Beijing Women's Federation

A women's entrepreneurship salon on the theme of "To Us of Infinite Possibilities", took place at Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on September 22.
 
The event was jointly held by Beijing Women's International Exchange Center and women's federations in the Chaoyang and Xicheng districts of the city.
 
Two outstanding role models including Chen Yu (Joy Chen) and Li Xuebai (Amy Li) were invited to share their experiences and thoughts with attendees on the process of running startups.
 
Combining with their own experiences of entrepreneurship from different fields, the two women explained how they learned about themselves and made breakthroughs, as well as how they fulfilled their self-realization and their growth.
 
At the event, Chen shared her story of how she went from a real estate developer to former deputy mayor of Los Angeles and a bestselling author.
 
Chen said she thought that only when a woman cultivates a passion for work and takes concrete actions to create new values can she access good opportunities in her career. In her opinion, aptitude and diligence alone are not enough to give a person such chances.
 
The more women understand themselves, the more confident they will become. In this way, Chen believes that every woman can start a passionate and meaningful career; fulfill their dreams; and, create social value.
 
Li has also been a real estate operator, as well as a restaurant owner, translator and writer. Her career began as a teacher. After establishing her own business and serving as a senior manager in a foreign company, Li was admitted to Columbia University in the U.S. and became a mature student.
 
Li said making constant attempts and lifelong learning have brought her rich life experiences and allowed her to know that she has infinite possibilities in many things. From this, she also gradually gained a clear understanding of her life pursuits.
 
In one section, the two guests held a heated discussion with participants on topics such as "Should a 40-year-old make an attempt to set up a business in a different field?" and "How can women play to their own advantages in their career?"
 
Chen believed that one of women's advantages is that they are more likely to listen to, understand and contact different people. Whereas, Li regarded that women's tenacity and kindness are most precious in the course of entrepreneurship.
 
Their unique experiences and thinking has given them confidence and enlightenment, said participants.
 
With the development of the times and the progress of society, more and more women hope to obtain success in the workplace, along with social recognition and self-realization. Organizers said they will continue to invite more guests with international vision to spread a positive spirit in future to help women in the city to better develop themselves.
 
Around 100 people participated in the event included representatives of women entrepreneurs from various industries across the city; senior executives from foreign companies; female college students; and, those from media outlets.

（Source: Women of China）