User:Solthiel/sandbox

Wu's family, especially her father Wu Zhongyi, were a large influence on the trajectory of her life, encouraging her to pursue her passion for academia and thirst for knowledge from a young age. He had spent a significant portion of his time as a political activist in the Chinese Revolution of 1911, which was responsible for overthrowing the Manchu dynasty. Zhongyi held an ardent interest in social issues and civil rights and this led to deeper research into topics such as women's emancipation in the United States. Following his part in the revolution he came back to Liuhe and created the area's first school for girls. Soon after in 1912, Zhongyi named her Chien-Shiung at birth because its meaning in Chinese is "Courageous Hero," and he intended to help her achieve such a goal. He created an environment for Chien-Shung and his other children which fostered rationality and skepticism, surrounding them with books, newspapers, and magazines.

Wu was born in Taicang in Jiangsu Province in 1912. She was raised in Liuhe, a small town in Taicang about 40 miles from Shanghai. Her father, Wu Zhongyi (吳仲裔) was an activist in the Xinhai Revolution, which was responsible for the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty, and was a proponent of gender equality. Following his presence there he founded the Mingde Women's Vocational Continuing School, which was the first of its kind in the entire region and Chien-Shiung was born shortly after. She was named Chien-Shiung because of its meaning in Chinese, which was "Courageous Hero," and he had every intention to help her on the path to fulfilling this name. Her and her father were extremely close and he encouraged her interests passionately, creating an environment where she was surrounded by books, magazines, and newspapers. Wu left her hometown at the age of 11 to go to the Suzhou Women's Normal School No. 2.