Hilda Yen

Hilda Yank Sing Yen or sometimes Yan, was one of the leading figures of Chinese American society for some decades.

Coming from a high-profile family traditionally serving Chinese governments and society, she left the East while continuing to be a bridge of cultures.

Initially proving herself in university, she worked in diplomatic circles leading to the League of Nations for some years and then, inspired by aviator Li Xiaqing, she embarked on extended flights across the United States, speaking on international peace, pointing to the needs of China against the looming aggressions of the era, and then working with the United Nations.

The year is similarly a matter of conjecture: around 1904 to 1906, however her father's paperwork has listed her birth year as 1902.

Her parents were Fu Ching Yen and Siu Ying Chow, the extended family being prominent under Sun Yat-sen.

Her baptismal name was Hilda.

Her sister was similarly named Dorothy.

Her family had adopted Christianity; her grandfather and his brother were among the earliest converts to Christianity as Episcopalians; they also volunteered to fight for the Union North in the American Civil War while in school at Ohio's Kenyon College.

Her father became a doctor in China and served in South Africa.

Her family moved while at an age of about 8 years to New Haven, Connecticut, where her father entered Yale School of Medicine followed by Harvard Medical School in public health while she attended elementary school.

Her family returned to China and then back in the States again for more work in public health, when at the age of about 16 she took the university entrance exam as a cultural exchange student without permission of her parents and won entry into Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.

The year before her family returned to China, in 1923, an uncle, Dr. Y. S. Tsao, then president of Tsinghua University of Beijing, had heard of the Baháʼí Faith through Martha Root and then joined the religion.

He translated Baha'u'llah and the New Era and Yen first heard of the religion through him.

She accepted the invitation of another uncle, Yan Huiqing, then Ambassador to the USSR, to serve as his hostess for events at the embassy.

She had some chance to address committees of the League of Nations through her diplomatic status – such as the status of women.

Through her extended activities away from her husband and children, the marriage was mutually ended.

At the end of their service, there was a party which included meeting Li Xiaqing and together they worked to make a presentation promoting Chinese women in flight.

She majored in history but then her family returned to Shanghai abruptly, before she finished her degree, in 1924.

Back in China, she majored in psychology and while there she participated in foiling an anti-foreigner uprising at her school and worked in a hospital.

She had an arranged marriage to P.T. Chen, a Chinese banker, and had two children, William Kuo Wei Chen and Doreen Kuo Feng Chen.

In the meantime she devoted her time to local child and women's advocacy institutions as well as at the YWCA.

She then served formally at the League of Nations for three years including working with committees addressing issues of trafficking in women and children in 1937.

Then she moved to the United States, took flying lessons and earned her aviator license.

With Li Xiaqing back in the States, they conceived a plan of flying from city to city from 1938 speaking about the spread of war and the need of assistance for China and boycotting Japan's aggression.

In 1939, a plane was donated – "The Spirit of New China" – which could use a copilot with Li and then Yen acquired her own plane also named "The Spirit of New China".

Yen's plane crashed May 1, 1939, outside of Montgomery Alabama.

Her injuries were severe but not life threatening.

Considering her situation miraculous considering the plane crash suggested the beginnings of a change in path for her life later to be realized.

Li finished their scheduled presence.

Yen was discharged May 11 and she continued her advocacy on land for a time before returning to air travel in another plane.

Her involvement in peace activities brought her into contact with Julia Goldman -she credits meeting Julia Goldman with re-introducing her to the Baháʼí Faith though it did not take her attention centrally for some years yet.

Events in China soon led to a return to China where her father served in the cabinet of Chiang Kai-shek.

In December 1941, she witnessed the marshaling of Americans after the attack at Pearl Harbor and as the Japanese arrived at Hong Kong while performing at a party for diplomats and Chinese leaders.

However, she made it out of Hong Kong on a cargo plane and eventually reached the United States.

Disappointed in politics and war, she was still passionate about peace and began flying again.

A major transition was her conversion to the Baháʼí Faith in 1944 and she was centrally involved in the religion achieving its registration as a non-governmental organization with the United Nations, where she then continued her work for several years.

Ultimately she was disappointed in the international community's lack of embrace of a spiritual-religious commitment as the basis of an international peace and withdrew due to these concerns.

Along the way, she married twice, with two children from the first marriage though she died divorced.

Her date of birth is conjectured from conversion from eastern calendars.

Late in life she adopted the date of January 17 though most of her life she used November 29 as her date of birth.