Su-Lin Young facts for kids
Adelaide "Su-Lin" Young (born December 23, 1911 – died April 17, 2008) was an amazing American explorer, journalist, and DJ. She was a Chinese American woman who made history as the first American woman to explore the Himalayas mountains in the 1930s. A famous giant panda named Su Lin, the first one ever brought to the United States, was named after her!
Adelaide was born in New York City. Her father, Ming Tai Chen, owned a well-known club called the China Doll Night Club. She later graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.
Exploring China and Beyond
In 1934, Adelaide Young traveled to southwestern China. She went with her new husband, Jack Young, and his younger brother, Quentin Young. Their trip was an expedition to collect animal samples and list different plants. They were doing this work for the American Museum of Natural History. The trip was paid for by Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and Kermit Roosevelt, who were the sons of former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
Adelaide explored parts of China, Tibet, and India. These were big adventures in the 1930s!
Life as a Journalist
After her exploring adventures, Young became a reporter in Shanghai, China. She wrote for English-language newspapers like the North China Daily News and China Journal, which was run by Arthur Sowerby.
While in Shanghai, Adelaide met another American explorer named Ruth Harkness. Ruth was famous for capturing the very first giant panda to be sent to the United States. Ruth decided to name this special panda Su Lin (Chinese: 蘇琳; pinyin: Sūlín) in honor of Adelaide Young! Years later, another panda born in 2005 at the San Diego Zoo was also named Su Lin.
Moving On
Adelaide Young had to move several times within China because of the Second Sino-Japanese War, which was part of World War II. She finally left China in 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party took control.
She then spent time in Taiwan, where she worked as a radio DJ. She worked for the United States Armed Forces Network Radio Taiwan (which is now called ICRT). This radio station was connected to the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Taiwan.
In the 1950s, Young returned to the United States. She lived in different states, including Virginia, California, and North Carolina. She lived a long life and passed away at the age of 96 in Hercules, California.
