Han Suyin

Han Suyin (Chinese: ???) is the pen name of Elisabeth Comber, born Rosalie Elisabeth Kuanghu Chow (Chinese: ???, pinyin: Zhou Guanghu) (12 September 1917). She is a Chinese-born author of several books on modern China, novels set in East Asia, and autobiographical works, as well as a physician.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Pen name - Pinyin - 12 September - 1917 - Chinese - Novel - East Asia - Autobiographical works - Physician

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Han Suyin was born in Xinyang, Henan province, China. Her father was a Chinese engineer surnamed Chow (pinyin:Zhou, Chinese: ?), of Hakka heritage, while her mother was a Flemish Belgian. In 1938 Han Suyin married Pao H. Tang (Tang Paohuang), a Chinese Nationalist military officer, who was to become a general. They adopted one daughter.

Related Topics:
Xinyang - Henan - Province - China - Engineer - Pinyin - Chinese - Hakka - Flemish - Belgian - 1938 - Pao H. Tang - Chinese Nationalist - Military officer - Adopted - Daughter

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She began work as a typist at Beijing Hospital in 1931, not yet fifteen years old. In 1933 she was admitted to Yanjing (Yenching) University (later part of Peking University). In 1935 she went to Brussels to study medicine. In 1938 she returned to China, working in an American Christian mission hospital in Chengdu (Cheng-tu), Sichuan, then went again to London in 1944 to study, graduated with a Bachelor's of Medicine (MB) in 1948 and went to Hong Kong to practice medicine in 1949. Her husband, Tang, meanwhile, had died in action during the Chinese Civil War in 1947.

Related Topics:
Typist - Beijing - 1931 - 1933 - Yanjing (Yenching) University - Peking University - 1935 - Brussels - Medicine - 1938 - American - Christian - Mission - Hospital - Chengdu - Sichuan - London - 1944 - 1948 - Hong Kong - 1949 - Chinese Civil War - 1947

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In 1952, she married Leonard F. Comber, a British civil servant, and went with him to Johore, Malaya (present-day Malaysia), where she worked in a tuberculosis hospital. She contributed efforts to the establishment of Nanyang University in Singapore. In 1955, her best-known work, Many-Splendored Thing, was made into a Hollywood film.

Related Topics:
1952 - British - Civil servant - Johore - Malaya - Malaysia - Tuberculosis - Nanyang University - Singapore - 1955 - Hollywood

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After Comber and Han Suyin's divorce, she later married Vincent Ratnaswamy, an Indian colonel (died January 2003 in Bangalore, India), and lived for a time in Bangalore, India. After the two separated, Han Suyin relocated to Switzerland. She currently resides in Lausanne and has written in English and French.

Related Topics:
Vincent Ratnaswamy - Indian - Colonel - January 2003 - Bangalore - India - Switzerland - Lausanne - English - French

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