages with vivid and beautiful myths. “These ancient manuscripts include almost everything in the world - geography， astronomy， farming and music，” she said. “They are actually an encyclopedia.”
On her first trip to Yunnan， she met a senior Dongba Shaman， He Xuezeng. He was impressed by her plan and adopted her as his daughter， later giving her the name Tayoulamu. “The adoption strengthened my determination to go on with the work [of protecting Dongba culture]，” she said.
Dongba characters are the only pictographic characters in the world still in use and the ancient manuscripts are listed in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program that seeks to record global documentary heritage. However， the number of people who can use the characters is dwindling. According to Dongba culture， only the Shamans can read and decipher them. But now fewer young people want to learn these characters as they would rather make money by providing tourist services.
Zhang has recorded Dongba culture extensively， especially Shamans chanting from the manuscripts during funerals， through videos and photographs in the hope of spreading it to a wider audience.
But she found that it was not enough to record these rites. With the passing of time， Shamans who can read and decipher these ancient manuscripts are becoming further fewer. To devote greater attention to the ancient Dongba manuscripts， she established the Beijing Association of Dongba Culture and Arts in 1997.
“Currently， there are only a handful of Dongba Shamans in the whole Naxi ethnic group who can systematically read and decipher the ancient manuscripts. We do not have much time，” said Zhang， adding that most of these Shamans are in their 80s or older.
In 2009， riding on information technology， she decided to digitize the manuscripts.
Currently there are about 30，000 volumes of ancient Dongba manuscripts， more than half of which are in overseas libraries， such as the Library of Congress and Harvard Library in the United States， the British Library and the German National Library.
Since 2009， Zhang and her colleagues have been working tirelessly to persuade these libraries to provide digitized versions of these documents or to allow their photographic recording. With the digitized versions， they can ask the Shamans to decipher them and record their pronunciations. “It is really hard work. We hoped to take the photos for free as we really do not have much money for the project but some of the libraries want to get paid，” said Zhang.
Insufficient funds are a big challenge facing Zhang and her team. For the digitalization project， the Central Government allocated 800，000 yuan （$130，506）， which is the ceiling for a social science project. “This sum is not enough to complete our rescue work，” said Zhang. However， she added that they would still persevere.
To save costs， Zhang travels to overseas libraries at her own expense， staying with friends whenever she can. When asked to pay for taking the photos， she tells the libraries that by the time she has collected the money required， the Dongba Shamans will no longer be alive to interpret these manuscripts. This feisty attitude often allows her to photograph at least part of the manuscripts for free.
Zhang admits she is in a race against time to get these outstanding manuscripts digitized as the few remaining old Shamans who can decipher them will almost certainly have passed on before she can complete the task. “I will try my best to get more of these recorded so that the later generations have more material to study the soon-to-be extinct pictographic characters，” she said.
The voice of charity
Type the name Han Hong on any Internet search engine bar and the results will tell you that she is one of the most famous singers in China. But that’s not all. The search will also reveal her untiring efforts to help people in need.
Now spending more than half of her time on philanthropic work， the singer， born in the Tibet Autonomous Region in September 1971， enjoys her role as a charity worker much more than being a superstar. Since her professional singing debut in 1995， she has gone on to captivate millions of Chinese with her crystal-clear and powerful voice， becoming one of the country’s most popular singers. “I don’t like being called a star. I don’t like this title，” Han， who is loved by her fans not only for her extraordinary talent in singing and composing but also for her forthright character， once told the media. “But I don’t mind enjoying the benefits from it [stardom]. I can get people to donate more with this famous face.”
The outspoken singer also makes no attempt to conceal her dislike for social events. Despite this， however， she has a busy calendar， singing at business functions and private parties of the rich and famous， all for charity. As the founder of the Han Hong Love Charity Foundation launched in 2012， she has to find ways to reach the deep pockets of the wealthy so that she’s able to help more people in need. Han’s commitment to public welfare began in 1999. Her hit song that year， Daybreak， is based on a true story- a tragic cable car accident in southwest China’s Guizhou Province， where a father used his last ounce of strength to save his son before he died. His wife too was killed in the mishap.
“It was immensely touching， showing a father’s incomparable love for his son，” said Han， who herself lost her father at the age of five.
Later， she wrote a song about the cable car accident and it became a massive hit and a milestone in her music career. But less well-known is the fact that she has been supporting the orphaned boy financially.
“My gut feeling told me the boy would need help and my instinct told me I must be the one to help him，” said Han.
