Voices of foreign training participants: Real China is far more vivid and energetic than narratives in textbooks

Editor's Note: The Global Center for Women's Capacity Building was inaugurated and is operated by the All-China Women's Federation and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), in collaboration with the China Women's University.

The Seminar on Education Capacity Building for Women from Developing Countries, initiated by the CIDCA, was hosted by the center from June 23 to July 6. A total of 29 participants from Egypt, Barbados, Bahrain, Bulgaria, The Gambia, Grenada, Kiribati, Rwanda, South Africa, Naoero and the African Union Commission attended the training program in China.

Through this training, Ahood Ali, a lecturer in Chinese at Mansoura University in Egypt, gained an in-depth understanding of China and the development of Chinese women.

As a lecturer and researcher of Chinese language, culture and modern literature at Mansoura University, I once believed that my years of study, research and life experience had equipped me with a thorough grasp of China's history, culture and social development.

However, this seminar has made me truly realize that the real China is far more vivid and energetic than narratives in textbooks.

What touched me most during this study tour is China's development philosophy of integrating women's development into the overall national modernization drive.

The Zhejiang Women's Cadre School significantly impressed and enlightened me. It precisely empowered women's development by leveraging intangible cultural heritage. Through training in traditional crafts, cultural and creative product development and e-commerce, it enabled local women to achieve flexible employment and income growth by drawing on traditional Chinese culture.

The inheritance of intangible cultural heritage allowed me to witness the power of Chinese culture, and visits to science and innovation enterprises enabled me to observe the strength of China's scientific and technological innovation. I have come to understand how science and technology break down restrictions stemming from gender, region and physical conditions, creating boundless possibilities for women's development.

At the technology experience center, I felt as if I had stepped into a futuristic world and witnessed the tremendous changes brought by artificial intelligence and robotics to society. Robots have been widely integrated into people's daily lives in various scenarios, including catering services, elderly care, education, entertainment and public security.

I intend to integrate the insights, experiences and professional knowledge gained from this training into my future teaching and research work, helping more students learn from China's development experience. Moving forward, I will continue to contribute to people-to-people exchanges and women's development cooperation between Egypt and China.