Women have made great contributions to the social and economic development of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province, said leading female figures of the city on Thursday.

These remarks were made at a conference held in Hangzhou to mark the 115th International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.

Organized by the Hangzhou Women's Federation, the event gathered together over a hundred participants as dozens of individuals and organizations were honored for their achievements and contributions.

"As female entrepreneurs, we may face more challenges and skepticism," said Zhang Shengnan, one of the founding members of BrainCo, a Hangzhou company dedicated to the development of brain-computer interface products.

A conference commemorating the 115th International Women's Day is held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on March 6. [photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

At the opening ceremony of the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023, the cauldron was ignited by China's female para-swimmer Xu Jialing whose bionic hand was developed by BrainCo.

"However, the unique feminine qualities of attention to detail, empathy, and resilience can precisely serve as distinctive advantages on the journey of technological innovation," according to Zhang.

Strong policy support has helped a lot, too. For example, official statistics show that Hangzhou disbursed a total of 300 million yuan ($41.41 million) in guaranteed startup loans to eligible female entrepreneurs.

During the event, new initiatives, on top of the policies that have already been in place, were introduced. Among the initiatives, a regional entrepreneurship and innovation exchange platform covering the Yangtze River Delta area will be set up for women entrepreneurs and over 10,000 internships will be provided for female college graduates. Skill training sessions will be conducted for more than 2,000 women in rural areas.

Yang Lingcui founded a local assistance company after graduating in 2019. Her team of mostly middle-aged women from rural areas grew to almost 3,000 in a little over five years, thanks to the help and support from authorities such as the Hangzhou Women's Federation.

"I have been given so many opportunities to realize my dreams," Yang said. "We will continue to leverage the unique combination of strength and grace inherent in women, and do our part in the pursuit of high-quality development."

In addition to the conference, a host of activities, including job fairs specially catered to female graduates, will be held to commemorate this year's International Women's Day, according to the Hangzhou Women's Federation.