中国妇女（英文）网：Women Entrepreneurs Share Cultural Values on Internet Business

The forum on women  entrepreneurship  in the Internet circle was held in Beijing on September 19.

Amid the booming opportunities and mass fervor across China in starting businesses in the Internet industry, the rise of women entrepreneurs is particularly striking — not least because of the social roles and gender disadvantages that have sometimes hampered them, in comparison to their male counterparts, in the world of tech.

As the first professional technology entrepreneurship platform for women in China, TechBase  launched the touring series of forums under the theme of "Tech Beauty Connects the World." The project arrived at its final stop Beijing on September 19. Organizers of the tour had run a series of meetings on female entrepreneurship in the field of technology across the region all throughout the summer.

The final forum in the capital's Oriental Media Center , co-hosted by Beijing Women's International Exchange Center and Lean In Beijing, similarly focused on women's entrepreneurship in the Internet arena. Four heavyweight guests shared their experiences in business startups at the event. They each expressed their views on how to combine the Internet with different industries, as well as the differences and similarities between the entrepreneurial environment in China and the U.S..

Li Yue, director of Beijing Women's International Exchange Center, delivered the opening address. "As an organization engaged in women's development and communication under Beijing Women's Federation , our mission is to help and guide social organizations committed to women's development like TechBase," she said. "This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, so it is of great significance to understand the business startup ecology in China and the U.S. and learn about women entrepreneurs' unique feelings."

According to Li, her organization's exchange center aims to tap into the advantages of Beijing as China's technological innovation capital in promoting women's development and, especially, assist business startups by women. The non-profit is striving to create a women-friendly and family-friendly environment by accelerating the introduction of relevant laws and policies.

In the session that followed, four women entrepreneurs involved in the Internet addressed the audiences about their journey on the technological roller-coaster of a ride. TechBase founder Ling Zihan said that China's environment for startups is completely different from that in the U.S. and only by integrating herself in Internet circles could she get to know what Chinese Net users are thinking about.

Talking about the fortes of women in entrepreneurship, she said, "Women are adept at communication and maintaining good interpersonal relations, which makes them easily stand out, even in Silicon Valley, which boasts numerous tech geniuses."

As regards the differences between China and the U.S. in the startup environment, chief executive officer of fashion e-commerce firm Pair Li Ningzi, claimed the U.S. market has reached a saturation point while unprecedented rises in China are still providing a wide spectrum of opportunities. However, there is an air of fickleness floating over Beijing's environment for startups so that many people fail to adopt a down-to-earth manner, she said.

Li Dai, founder of Zebra Media and former general manager of the Greater China region at Asia's leading music station Channel V, told young women that the real world is rather cruel and it takes a lot of time to achieve success. "Time is the most impartial thing to us!" she said. "Many women are confronted with a dilemma as to how to balance their work and family. It's important that you want to live a fulfilled life by doing what you are longing for, and that your husband and family support you."