Editor’s note: The headline is a reference to Mark Twain’s oft-quoted display of disdain for statistics and figures.

Women in China’s tech and entrepreneurship have come under global attention during the past years for their (perceived) better position compared to some countries (the US). The divide was painfully visible during China’s ride-hailing war: on one hand were Uber’s scandals with treating women, on the other, was DiDi’s shining example with its president and COO, Jean Liu.

However, China has been long considered as a country of slightly dubious statistics. This year again for Women’s Day, Chinese state media reported that women account for 55% of entrepreneurs in the internet field, a statistic repeated since 2015. So far, however, nobody has been able to figure out what it actually means. Is it women that have founded a startup? Women who work for a tech company? Women who happened to open a shop on Taobao?

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