Her focus changed to philanthropy and her stay with the boy strengthened her determination to help other children in similar plight. In the following decade， Han， who remains single， had helped nearly 300 children.
“I do not have children of my own. But I regard these children as mine，” she said.
To better help more people in emergencies， she established a rescue team. Active since 2008， the team has undertaken rescue and relief work at all subsequent major earthquake sites in China， taking medicines， food and water to victims in Sichuan， Qinghai， Gansu and Yunnan. It also helps to rebuild local schools destroyed in tremors.
Han also ran campaigns to help people in remote and poverty-stricken areas in Tibet， Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Last August， she embarked on a journey to northwest China’s Qinghai Province with 100 volunteers to provide medical services to the impoverished locals.
“I was happy to see more celebrities join the team and I believe the positive spin-offs of celebrity status are something that China’s charities need.” Han admits that philanthropy in China is regarded with very skeptical eyes by the public， whose trust has been shattered by corruption scandals in some large and well-known charitable organizations over recent years. Even Han herself has had the experience of being deceived by some charities. Hence came the idea of establishing a foundation in her own name， which she could control and ensure it remains “completely clean.”
It is rare in China for a celebrity to put his or her neck on the line in this way. As always， Han is frank， “If my colleagues are corrupt， I’m the one who will go to jail， but I have the courage to take that chance.”
cultural Samaritan
In Dongba culture， passed down by Naxi ethnic minority， mainly in southwest China， for thousands of years， Tayoulamu is one of 18 goddesses responsible for saving people whose souls cannot go to heaven. The deity’s name has now been bestowed on a Beijing woman of the Han ethnic group by a senior Dongba Shaman. Zhang Xu received the appellation for her efforts to protect ancient Dongba manuscripts written in a pictographic script that teeters on the brink of extinction.
“Physically， I am a Han people， but psychologically， I am a Dongba’s daughter，” said Zhang， who makes no secret of her love for Dongba culture. “I fell in love with Dongba pictographic characters at first sight and I don’t want them to disappear.”
Zhang， President of Beijing Association of Dongba Culture and Arts， has been engaged in preserving Dongba culture for more than 25 years， an engagement that began accidentally.
In 1983， she graduated from Beijing Broadcasting Institute （now Communication University of China）， and worked as a TV director at Beijing Television Art Center. In 1986， she directed her first TV series， Lost in the Forest， calling people to protect the environment. The series triggered a nationwide discussion on the relationship between humans and nature.
Encouraged by the success， Zhang decided to shoot a documentary on ghost culture. She was told about the Dongba culture， and went to Lijiang in Yunnan Province， an ancient city inhabited mainly by Naxi people， for onthe-ground investigation.
“When I first saw the ancient manuscripts written in Dongba pictographic characters， I was very excited，”she told ChinAfrica. “They are artistic works， not simply pictographs.” She was informed that the characters were facing extinction as fewer people can read and understand them. Zhang knew instinctively that she had to do something to protect these treasures. According to her， there is more to Dongba pictographic characters than their artistic charm； they tell the history of humans in the early stages with vivid and beautiful myths. “These ancient manuscripts include almost everything in the world - geography， astronomy， farming and music，” she said. “They are actually an encyclopedia.”
On her first trip to Yunnan， she met a senior Dongba Shaman， He Xuezeng. He was impressed by her plan and adopted her as his daughter， later giving her the name Tayoulamu. “The adoption strengthened my determination to go on with the work [of protecting Dongba culture]，” she said.
Dongba characters are the only pictographic characters in the world still in use and the ancient manuscripts are listed in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program that seeks to record global documentary heritage. However， the number of people who can use the characters is dwindling. According to Dongba culture， only the Shamans can read and decipher them. But now fewer young people want to learn these characters as they would rather make money by providing tourist services.
Zhang has recorded Dongba culture extensively， especially Shamans chanting from the manuscripts during funerals， through videos and photographs in the hope of spreading it to a wider audience.
But she found that it was not enough to record these rites. With the passing of time， Shamans who can read and decipher these ancient manuscripts are becoming further fewer. To devote greater attention to the ancient Dongba manuscripts， she established the Beijing Association of Dongba Culture and Arts in 1997.
“Currently， there are only a handful of Dongba Shamans in the whole Naxi ethnic group who can systematically read and decipher the ancient manuscripts. We do not have much time，” said Zhang， adding that most of these Shamans are in their 80s or older.
