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Professor helps design women's body armor

Years studying in UK and global business experience gave her a leg up

By Liu Kun in Wuhan and Zhang Yi | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-05-30 15:26
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Yang Dan, an expert at developing body armor and helmets for military and law enforcement use. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A professor at Wuhan Textile University is proving that such a position does not necessarily involve instructing students in the fine art of textile and clothing fashion or design.

"It is great fun to live a life of constant challenges," said Yang Dan, an expert at developing body armor and helmets for military and law enforcement use.

She is now designing body armor specifically for use by women, especially Asian body types.

Yang, 35, was born and raised in Changzhou, a city in Jiangsu province renowned for textiles, and her parents both worked at textile companies.

"When I was young, my father was a salesman when his company started doing business with foreigners," she said. "One day, the company had a potential big order from a foreign client, but the translator stole the order because my father and other employees at his company had poor English."

Yang said that lost order made her realize as a teenager the importance of foreign languages, and in 2001 she enrolled at Beijing's Capital Normal University to major in comparative literature.

"Learning both Western and Chinese literature broadened my horizons, and my English improved a lot," she said.

After four years, and with a degree under her belt, Yang decided to seek an advanced qualification in a completely unrelated field — textile sciences.

"China's textile industry saw robust development in the decade before and after its entry to the World Trade Organization in 2001, largely thanks to foreign trade," she said. "But low-quality Chinese textiles had begun to lose their price advantage in global markets by the time I graduated. It was then I realized that high-end textile manufacturing would be a new trend."

In 2005, Yang started studying for a master's in textile sciences at the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom.

"I was surprised they accepted me. Maybe it was because of my excellent undergraduate grades, or perhaps they were interested in my family's work background and my views on textiles."

Studying a completely different subject abroad was a new challenge for Yang, who said she would record lectures to review after class to ensure she fully understood them — which included grappling with varying English accents.

Another difficulty was her general weakness in textiles and engineering knowledge. Yang was a newcomer to textile sciences compared to her classmates. To catch up, she had to work even harder.

"I spent a lot of time in the university library surrounded by many smart students," she said. "I thought maybe someday my future children could also see my research papers on library shelves."

Her hard work eventually paid off. After earning her master's, Yang was chosen by the university as a PhD candidate, and she was invited by Chen Xiaogang — a leading expert in advanced textile material science at Manchester University - to join his research team to develop advanced bulletproof materials, a project supported in part by the British government.

The UK is highly advanced in bulletproof materials research. "They pay more attention to equipment and attire worn and used by law enforcement and military personnel," Yang said.

"My PhD tutor, professor Chen, appreciated my creativity and diligence. My multidisciplinary academic background became an advantage in research and development," she said.

In 2011, after finishing her PhD in the UK, Yang returned to Changzhou and set up her own factory to design and manufacture bulletproof goods.

Yang said it was a good time to run the business in China, and her products have also been exported to many countries.

Yang's success in business is partly due to her honing her negotiating skills in the UK when she would help British designers find Chinese manufacturers.

"I remember the first time I got a chance to speak to a potential client. But he rejected me in less than one minute because of my unfamiliarity with the business," she said.

"But my father called me at the time and comforted me by saying: 'Congratulations, you took the first step'," she said.

Yang said that while studying and doing research work in the UK, she became very independent and would travel around the country alone by train to help make deals. When she was just 25 years old, she earned her first big commission — 500,000 yuan ($79,500) on a single deal — helping find a Chinese factory to produce several units of clothing her client had designed.

After gaining additional design and foreign trade experience, Yang eventually left Changzhou to teach at Wuhan Textile University in 2016. "I realized at the time that I enjoy research most and I love communicating with youngsters, who often give me new perspectives," she said.

Now, the professor is fully involved in developing advanced body armor materials at the university. "Thanks to my research in the UK and my business experience, I found how important it is for body armor to perfectly fit a soldier's body."

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