In 1925, a girl was born in Arkansas, USA, named Shirley Wood. She has a wealthy background and has received an excellent education since she was a child. The school she studied in has always been the best in the local area.
Shirley's mother, Mrs. Dawson, is a member of the World Peace Commission and has a good relationship with the famous American writer Anna Louis Strong. In 1938, this friend published "The Journey to the West" and gave Shirley a copy to the literature-loving Shirley.
This is a documentary book, which tells the story of Anna's experience in visiting Yan'an . Because of "The Journey to the West", Shirley learned about China for the first time, knew about Yan'an, and developed a strong sense of curiosity.
Wu Xueli
So in the following years, Xueli found various books about China and successively came into contact with information about Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and others. As she deepened her understanding, Shirley was slowly shocked by China's national spirit and became more and more curious about that magical country.
and secretly made up her mind that she must go to China if she has the chance. She wants to see that mysterious country with her own eyes.
17 years old, Shirley was admitted to Michigan State Agricultural College. A young and beautiful American girl met Chinese student Huang Yuanbo in college.
Huang Yuanbo is a Zhuang native of Guangxi. He is tall and big, with a distinct oriental appearance. When Shirley first met Huang Yuanbo, she felt that this person was very special and tried every means to find opportunities to get along with her.
Huang Yuanbo
It is hard for Huang Yuanbo not to have a good impression of this beautiful, lively and cheerful American girl!
But in that era, there were almost no Americans in love with Chinese people, so all kinds of rumors were flying around. In order to avoid rumors, Huang Yuanbo initially refused.
But Shirley did not give up. Under her persistent pursuit, Huang Yuanbo was finally moved.
The two started to have dinner together, study together, and date together. Huang Yuanbo is a traditional man. Since he is in a relationship, he must be going to get married. As a boyfriend, he would save money and save money to buy gifts for Sherry, or take her to a big meal.
1945 American
Even when there is too much money, Huang Yuanbo still does his best to make Shirley happy. For example, roses that suddenly appear, all kinds of interesting handmade products, or some small gifts. Things are not expensive, but they are rare.
December 25, 1945, this day is Christmas, the most grand festival in the United States, and it is also a day that Shirley will never forget for life. That day, Huang Yuanbo took affectionate steps, knelt on one knee and proposed to Shirley.
Shirley was both surprised and happy, and then, under the witness of her relatives and friends, she entered the palace of marriage.
Wu Xueli and Huang Yuanbo
The two of them are even more inseparable after marriage and have a happy day. Time flies, and Huang Yuanbo graduates. As a public student, the state pays him to study, so he will definitely go back to serve his motherland. But what should Shirley do?
One day in 1946, Huang Yuanbo looked at Shirley with a silly feeling speechless. He didn't know how to speak. He had to go back to China, but he was unwilling to separate from Shirley. Will Shirley go with him?
Huang Yuanbo is not sure. Finally, Shirley waited anxiously and asked anxiously. Only then did Huang Yuanbo throw out the long-standing questions.
Shirley felt relieved when she heard this, and thought why was her husband so embarrassed . The question Shirley has long figured out that China is not only the hometown of her husband, but also the place she longs for for a long time, so she naturally wants to go together.
Huang Yuanbo was moved after hearing this. The sacrifice made by Shirley for him was too great.
1946 China
So, when Shirley was 21 years old, following Huang Yuanbo's pace, she set foot on China for the first time and saw the place she had longed for. In order to follow the local customs, she also gave herself the Chinese name - Wu Xueli.
After getting off the ship, the couple first took a rest in Shanghai for a few days, and then reported to Xi'an Northwest Agricultural College together.The job of
has been contacted long ago. Huang Yuanbo was the director of the school's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department. Shirley, a highly educated talent, naturally had a job that was not difficult to solve, and she became an associate professor in the foreign language department of the school.
At the same time, Shirley discovered a secret of Huang Yuanbo, and the man lied to him. Huang Yuanbo said that he was 29 years old, but because of working together, Shirley accidentally discovered that her husband was 35 years old.
1946 China
concealed the entire six years old, and Shirley was immediately angry. She was not angry about her age, but about Huang Yuanbo's deception. Huang Yuanbo knew that he was in the wrong, so he put down his figure and tried to beat him up. In the end, Shirley felt soft and the two of them reconciled.
In May 1947, the two gave birth to the crystallization of love - the eldest son Huang Limin.
The birth of a child brings joy to the family, but also adds a lot of trouble. Especially the situation was chaotic at that time, Xi'an Northwest Agricultural College, where the two taught, was forced to close in 1948.
Shirley and her eldest son
The couple who lost their jobs had to take their children to Shanghai thousands of miles away. Because of his knowledge and culture, Huang Yuanbo went to to become a professor at of Nantong University.
Shirley is free to write while taking care of her child, telling her novel understanding of China from the perspective of a Westerner.
1949, New China is about to be established. In order to celebrate this grand event, every household in Shanghai began to hang five-star red flags at their doorsteps, and Shirley's family was no exception.
There are many people who can buy things, and the store is not in stock enough! Shirley queued up for a long time before finally buying the national flag on September 30.
