Chinese Embassy in Mongolia holds reception to mark Int'l Women's Day

ULAN BATOR, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Mongolia hosted on Wednesday a reception to mark International Women's Day, which falls on March 8 annually.

Present at the event were representatives of the Mongolian government, political parties, media, and social groups as well as staff of foreign embassies and consulates and Chinese-funded institutions in Mongolia.

"Women hold up half the sky in poverty alleviation. In fact, women hold up half the sky in every one of our families and in every sphere of society, especially in Mongolia," Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Shen Minjuan said at the reception.

Shen expressed her hope that in the Year of the Dragon, which symbolizes auspiciousness, all women will enjoy good health and happiness, and bilateral relations will see greater development.

During the event, the Chinese ambassador handed over an emergency assistance of 100,000 yuan (14,000 U.S. dollars) donated by the Beijing Red Cross Society to the Mongolian Red Cross Society for fighting the extreme wintry weather, known as "dzud." More than 3 million head of livestock have perished across Mongolia due to dzud.

"Dzud" is a Mongolian term for a severely cold winter when a large number of livestock die because the ground is frozen or covered by snow.