Chien-Shiung CHAPTER TWO A STAR IS BORN Chien-Shiung Wu was born on May 31 1912 in Liuhe China approximately 30 miles 50 km from the port city of Shanghai China Liuhe located near the mouth of the Yangtze River is a relatively small but important town in eastern China Crowded with street commerce and ships Liuhe is a major agricultural provider to the region and boasts a large fishing industry The China into which Chien-Shiung was born had recently undergone tremendous political upheaval In 1911 a revolution toppled the centuries-old rule of dynasties and made the country a republic Nevertheless many traces of the old ways remained In a nation where women were not treated as equals of men however Chien-Shiung benefited from life in a From an early age Chien-Shiung demonstrated intellectual curiosity and an aptitude for science 11
progressive family in which education for both boys and girls was heartily encouraged FAMILY LIFE Chien-Shiung was one of three children in the Wu family Her older brother Chien-Ying was born in 1909 and a younger brother Chien-Hao was born in 1920 Her father Zong-Yi was a forward-thinking well-educated man who had studied engineering at Nanyang Public School in Shanghai Zong-Yi possessed an unquenchable desire for knowledge and read extensively particularly books and periodicals on human rights Chien-Shiung’s mother was Fan Fu-Hua Intelligent and curious Chien-Shiung became the lucky beneficiary of Zong-Yi’s passion for learning The house was filled with books and magazines which the father encouraged his children to read Zong-Yi even read scientific articles aloud to his young daughter before she could read Chien-Shiung was particularly captivated by the international news brought into the Wu household through her father’s old radio Above all Zong-Yi wished to prepare his children for life in the modern world EARLY EDUCATION The first school Chien-Shiung attended was Ming De School founded by her father A strong advocate of women’s education 12
Zong-Yi converted a former temple into the girls school and served as its principal Attending the school was free for any girl rich or poor Courses included sewing gardening and other trades Subjects such as mathematics classical literature Chinese culture and history were also taught At a time when women in China were still having their feet bound to symbolize status and beauty Zong-Yi’s girls school amounted to a revolutionary departure from the past Chien-Shiung loved to learn and was a star pupil at Ming De School supplemented by daily discussions at home with her father A former engineer Zong-Yi regaled his daughter with stories of scientific research and discovery These early lessons in science laid the foundation for Chien-Shiung’s groundbreaking accomplishments in later life In 1921 at age nine Chien-Shiung graduated from Zong-Yi The progressive ideas embraced by Chien-Shiung’s father Zong-Yi were not welcome at Nanyang Public School where he did his university studies Zong-Yi and several friends transferred to Ai-Kuo love your country Academy as they were attracted by the academic freedom that flourished there The campus buzzed with discussions about democracy and diversity In 1909 Zong-Yi joined the Shanghai Merchant Corporation and studied military techniques He and his associates played an important role in the success of the Shanghai Revolt that overthrew the emperor in 1911 A second revolution to unseat the new acting president of China failed and Zong-Yi returned home to Liuhe He worked as an engineer and followed his broad interests in hunting singing and reading poetry 13
