The ongoing 16th CPC National Congress, which began on November 8, is participated in by over 2,000 delegates representing 66 million Party members. Women delegates account for 18 percent of the total. Who are they? And what are they thinking about the Party's important event? China.org.cn presents their stories in a series.

Dai Minority Policewoman: Outwardly Gentle but Inwardly Tough

Dao Yuqin has been a crime scene technician for over 20 years for the Luxi Police Bureau in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Ethnic Minorities Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. She graduated from Yunnan Police School in 1980. As one of a few female crime scene technician experts from the Dai Minority, she was chosen as fingerprint management engineer in 1995, and authorized with the relevant certification.

Professional knowledge, considerable working experience, care and responsibility are all necessary attributes for a good crime scene technician. After receiving a police report, Dao, together with her colleagues, must go to the crime scene immediately, regardless of how remote the area might be or conditions of the evening. Once there, the first thing she does is check for finger prints, which are later cross referenced with hundreds of other trace files in order to identify likely suspects. In the past 13 years, Dao has investigated over 1,700 criminal cases, surveyed 570 crime scenes by herself, and established a file of more than 10,000 fingerprints.

On May 12, 2001, a rape and murder case in Luxi City, causing 5 deaths and 1 injury, shocked the whole Dehong Autonomous Prefecture. Dao was in charge of reconnoitering the crime scene and finding traces of evidence. With the aid of high technology and her careful observation skills Dao found important evidence, which later helped police to arrest 3 suspects within 24 hours.

In 1995, the Ministry of Public Security awarded Dao Yuqin with a Police Official's National Excellence commendation. In 1999, Dao Yuqin was elected model worker for Yunnan Province by the provincial government. After being elected as a delegate of 16th Party Congress, Dao said that the honor belongs to everyone, for it is impossible to reach such achievement without the assistance of others.

Ma Haiyan: The "Diamond Girl"

There is a dazzling "diamond" at the Dongfang Emporium Diamond Shoppe, which makes all the other diamonds even that much more dazzling. Ma Haiyan, an extraordinary 31-year-old saleswoman, is the only senior diamond classification identifier in Shanghai. She attends the 16th CPC National Congress in the name of Shanghai's 150,000 service sector workers. She has won the trust of consumers with her diamond-like quality.

Ten years ago, Ma Haiyan was an ordinary salesgirl in the Dongfang Emporium Jewlry Shoppe. To sell diamonds is work that needs a great deal of professional skill, but at that time Ma Haiyan was just a high school graduate with two years hotel work experience. After years of diligent study, she entered the mysterious world of diamonds. Now she has the unique skill of being able to identify and classify diamonds.

At the end of 1997, Ma Haiyan took part in the national jewelry and diamonds certification examination as the youngest examinee. She felt a high level of pressure for this exam. The other examinees were all college graduates with more than five years working experience. Ma Haiyan, then only a high school graduate, proved exceptional, successfully passing the examination. Understanding the complicated theoretical physics gave Ma Haiyan even further insight into the world of diamonds. In 1998, she took part in a course on diamond grading and identification organized by Diamond High Council (Hoge Raad voor Diamant, HRD), a non-profit organization at the service of the Belgian trade and industry. She gained an even deeper understanding of diamonds and received the international recognized HRD diamond grading expert certification.

Ma Haiyan said, "Diamonds possess a permanent value; I possess permanent friends."

She Xinhe: A Woman Devoted to National Defense

She Xinhe, a senior engineer with PLA's Second Artillery Corps, also known as the Strategic Missile Force, and a delegate of the 16th CPC National Congress has been working in a small room full of computers for past ten years. She has succeeded in putting dozens of scientific research experiment into the field, greatly enhancing the national level of scientific sophistication in the Strategic Missile Force.

She started her career in a research center, protected in a valley of mountains, after receiving a master degree from the National University of Defense Technology in 1992. Two years later, she came up with the idea of applying multimedia technology in training the Strategic Missile Force and soon her plan was approved by the higher level authorities. She was assigned as chief leader for this scientific project.

To date, She Xinhe has finished 12 scientific projects and written more than 600,000 words of teaching materials. She also conducted training classes for high level officials, consisting of more than 20 phases, and taught 1,200 hours of basic army training.

(China.org.cn November 12, 2002)