Overview
| Repository: |
Manuscripts and Archives
Sterling Memorial Library 128 Wall Street P.O. Box 208240 New Haven, CT 06520 Web: http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/ Email: mssa.assist@yale.edu Phone: (203) 432-1735 Fax: (203) 432-7441 |
| Call Number: | MS 1709 |
| Creator: | Zhu, Sophia Tierong. |
| Title: | Sophia Tierong Zhu papers |
| Dates: | 1947-2005 |
| Physical Description: | 3 linear feet |
| Language(s): | The collection is in English and Chinese. |
| Summary: | The papers include correspondence, writings, and photographs relating to the life and career of Sophia Tierong Zhu. Autobiographical writings about Zhu and her husband, Zhang Ifan, who were both victims of anti-rightist movements in China, comprise a substantive part of the papers. The collection also documents Zhu's close relationship with many English Language Instructors from Yale University. |
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| Finding Aid Link: | To cite or bookmark this finding aid, use the following address: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.1709 |
| Catalog Record: | A record for this collection, including location information, may be available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog. |
Administrative Information
Provenance
Gift of Sophia Tierong Zhu, 1995-2001, 2003-2005; gift of Edward V. Gulick, 2000; and transfer from the Office of the President, Yale University, 2001.
Information about Access
Additional papers received since January 1998 are restricted until processed.
Ownership & Copyright
Copyright has been transferred to Yale University.
Cite As
Sophia Tierong Zhu Papers (MS 1709). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
Sophia Tierong Zhu was born in Shanghai on February 6, 1915. She graduated from the University of Shanghai in 1937, with degrees in chemistry, music, and physics. On January 8, 1938, she married Zhang Ifan. After graduating from college, Zhu worked for several different social service and relief agencies in Shanghai and Changsha, including the YMCA, the YWCA, the Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Agency, and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency. She died in Changsha, China, on August 9, 2009.
Description of the Collection
The papers include correspondence, writings, and photographs relating to the life and career of Sophia Tierong Zhu. Autobiographical writings about Zhu and her husband, Zhang Ifan, who were both victims of anti-rightist movements in China, comprise a substantive part of the papers. The collection also documents Zhu's close relationship with many English Language Instructors from Yale University.
In 1946, she traveled with her husband Zhang Ifan to the United States to study at Yale University, where Sophia obtained an M.A. from the Department of Sociology, and Ifan obtained a J.S.D. from the Law School in 1948. They returned to Changsha in the fall of 1948. With the victory of the People's Liberation Army and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhang Ifan became very involved in local and provincial politics. In 1950, Sophia began teaching English and Russian in the Department of Foreign Languages at Hunan Medical College, where she remained until her retirement in 1988.
In 1957, during the Anti-Rightist Campaign, Ifan committed suicide while suffering from diabetes and enduring severe criticism from the provincial party for advocating the idea of the rule of law over the rule of man. Soon after, Sophia was labeled an ultra-rightist. Although she was allowed to continue teaching, she was demoted from her position as chair of the department, and her pay was significantly cut. In 1965, she was labeled a special agent suspect, and she was imprisoned several times throughout the Cultural Revolution.
In 1973, she was able to resume teaching full-time. In 1979, her status as a special agent suspect and as an ultra-rightist were redressed. Shortly after, the Yale-China Association re-established ties with the Hunan Medical College. Through her position in the Department of Foreign Languages, Zhu worked closely with many of the English Language Instructors (ELIs) from Yale University who taught English at the College. In the Spring of 1988, Sophia Zhu retired from teaching, but continued to act as an advisor and resource for ELIs.
Arrangement
Arranged in three series and additions: I. Correspondence, 1979-1997. II. Writings, 1950-1996. III. Photographs, 1947-1996.