During the following year, she met her husband and moved to Nanjing, where she taught English literature in the universities based in the city. In 1914, she graduated from college and returned to China. She became a member of Kappa Delta, wrote stories and poems for the college’s magazine, and served as the treasurer of her sophomore class and the president of her junior class. She was active in student groups and governing bodies.

She found the transition from China to the United States difficult, but soon adapted herself to college life. Her parents thought the college a suitable choice because of its Christian focus and because Buck’s brother, Edgar, lived in Lynchburg. She was raised to be bilingual, tutored in both English and Chinese.Īfter finishing school in China in 1911, Buck attended Randolph Macon Women’s College, now known simply as Randolph College, in Lynchburg, Virginia on a charity scholarship. Growing up in China, Buck gained a great appreciation for Chinese people and their culture. Her family, which included six brothers and sisters, was poor and often lived in old, dilapidated houses. As missionaries, Buck’s parents did not have a great deal of money. However, soon after her birth, her parents returned to Zhenjiang, China, where they were working as Southern Presbyterian missionaries. She was also a strong advocate of women’s rights and civil rights and was dedicated to supporting the welfare of Asian children.īorn into a family of missionaries on June 26, 1892, Pearl Sydenstricker Buck spent her first few months in Hillsborough, West Virginia.

Buck wrote multiple books and short stories throughout her lifetime, many of which focused on her experiences in China.

Pearl buck the good earth