Wu Yifang: A Trailblazer in Women’s Education and Peace Advocacy

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we’ll talk about stories of Wu Yifang who emerged as a pioneering figure in women’s education. Her dedication to advancing women’s roles in society left an indelible mark on both education and global diplomacy.

Transcript

Wu Yifang: A Trailblazer in Women’s Education and Peace Advocacy

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we’ll talk about stories of Wu Yifang who emerged as a pioneering figure in women’s education. Her dedication to advancing women’s roles in society left an indelible mark on both education and global diplomacy.

On October 3, Hangzhou No 14 High School in east China’s Zhejiang Province celebrated its 120th anniversary. Alumni and guests gathered from all directions by the West Lake, coming together at the three campuses to celebrate their alma mater.

A micro-film depicting the school’s history was movingly performed by the school’s faculty and students, closely linking the recounting of the school’s history with a vision for the future. Hangzhou No 14 High School has produced many notable alumni, including Wu Yifang, the first female representative to sign the United Nations Charter. She is also one of the first female college students in China to earn a bachelor’s degree domestically, a prominent recipient of the Barbour Scholarship, and the first female doctor of zoology in China.

Wu Yifang was born on January 26, 1893, in Wuchang of central China’s Hubei Province into a literary family, but her educational journey was fraught with challenges. Starting at the age of 11, she and her sister transferred between girls’ schools in Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Suzhou to seek better learning conditions. In 1909, following the sudden death of their father, the sisters were forced to interrupt their studies. During these difficult times, Wu Yifang continued to forge ahead, engaging diligently in self-study.

After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, a.k.a. the 1911 Revolution, which ended China’s last imperial dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, the Wu family sought refuge in Shanghai. But disaster soon struck again; within a few months, her mother, elder brother, and closest sister passed away, leaving Wu Yifang with only her elderly grandmother and young sister. The immense grief left Wu Yifang in a daze. Fortunately, guidance from her uncle, Chen Shutong, pierced the darkness like a ray of light, illuminating her path forward.

In 1913, Wu Yifang was finally able to return to campus, enrolling as a special student at Hangzhou Hongdao Girls’ School. The following year, her uncle Chen Shutong moved the family to Beijing, where he introduced Wu Yifang to teaching positions at Beijing Normal School and its affiliated elementary school.

In the fall of 1915, Ginling College officially opened in Nanjing on Xiuhua Lane, marking the first women’s university in the Yangtze River basin and the first undergraduate-level women’s university in China, founded and led by Mrs. Laurence Thurston, an American. Mary A. Nourse, a teacher from Hangzhou Hongdao Girls’ School, thought of the diligent Wu Yifang and, after some inquiries, managed to reach her, recommending her for admission to Ginling College. Chen Shutong arranged her tuition, thus resolving any financial worries, so she quit her teaching job at the elementary school and in February 1916, Wu Yifang entered Ginling College as a transfer student.

Recognizing the precious opportunity, Wu Yifang worked hard and excelled. After one semester, she demonstrated her abilities with outstanding grades, allowing her to officially advance to the second year. That year, she was elected president of the student council. In 1919, Wu Yifang became one of Ginling College’s first graduates, with only four others completing their studies alongside her. Together, they formed one of the first groups of women in China to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Upon leaving university, she was hired as an English teacher and head of the English department at Beijing Women’s Higher Normal School. Though already teaching, she actively participated in summer schools held in Nanjing during her vacations to improve her teaching skills. Throughout this time, she never gave up on her dream of furthering her education. However, China at that time could not provide the platform she sought, and studying abroad became her only option, however, the high costs held her back.

But as the saying goes, opportunity favors those who are prepared. In the winter of 1921, the president of Mount Holyoke College, one of the first women’s colleges in the US, visited Beijing Women’s Higher Normal School to give a speech, where Wu Yifang served as the translator. Her fluent English, extensive knowledge, and elegant demeanor left a deep impression on the president, who extended a helping hand to her.

Thanks to this president’s recommendation, in May of the following year, Wu Yifang, who was still teaching at the school, received a letter from the University of Michigan, awarding her the Barbour Scholarship for Oriental Women. The Barbour Scholarship, established by Levi Lewis Barbour, an alumnus of the University of Michigan, was specifically designed for Asian women studying at the university. This scholarship significantly contributed to Chinese female students abroad, with some scholars comparing its impact to that of the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship for Chinese students. From 1914 to 1949, a total of 125 Chinese women received the Barbour Scholarship, nearly half of all recipients, making it the largest award for Asian women.