In 2009， riding on information technology， she decided to digitize the manuscripts.
Currently there are about 30，000 volumes of ancient Dongba manuscripts， more than half of which are in overseas libraries， such as the Library of Congress and Harvard Library in the United States， the British Library and the German National Library.
Since 2009， Zhang and her colleagues have been working tirelessly to persuade these libraries to provide digitized versions of these documents or to allow their photographic recording. With the digitized versions， they can ask the Shamans to decipher them and record their pronunciations. “It is really hard work. We hoped to take the photos for free as we really do not have much money for the project but some of the libraries want to get paid，” said Zhang.
Insufficient funds are a big challenge facing Zhang and her team. For the digitalization project， the Central Government allocated 800，000 yuan （$130，506）， which is the ceiling for a social science project. “This sum is not enough to complete our rescue work，” said Zhang. However， she added that they would still persevere.
To save costs， Zhang travels to overseas libraries at her own expense， staying with friends whenever she can. When asked to pay for taking the photos， she tells the libraries that by the time she has collected the money required， the Dongba Shamans will no longer be alive to interpret these manuscripts. This feisty attitude often allows her to photograph at least part of the manuscripts for free.
Zhang admits she is in a race against time to get these outstanding manuscripts digitized as the few remaining old Shamans who can decipher them will almost certainly have passed on before she can complete the task. “I will try my best to get more of these recorded so that the later generations have more material to study the soon-to-be extinct pictographic characters，” she said.
The voice of charity
Type the name Han Hong on any Internet search engine bar and the results will tell you that she is one of the most famous singers in China. But that’s not all. The search will also reveal her untiring efforts to help people in need.
Now spending more than half of her time on philanthropic work， the singer， born in the Tibet Autonomous Region in September 1971， enjoys her role as a charity worker much more than being a superstar. Since her professional singing debut in 1995， she has gone on to captivate millions of Chinese with her crystal-clear and powerful voice， becoming one of the country’s most popular singers. “I don’t like being called a star. I don’t like this title，” Han， who is loved by her fans not only for her extraordinary talent in singing and composing but also for her forthright character， once told the media. “But I don’t mind enjoying the benefits from it [stardom]. I can get people to donate more with this famous face.”
The outspoken singer also makes no attempt to conceal her dislike for social events. Despite this， however， she has a busy calendar， singing at business functions and private parties of the rich and famous， all for charity. As the founder of the Han Hong Love Charity Foundation launched in 2012， she has to find ways to reach the deep pockets of the wealthy so that she’s able to help more people in need. Han’s commitment to public welfare began in 1999. Her hit song that year， Daybreak， is based on a true story- a tragic cable car accident in southwest China’s Guizhou Province， where a father used his last ounce of strength to save his son before he died. His wife too was killed in the mishap.
“It was immensely touching， showing a father’s incomparable love for his son，” said Han， who herself lost her father at the age of five.
Later， she wrote a song about the cable car accident and it became a massive hit and a milestone in her music career. But less well-known is the fact that she has been supporting the orphaned boy financially.
“My gut feeling told me the boy would need help and my instinct told me I must be the one to help him，” said Han.
Her focus changed to philanthropy and her stay with the boy strengthened her determination to help other children in similar plight. In the following decade， Han， who remains single， had helped nearly 300 children.
“I do not have children of my own. But I regard these children as mine，” she said.
To better help more people in emergencies， she established a rescue team. Active since 2008， the team has undertaken rescue and relief work at all subsequent major earthquake sites in China， taking medicines， food and water to victims in Sichuan， Qinghai， Gansu and Yunnan. It also helps to rebuild local schools destroyed in tremors.
Han also ran campaigns to help people in remote and poverty-stricken areas in Tibet， Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Last August， she embarked on a journey to northwest China’s Qinghai Province with 100 volunteers to provide medical services to the impoverished locals.
“I was happy to see more celebrities join the team and I believe the positive spin-offs of celebrity status are something that China’s charities need.” Han admits that philanthropy in China is regarded with very skeptical eyes by the public， whose trust has been shattered by corruption scandals in some large and well-known charitable organizations over recent years. Even Han herself has had the experience of being deceived by some charities. Hence came the idea of establishing a foundation in her own name， which she could control and ensure it remains “completely clean.”
It is rare in China for a celebrity to put his or her neck on the line in this way. As always， Han is frank， “If my colleagues are corrupt， I’m the one who will go to jail， but I have the courage to take that chance.”