Women in Rural China have one of the highest suicide rates in the world - a fact often attributed
to difficulties they face in a world in which they have little control over their lives. The urban/rural
economic divide in China is very large. China also has a long history of domestic abuse of
women. Many migrants, men and women, come to the cities and have no rights to protect
themselves. Lihua Xie believes women's rights are human rights. She has created centers in
large cities to re-educate women about their rights, that they are citizens of China, and to teach
them how to succeed in modern China. She created a magazine that helps women organize, tell
their stories, and learn from each other. Through micro-lending relationships, Lihua Xie hopes
to empower women to take control of their own futures and de-couple themselves from stifling
dependency on men. Using grass-roots, bottom-up methods, Lihua Xie's influence is spreading
across China and now includes a literacy project to teach women how to read and write,
something that rural women cited as one of their most important needs. In the end, Lihua Xie
hopes for equality between men and women in a country where women have traditionally had
little say over their lives.
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A Look at
Women
in
China

Women in Rural China have one of the highest suicide rates in the world - a fact often
attributed to difficulties they face in a world in which they have little control over their lives.
The urban/rural economic divide in China is very large. China also has a long history of
domestic abuse of women. Many migrants, men and women, come to the cities and have
no rights to protect themselves. Lihua Xie believes women's rights are human rights.
She has created centers in large cities to re-educate women about their rights, that they
are citizens of China, and to teach them how to succeed in modern China. She created a
magazine that helps women organize, tell their stories, and learn from each other.

Through micro-lending relationships, Lihua Xie hopes to empower women to take control
of their own futures and de-couple themselves from stifling dependency on men.
Using grass-roots, bottom-up methods, Lihua Xie's influence is spreading across China
and now includes a literacy project to teach women how to read and write, something that
rural women cited as one of their most important needs. In the end, Lihua Xie hopes for
equality between men and women in a country where women have traditionally had
little say over their lives.