Emily Hahn

Emily Hahn
BornJanuary 14, 1905
DiedFebruary 18, 1997(1997-02-18) (aged 92)
Occupations
Spouse
(m. 1945)
PartnerShao Xunmei
Children2, including Amanda Boxer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese項美麗
Simplified Chinese项美丽
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiàng Měilì
Wade–GilesHsiang Mei-li
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpinghong6 mei5 lai6

Emily "Mickey" Hahn (Chinese: 項美麗 ( pronunciation in Shanghainese /項ɦɑ͂ 美me麗li/), January 14, 1905 – February 18, 1997) was an American journalist and writer. Considered an early feminist and called "a forgotten American literary treasure" by The New Yorker magazine, she was the author of over 50 books and more than 200 articles and short stories.[1]

Her novels in the 20th century played a significant role in opening up Asia and Africa to the west. Her extensive travels throughout her life and her love of animals influenced much of her writing. She was the first woman to receive a degree in Mining Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, then after living in Florence and London in the mid-1920s, she traveled to the Belgian Congo and hiked across Central Africa in the 1930s. In 1935 she traveled to Shanghai, where she taught English for three years and became involved with prominent figures, such as The Soong Sisters and the Chinese poet, Shao Xunmei (Sinmay Zau).[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cuthbertson, Ken (1998). Nobody Said Not to Go. Union Square West, New York: Faber and Faber, Inc. pp. 3, 32. ISBN 0571-19965-8.