New Pearl Buck Museum in Zhenjiang
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu 賽珍珠) was an American woman who grew up in China and learned to speak the language and enjoy the culture just as deeply as a native Chinese. She wrote of life in China as it was experienced by common people a hundred years ago. Eventually she wrote dozens of books in English about China, and in the process was awarded the esteemed Pulitzer Prize (1932) and a Nobel Prize in Literature (1938).
On a recent visit to Jiangsu Province, I attempted to locate a house in Zhenjiang where Pearl and her missionary parents had once lived. To my surprise, I discovered a museum being constructed to her honor. Although the site was officially closed on Mondays, we lucked-out when the curator of the museum, Mr Li, stopped at the gate and welcomed us in.
As a result we got a “sneak preview” of the museum. It is a beautiful building and the collection of artifacts already on display is an indication of the careful attention being given to this remarkable woman.
Events in those early days created great stresses between foreigners and the Chinese. Pearl as a young girl with fair skin and blond hair felt most comfortable when she hid her hair under a black toque and spoke the local dialect with other Chinese. While forced to move to Shanghai for a time to avoid political troubles, and later to America for her university studies, she returned as soon as possible and taught English courses at the University of Nanjing.
Later, as all foreigners left China, she returned to the US where she continued to write books about life in China and helped create a “bridge of understanding” between peoples of China and the West.
There is much more to be said about Pearl Buck… her life as a missionary, her life as a mother of a disabled child, her advocacy for causes not yet commonly championed in her day… all of which has been document by numerous biographers.
In America, her memory is preserved both at her birthplace in West Virginia, and at a memorial park in Pennsylvania where she was buried. In China, her memory will also be kept alive through the beautiful museum in her hometown of Zhenjiang. It is due to be officially opened in just a few weeks.
Maybe I will get a chance to visit Zhenjiang again, and see the museum in its final form.
But for now, check out my online photo album. Photos were taken in late March, 2012.
The Pearl Buck Museum, Zhenjiang
Interested readers might also enjoy reading the Wikipedia article on Pearl Buck:
Written: 2012/05/15
Revised: 2016/11/03