VZCZCXRO3557
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHGH #0110/01 0680255
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090255Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7706
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2580
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1802
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0258
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 1969
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 1793
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1590
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8340

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000110 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD, DRL, INR 
NSC FOR LOI, KUTCHA-HELBLING 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI PHUM ECON PGOV PREL OIIP KPAO CH
SUBJECT: BREAD AND ROSES: CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN 
SHANGHAI 
 
(U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified and for official 
use only.  Not for distribution outside of USG channels or via 
the internet. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Shanghai women enjoy a higher social status than in 
most other parts of China, according to attendees at a Consulate 
lunch in honor of International Women's Day.  The guests talked 
freely about their own struggles as women in male-dominated 
fields such as film, law, and engineering, and expressed concern 
about the future for children growing up amidst the pressure and 
high expectations of a fast-paced city.  All voiced surprise and 
pleasure to be invited to celebrate International Women's Day at 
the U.S. Consulate, hosted by a female Consul General. End 
Summary. 
 
Women Making Their Voices Heard in Shanghai 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A March 4 lunch hosted by the Consul General turned 
into a networking event as a group of previously unacquainted 
professional women shared their experiences with Consulate 
officers and each other. The nine guests, three of whom 
previously visited the United States on U.S. Government exchange 
programs, discussed the contribution of women to society, 
politics, and the arts in Shanghai, adding that they hope to see 
more women leaders in all fields. They asked about the role of 
women in the Obama administration, particularly Secretary 
Clinton, and were surprised to learn that International Women's 
Day rose from the U.S. labor movement and that era's call for 
"Bread and Roses."  With International Women's Day in China now 
mainly shorn of political substance, the guests were interested 
in the slogan's appeal for both economic security and a better 
quality of life and impressed to learn that the U.S. allocates a 
month to the celebration of women's history. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Zhou Meiyan, a reform-minded staffer at the Shanghai 
Municipal People's Congress (SMPC) said she believes there will 
be more women political leaders both in Shanghai and at the 
national level in the near future.  Liu Jun, Deputy Director of 
the Water Affairs Division at the Pudong New Area's 
Environmental Management Bureau and a former Humphrey Fellow, 
and Wang Li, Director of the Department of New Media at Jiefang 
Media Group, both said they see more and more women working in 
their respective fields.  Lisa Zhou, Deputy Supervisor of the 
Project Development Department at the Shanghai Cultural 
Development Foundation, said her organization will continue to 
empower women to make contributions to city-wide art festivals, 
and Peng Xiaolian, Director of the Shanghai Film Studio, 
commented that many Shanghai women have contributed to the film 
industry.  While hopeful about the future, most guests lamented 
that "glass ceilings" limit their advancement in these mostly 
male-dominated fields. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Several guests asserted that women in Shanghai enjoy a 
higher social status than in other parts of China.  Zhang Nian, 
a professor at Tongji University whose expertise is feminist 
theory, and Zhou Meiyan from the SMPC both noted that women are 
treated better in Shanghai.  Huang Lili from the Shanghai Angel 
Charity Foundation agreed with Zhang and Zhou, separately 
telling CongenOff that women in Shanghai have more opportunities 
than women in China's interior, echoing the sentiments of other 
guests who praised the city's gender equality (nannu pingdeng). 
 
What Does the Future Hold for Our Children? 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Despite praising the opportunities in Shanghai, the 
women said they are concerned about the future for their 
children, who face the pressure of growing up in a fast-paced 
society with high expectations for success.  Wang Li from 
Jiefang Media Group and Li Lan, a judge on the Shanghai High 
Court who earned her LLM degree at Temple University, both said 
they believe their children have too much homework and not have 
enough time to play.  When the CG pointed out that American 
families struggle with similar issues, the Shanghai parents 
responded unequivocally that U.S. kids are much better off. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Peng Xiaolian commented that many of Shanghai's 
children appear unhappy when compared to the poor children of 
 
SHANGHAI 00000110  002 OF 002 
 
 
migrant laborers or farmers, and many of the well-educated 
Shanghai children sometimes do not appear to be as intelligent 
as poor children who are more "street smart."  Huang Lili said 
the difference in attitude between privileged children in the 
city and migrant children is obvious in the places where her 
foundation does charity work: "poor children are happier than 
rich children." 
 
Chinese Women: To Infinity and Beyond 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Despite the pressures of education in Shanghai, the 
guests said they hope more women will grow up to study the 
sciences in university.  Wang Hong, President of the Shanghai 
University of Engineering Science (currently the only female 
university president in East China), stated that only 30 percent 
of her university's students are women. In pure engineering 
programs, men overwhelmingly dominate; management and design 
programs have more women, however, and in some cases female 
students form the majority.  It is especially difficult to find 
women who want to study to become pilots.  Thanking the 
Consulate for bringing a U.S. astronaut to speak to students two 
years earlier, Wang said there is no reason that a Chinese woman 
cannot be an astronaut; this is one area where she sees a need 
for advancement. 
 
Praise for One of Their Own 
--------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) All of the guests thanked the Consul General for hosting 
the first celebration of International Women's Day at the 
Consulate in their memory.  Many of the guests paused at the 
wall of photos of Shanghai's 33 previous Consuls General, noting 
with satisfaction that the Consulate is now led by a woman for 
the first time.  "I have been invited to other Consulate events 
but sometimes didn't feel it would be appropriate to attend," 
Peng Xiaolian told CongenOff.  "But now I feel very welcome 
here." 
CAMP