Sophia Tierong Zhu papers

The papers include correspondence, writings, and photographs relating to the life and career of Sophia Tierong Zhu. Autobiographical writings about Zhu and her husband, Zhang Ifan, who were both victims of anti-rightist movements in China, comprise a substantive part of the papers. The collection also documents Zhu's close relationship with many English Language Instructors from Yale University.

In 1946, she traveled with her husband Zhang Ifan to the United States to study at Yale University, where Sophia obtained an M.A. from the Department of Sociology, and Ifan obtained a J.S.D. from the Law School in 1948. They returned to Changsha in the fall of 1948. With the victory of the People's Liberation Army and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhang Ifan became very involved in local and provincial politics. In 1950, Sophia began teaching English and Russian in the Department of Foreign Languages at Hunan Medical College, where she remained until her retirement in 1988.

In 1957, during the Anti-Rightist Campaign, Ifan died by suicide while suffering from diabetes and enduring severe criticism from the provincial party for advocating the idea of the rule of law over the rule of man. Soon after, Sophia was labeled an ultra-rightist. Although she was allowed to continue teaching, she was demoted from her position as chair of the department, and her pay was significantly cut. In 1965, she was labeled a special agent suspect, and she was imprisoned several times throughout the Cultural Revolution.

In 1973, she was able to resume teaching full-time. In 1979, her status as a special agent suspect and as an ultra-rightist were redressed. Shortly after, the Yale-China Association re-established ties with the Hunan Medical College. Through her position in the Department of Foreign Languages, Zhu worked closely with many of the English Language Instructors (ELIs) from Yale University who taught English at the College. In the Spring of 1988, Sophia Zhu retired from teaching, but continued to act as an advisor and resource for ELIs.