The "2025 National March 8th Red-Banner Holder" list has been announced, and multiple faculty members and students from the Open University of China (OUC) are among the honourees. These women have dedicated themselves to their work with unwavering commitment, shouldering responsibilities with quiet strength and reflecting their original aspirations through their prime years. They are trailblazers in their respective fields, and boundary-breakers in life. Starting today, let's get to know these exceptional OUC women, listen to their inspiring stories, and witness the radiance they bring.

GAO Ying is a member of the Communist Party of China, senior editor, and professor at Jiangxi Open University. She also serves as Executive Vice President of Jiangxi Women's Career Education Practice Promotion Association. In 2026, she was honoured as a "2025 National March 8th Red-Banner Holder." Her awards include "China Journalism Award," "China Golden Mic Nomination Award," "Jiangxi Provincial March 8th Red-Banner Holder," and "Jiangxi Provincial Role Model of Women’s Meritorious Service."

With a strong sense of responsibility and profound professional expertise, GAO has achieved outstanding results. The blended online and offline university course she created was recognised as a national first-class quality course by the Ministry of Education. The textbook she co-authored was listed among Jiangxi Province's 15th Five-Year Plan textbooks. Moreover, she participated in founding the Jiangxi Women's Career Education Practice Promotion Association and initiated the Jiangxi Women's Career Planning and Development Competition—a career education event covering women's full life including education, career, family and retirement. Both of these two efforts started a new trend in China.

GAO is pioneering the "First National Conference" and "First National Competition." Aligned with OUC's mission in lifelong education, GAO facilitated a strategic cooperation between the Jiangxi Provincial Women's Federation and Jiangxi Open University on "empowering women's lifelong learning through lifelong education." She helped establish the first women's career education social organisation within the national women's federation system—the Jiangxi Women's Career Education Practice Promotion Association—where she serves as Executive Vice President and manages daily operations. Additionally, GAO innovatively designed the Jiangxi Women's Career Planning and Development Competition, which is the nation's first competition showcasing women's career development in their full life. The competition provides a platform for women at different life stages, and helps the public understand women's career development model. It closely links individual career planning with national development blueprint and the trend of the times, achieving deep integration of "personal value and social value." The competition has been held for two sessions, covering 11 prefecture-level cities and over 80 universities in Jiangxi Province, attracting nearly 1,000 enterprises and providing over 10,000 job positions.

GAO explores Diverse Models of Chinese Women's Lifelong Education and builds a "Five Batches" Service System. Focusing on the development of women's career education theories, she launched a batch of academic research topics on women's career. To promote practical application of career planning skills across the full life, she developed a set of training courses by category and stage. To build a talent pool, she selected a batch of women's career role models and cultivated a batch of volunteer lecturers for women's career education. To construct practice platforms, she established a batch of women's career research and practice bases. To raise public awareness, she planned and launched a series of featured activities. This "five batches" service system covering women's full life—education, career, family, and retirement—fills the gap in China's practice of promoting women's lifelong learning through career education.

By Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development

Published: 3 April 2026