Tan Fuyun

Tan Fuyun's career spans textiles, journalism, government, and civil society organizations. She graduated in 1954 from Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School and in 1959 earned a degree in Textile Machinery from China Textile University. After graduation, she worked in textile machinery technology. Her career choice was influenced by her father, Tan Shengyi’s, idea of “industrial salvation of the nation,” and she devoted herself to alleviating the country’s textile shortages. She has held positions including Vice Chairperson of the 5th National Committee of the All-China Women’s Federation and Chairwoman of the 8th Shanghai Women’s Federation, as well as Assistant to the President and Head of the Economic Department at Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong Branch.

Before 1985, she served as a representative of the 8th Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress and as Vice Chairperson of the All-China Women’s Federation and Chairwoman of the Shanghai Women’s Federation, promoting the establishment of the “Tianqin Award” to encourage innovation in textile design. From 1985 to 1991, she worked at Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong Branch, concurrently serving as Deputy Head of the Economic Working Group and Head of the Women’s Working Group. In 2007, as a member of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), she participated in and delivered a keynote speech at the forum “Women and Urban Development.”

In 1991 she founded Yangtan Consulting Co., Ltd., leading the introduction of foreign investment and technology projects, including the Bao Yugang Experimental School project. The company assisted mainland enterprises in expanding into international markets, covering management optimization, overseas presence, and technology cooperation. As of March 2025, Yangtan (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., where she had served as supervisor, and Shanghai Yunqi Arts Co., Ltd., where she had served as director, have both been deregistered.

In terms of social impact, Tan Fuyun used a Hong Kong-based nonprofit organization to promote causes for Mainland women and children, and she served as a director of the China Women’s Development Foundation and the China Children and Teenagers’ Foundation. In 2007, at the World Expo Theme Forum, she emphasized the opportunities for women’s participation in urban development and advocated improving women’s social status.