She was promoted to a Researcher (研究员, the highest researcher rank in mainland China equivalent to the academic rank of a full professor) in 1980 shortly after the Chinese economic reform began in 1978.
在 1978 年中国经济改革开始后不久，她于 1980 年被提拔为研究员（中国大陆最高的研究员等级，学术级别相当于正教授）。