On August 18, 1922, Wu Yifang arrived in San Francisco, California, with her final destination being the small town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, near Detroit. The main campus of the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, has a long history and is known for its rigorous academic standards. It enjoys a high reputation internationally as a “model public university” and was one of the first American universities to accept Boxer Indemnity students.

Not only did the Barbour Scholarship cover tuition and fees, but Wu Yifang also received a monthly living allowance of $80, which was quite substantial at the time. With no financial worries hovering over her, she was able to devote herself wholeheartedly to her graduate studies and quickly become one of the top students, gaining prestige among her peers. Again, Wu Yifang was elected to various leadership positions, including president of the North American Christian Student Association and vice president of the Chinese Students’ Association in the US.

In 1925, upon the death of Mr. Barbour, he bequeathed his home and property to the Barbour Scholarship. During a memorial service held at the University of Michigan in his honor, Wu Yifang spoke as a representative of the award recipients. She encouraged everyone to be grateful and to repay Mr. Barbour’s generosity with outstanding achievements.

In 1926, when the Prime Minister of Australia was invited to speak at the University of Michigan, he made the shocking statement that China should not be considered an independent nation, and that neighboring Asian countries should immigrate into China to reform it. This arrogant statement infuriated all the Chinese students present, along with over four thousand faculty and students in attendance. Wu Yifang pondered how to make the audience aware of the absurdity of this claim. After much thought, she stayed up all night writing a rebuttal. The next day, her article was published in the Michigan Daily, providing great relief to her fellow Chinese students and receiving widespread praise from other faculty and students.

While Wu Yifang was diligently working on her studies, opportunities were quietly presenting themselves. In 1927, the call for China to regain its educational sovereignty grew louder, and it became a consensus that the presidents of church-run universities should be Chinese. The question of who would succeed the president of Ginling College was raised. Xu Yizhen, who had been elected chair of the Ginling College Executive Committee, nominated her undergraduate classmate Wu Yifang, who was then preparing her doctoral dissertation. This nomination received strong support from Wu Yifang’s professor, Cora Daisy Reeves, an American who had come to teach biology at Ginling College after earning her doctorate at the University of Michigan and later served as the head of the biology department until her retirement in 1941.

Although Mrs. Thurston, the school’s founder, had another candidate in mind for the presidency, the board ultimately decided to hire Wu Yifang. Upon receiving the offer letter from the Ginling College Board of Trustees, Wu Yifang, who had initially planned to return to China to teach and research biology, was not fully mentally prepared for the position. Nevertheless, she promptly replied, expressing her sincere willingness to assist her alma mater in its time of need, even if her dissertation was unfinished, but she humbly declined the presidency.

Encouraged by her response, the board firmly believed she was the right choice and quickly conferred upon her the presidential appointment. They also arranged for her to visit some of the most renowned women’s colleges in New York, with the understanding that she would return to China to take up the presidency after completing her doctoral studies.

Wu Yifang set aside her dissertation to travel to New York, where she conducted thorough research on various women’s colleges, documenting their educational missions, student demographics, funding sources, and curriculum structures. During her visits, she also gave talks introducing China and Ginling College. After her investigation, Wu Yifang returned to the University of Michigan to focus on writing her dissertation, titled “A Contribution to the Biology of Simulium (Diptera).”

In 1928, after successfully defending her dissertation, Wu Yifang began her journey home. Before her arrival at Ginling College, she sent a telegram announcing: “Thesis completed, exams passed, returning on schedule.” On July 1, she officially took charge of the college’s administration.

On November 3, a crowd gathered in Building 100 on the Taogu Campus of Ginling College for her inauguration ceremony, presided over by Xu Yizhen, chair of the board of trustees. Song Meiling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, delivered a speech urging Chinese women to take on the educational responsibilities of serving the nation to the best of their abilities. Wu Yifang solemnly received the seal from Mrs. Thurston through Xu Yizhen. In her address, she emphasized that Ginling College aimed to help students develop well-rounded personalities and to contribute more to society by nurturing female leaders.

Although Wu Yifang was not the first Ginling College graduate to receive the Barbour Scholarship, her role as president enabled her to recommend several faculty members for the scholarship. This not only helped them realize their dreams of studying abroad but also paved the way for Ginling College to establish a significant pathway for faculty development through the Barbour Scholarship.

That concludes part one of our podcast on Wu Yifang. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Du Guodong and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.