Two women deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) joined with beneficiaries of the Spring Bud Project and women soldiers of China's Air Force during a meeting in Beijing on March 11, 2013, to talk about women's ideals, missions and dedications in the new era.
During the meeting, Mihelunsha Abudu, an NPC deputy, a former beneficiary of the project and an air force officer from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, met her and the other seven deputies from the grassroots level after he attended a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during the first session of the 12th NPC in the morning of the same day, and Xi encouraged them to work hard and to contribute to the dream of building a powerful military.
Mihelunsha said, “General Secretary Xi cares about the implementation of the Blue Sky Spring Bud Project and the work and lives of grassroots soldiers. He asked me about my life and work and encouraged me to work hard. That encouragement is not only for me, but also for air force soldiers and Spring Bud students. After I return to the army, I will convey the deliberations of the NPC to soldiers and the people, and I will strive to make contributions to military-civilian solidarity, ethnic solidarity and social stability in border areas.”
Mihelunsha also shared her life experience with Spring Bud students. She hoped they will keep studying hard toward their goals and achieve their dreams.
Blue Sky Spring Bud Project was jointly launched by the PLA Air Force and the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) in 1995 to help in-need girls continue their studies. At that time, Mihelunsha dropped out of school. With the support of the project, she returned to school and eventually graduated from university. Mihelunsha became an air force officer in 2009. To date, she has supported more than 40 students from impoverished families. In 2011, she was honored as one of the role models in children’s charity by the CCTF. The next year, she was selected as an advanced individual in the PLA.
Liu Li, another NPC deputy who is known as "the most beautiful foot masseuse" on the Internet, called on Spring Bud students to be optimistic about life. Liu recalled that she had to give up school and work as a foot masseuse to support her younger siblings to complete their education. She said it was meaningful to support in-need students, so she began helping students through Spring Bud Project in 2006. She also encouraged 130 people to join her efforts of supporting students. At the end of 2010, she established a fund with the purpose of helping more in-need students. In 2011, she was also honored as one of the role models in children’s charity by the CCTF.
Those in attendance at the gathering included beneficiaries of the Blue Sky Spring Bud Project from Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, North China Electric Power University, Beijing Sport University and Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.
They said that they were fully inspired by the stories of Mihelunsha and Liu, adding that they will carry forward the spirit of the project and strive for greater contributions to the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.