Author Description

Originally written in Chinese for Chinese readers, these letters and short essays by Bing Xin provide a fascinating account of a young, Chinese student's years at Wellesley University nearly 100 years ago. The journey from China to the United States involved a long voyage across the Pacific Ocean, and a cross-country train trip. Upon her arrival at Wellesley, Bing Xin found a world in which everything -- clothes, food, even language -- was completely different to what she had known. Just as she was beginning to adjust, she contracted tuberculosis and spent months in a sanitarium, isolated from everyone. Upon her recovery, she resumed and completed her studies at Wellesley, spent a summer traveling in New England, and finally returned home to China. Throughout it all, Bing Xin never stopped writing. Letters to friends, letters to her family, short descriptive essays -- when all of this was finally gathered together and published as a book, it immediately became a modern Chinese literary classic. This is a vivid and unforgettable picture of American life a century ago, seen through the eyes of a young, sensitive Chinese girl.