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Chia-ying Yeh, candidate for Touching China award

(exploringtianjin.com)

Updated: 2019-01-11

Florence Chia-ying Yeh's 70 years of devotion to literature education has yielded greatly in numerous poets and scholars of classical Chinese poetry. She teaches classical Chinese poetry not only to Chinese but also to overseas students in English.

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Chia-ying Yeh [Photo/xinddy.com]

Chia-ying Yeh was selected as a candidate for the 2018 Touching China awards, a program presented by the China Central Television honoring 10 people as China's inspiring role models.

Her life long career as a literature teacher started in 1945 when she graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University - which later became part of Beijing Normal University. She believes that her teaching is the best gift she can offer to the country and later generations.

In 1948, toward the end of the Chinese civil war, Yeh and her husband moved to Taiwan the year after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. She gained popularity in Taiwan and with students speaking highly of her teaching, she was recruited by Taiwan University, Fu Jen University and Tamkang University.

In 1966, the couple moved to the United States, where Yeh first taught Chinese poetry at Michigan State University and then at Harvard University. They moved to Canada in 1969 when Yeh was offered tenure at UBC, where she is now professor emeritus.

Beginning in 1979, Yeh began spending summers teaching at various Chinese colleges, including at prestigious universities such as Beijing University, Nankai University and Fudan University. She offered her services for free and paid her own travel expenses.

In 2013, she came back to China and was received by Nankai University. Yeh announced early last month that she donated 18.57 million yuan ($2.8 million) to the college to establish the Jialing scholarship in June, 2018.

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Chia-ying Yeh [Photo/xinddy.com]

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