A photo exhibition is held at the Fifth China (Xihe) Qiqiao Cultural Summit Forum, August 7, 2013. [Photo/China.org.cn]

"Qiqiao culture helps improve women's life quality and social status," Sun said, "To promote gender equality, maintain women's interests and help women live a better happier life, is the ultimate goal of the Qiqiao culture. We hope that China's Qiqiao Festival can be a medium to carry on women's wisdom, skills and virtues. We hope the festival can become a lecture on how to establish dignity, confidence, independence and self-improvement; help women develop themselves to the fullest."

Julia T. Broussard, the UN Women Country Programme Manager, also said at the summit that Qiqiao is mainly a girls' festival. "Girls will be mature women in the future and the festival can prepare them," Broussard said, "The festival and summit brought attention to the multiple social roles women have played, and reminded us of the long path ahead of us despite the big improvements in gender equality and female empowerment. We can discuss how to overcome the difficulties which still exist so that we can ensure the current girls and future women will be treated the same as the men when they grow up."

"I hope that one day, all women from Longnan and even the whole of China, will have big ambitions and work hard to become Nobel-winning scientists, CEOs of big corporations and even president of the nation. For me, that is the ultimate meaning of Qiqiao," Broussard added.

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