1949 The founding of New China
At that time, the national flag was relatively rough, just use a piece of red cotton cloth that meets the specifications, dig five five-pointed star-like holes, and then use a yellow cloth to sew it.
However, it is such a simple national flag, Shirley has preserved it for her whole life. Every National Day, she hangs up. As soon as National Day is over, I will quickly treasure it.
Once a reporter came to interview, the national flag was pierced by the thorn in the yard, and Shirley felt very distressed immediately.
is so old, I still took a needle to repair it bit by bit, and it took a full day. After this incident, Shirley rarely showed up with the national flag, and even her family didn't let her touch it.
Shirley and her national flag
1950, Huang Yuanbo brought his wife and children to Kaifeng, Henan with his wife and children. Kaifeng is an ancient city with many traditional Chinese architecture .
Sheri was fascinated by the unique architectural style as soon as she arrived here. Especially the Henan University , which she is about to teach, has a corridor, a courtyard, blue brick , and green tiles, which really makes her like it.
In 1957, Shirley was hired from Henan University and became an English foreign teacher and the first batch of foreign teachers in New China.
Her teaching is very interesting. She will move the classroom to the campus, canteen, or library, and let students introduce everything in front of them in English, such as flowers, plants, steamed buns and noodles, or borrowing and returning books in English, etc.
graphic and text irrelevant
Shirley also changed foreign fairy tales, such as the stories in "Grimm's Fairy Tales" and " Andersen's Fairy Tales " into English scripts, allowing students to perform in comparison with their own characters.
's unique educational method has greatly inspired students' enthusiasm for learning, so her classroom is always very lively.
Although that is the case, the students are still afraid of this beautiful foreign teacher because Shirley is too strict.
Shirley has formulated extremely strict regulations on the paper, almost never given it. Sometimes other teachers couldn't bear it, so they persuaded Shirley to modify it so many times, and it was not easy for students to pass it.
But Shirley refused. She was a serious person. Since the rules were set, they had to be implemented to the end. Moreover, strict requirements are also good for students and will benefit them endlessly.
Shirley (2nd right)
Over time, no one pleaded with Shirley, and her harsh reputation spread throughout the English department.
In 1958, Shirley published "A Street in China" in London.
This novel is what Shirley saw when she first arrived in China. It tells the personal experience of a Westerner after becoming a Chinese wife. Through this book, Shirley unravels the mystery of ordinary Chinese people to the British.
In the 1960s, Shirley was attracted by Foreign Language Press because of her unique advantages and translated the novel "In the Day of Peace".
has successively published "Historical Talks on British and American Literary Criticism", "Practical English Tutorial", etc. She also translated 450,000 words of material for the British " Chinese Encyclopedia ". People's Daily called her "a matchmaker in cultural exchange between China and the West."
Shirley and Huang Yuanbo's family
Shirley and Huang Yuanbo gave birth to six children in total. It was not an era, and it was not easy to raise six children.
, especially Huang Yuanbo, had to leave home for various reasons. Therefore, Shirley is basically responsible for the affairs of all sizes in the family. Whether it is washing and cooking, or storing winter vegetables coal balls, it depends on her.
Due to insufficient salary, Shirley will take on some manual work after class. Even though she tried her best, her life was still difficult. During the most difficult years, American relatives and friends gave Shirley great comfort.
Once Shirley wrote a letter to her classmate, talking about the difficulties of life, and not long after, she received a small bucket of white flour from her classmate. For China at that time, flour was extremely sparse.
In 1962, Shirley's mother, Mrs. Dausun, also came to China.
Wu Xueli
Because of her identity as a member of the Peace Council of Mrs. Dao Xun, she was also personally received by Premier Zhou. After arriving in Kaifeng, Mrs. Daoxun finally met her daughter who had been away for 17 years.
After experiencing the Chinese style, Mrs. Daoxun decided to stay and live with her daughter.
Mrs. Dao Xun was very knowledgeable and later became a foreign teacher at Henan University, working with her daughter. Due to Mrs. Daoxun’s special identity, Premier Zhou also called to greet him many times.
In 1975, Mrs. Dawson passed away. Shirley wanted to send her mother's ashes back to the United States, but due to her foreign identity, no matter which city she went to, she had to apply for registration many times, which was very troublesome.
After the Prime Minister found out, he approved a Chinese green card for Sherlit. The day she got the green card, Shirley was happy and excited.
Wu Xueli
20. She has lived in China for 20 years and finally became a Chinese citizen of . From then on, I can proudly tell others that I am Chinese.
Since 1979, Shirley will go back to the United States every few years to introduce everything about China, including history, scenery, education, etc. to her relatives and friends, and will also write articles in the American media to tell Chinese traditional culture and interesting stories.
Shirley sent away more than 3,000 graduates in her life, trained more than 300 masters and 2 doctors, and also built a bridge for Chinese and American students. In 2014, Shirley was named one of the "Top Ten Meritorious Foreign Teachers in the Country" and contributed her life to China's education cause.
Shirley and her student
Shirley's 6 children, and later all five of them went to the United States to develop.
But Shirley was unwilling to go, even if it was her hometown, and even if her husband died in 1984, she still wanted to stay in China. Because "I love this great country and I love the people here."
On April 7, 2022, Shirley died of illness at the age of 97.
