Female entrepreneur creates body armor for women

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A Chinese female entrepreneur has been devoting her time towards improving women’s body armor as most armor is developed and engineered to fit men's bodies.

Yang Dan from Changzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province has set up her company, researching, producing and selling ballistic vests and other bulletproof products since 2011.

“The curvature of woman is obvious, which means it is more difficult to make highly suitable 3D body armor,” the 35-year-old female entrepreneur told Chutian Metropolis Daily.

Yang's project won a silver award at a provincial startup competition in 2017. /Chutian Metropolis Daily Photo

Yang is now determined to improve women's vests with ever-evolving designs, conducting in-depth research while developing body armor made by 3D materials, instead of only using traditional 2D materials.

According to Yang, old-fashioned body armor is too thick to wear and affects working mobility. The new 3D vest will become more flexible, hence to enhance users performance during missions.

The products made by Yang’s company have been sold to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, the US and Canada. In less than ten years, Yang’s company has reached a revenue of more than 20 million yuan (around 3.2 million US dollars).

For Yang, this is just the beginning of her career. But the struggle of living and working an ideal life has never stopped for her since she was young.

Yang in university /Chutian Metropolis Daily Photo

The female entrepreneur once majored in comparative literature in China, and then studied textile technology at Manchester University in the UK. Meanwhile, she started her trail business of international trade in textile when she enrolled in a PhD program. At the age of 25, Yang earned the first pot of gold, a net profit of 500,000 yuan (around 80,000 US dollars).

“Life is fun because of challenges,” Yang told Chutian Metropolis Daily, adding that every time she tries something new she feels excited and inspired.

Yang has joined Wuhan Textile University in central China’s Hubei Province with aims to share her practical experience with students.

Yang at a teaching faculty in Wuhan Textile University /Chutian Metropolis Daily Photo

In China, female entrepreneurs are a rising group. The country has 64 self-made female billionaires, according to Hurun Global Self-Made Women Billionaires List 2018, meaning the country is now home to more than half of the world's 102 richest women.

As one of the world’s most successful female moguls, Zhou Qunfei has steered Lens Technology from scratch to a top touchscreen supplier for almost every smartphone brand. And Chen Lihua, the founder and chairman of one of Beijing's largest commercial property developers, is ranked third on the 2018 list, with 8 billion US dollars.