The girl received a good education from her grandfather, grandmother, and father at a very young age. Her grandfather was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, and her grandmother was one of the rare promoters of the women's liberation movement in the late Qing Dynasty. Grandmother advocated the independence and liberation of women's thinking, founded the "Zhenhua Girls' School", and therefore, the girl entered the Zhenhua Girls' School at the age of eight. Before entering the girls' school, her father's education also laid the foundation for the girl's future intellectual pursuits. Her father was an electrical engineer who studied abroad, making him highly proficient in physics and mathematics. From an early age, her father trained the girl to think scientifically, providing her with a good foundation for knowledge.
The girl's childhood should have been smooth and happy, but in the year she started school, an event added a ray of sadness to her life. 8 years old, the girl's mother passed away due to post-partum illness, which left a mark on the girl's young mind that is hard to erase. This event left an indelible mark on the girl's young mind, which in turn led to her future remarkable medical achievements. This girl is the famous Dr. Wang Shuzhen in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
Because of her mother's death, Wang grew up with a clear understanding of the current state of Chinese medicine. Her mother's death made her determined to do something for Chinese obstetrics and gynecology. So she embarked on a journey to study medicine. 16 years old, Wang Shuzhen studied English and Latin to lay the foundation for her future study abroad. 18 years old, she was admitted to the Suzhou Women's Medical School, and at the age of 19, she was admitted to Tsinghua University on a scholarship to study abroad in the U.S.-China Gentian Scholarship Program. In just three years, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in the United States, and four years later, she received her M.D. degree from Hopkins University School of Medicine.
While studying in the United States, Wang met her career leader, Dr. Lawrence Holliday, an internist and missionary who was the director of the Shanghai Ximen Women's and Children's Hospital. She recognized Wang's talent and recommended that she return to Shanghai to work at Ximen Women's and Children's Hospital and establish a department of obstetrics and gynecology. Wang took the job and became the first Chinese to head a department in a church hospital in the United States. During her work in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wang Shuzhen also served as a professor at the Shanghai Women's Medical College. In the process of practicing and teaching, she introduced advanced foreign medical technology and teaching methods, which allowed the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology to develop quickly and gained the trust of the women and the reputation of the society.
Wang's career rose steadily, but with the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, her career was also affected by the war.
During the Anti-Japanese War, the hospital where Wang Mingzhen worked was destroyed by the Japanese invaders because it was not part of the Concession, and her medical and teaching work was forced to stop. During this difficult period, she organized the hospital staff to take part in rescuing the wounded and set up a refugee hospital, specializing in treating pregnant women and newborns who escaped from the enemy-occupied areas.
During this difficult period, in order to better carry out medical activities, she organized doctors to brave the rain of bullets and bullets in the West Gate Women's and Children's Hospital in the remnants of the medical equipment, from the West Gate outside the French Concession to the border. The first step is to make sure that the medical work is carried out.
But the good times didn't last long, the war against Japan was not over yet, because of the beginning of the Pacific War, the Japanese captured all the American doctors in the hospital, and the hospital's funding was lost, so the hospital's operation was all added to Wang Shuzhen's body. Despite the hardships, Wang led the hospital doctors and nurses to survive the war against Japan. The hospital was restored and began normal operation in 1947. With the outbreak of the civil war, the society was still in turmoil and the economy was in the doldrums. Under such conditions, many people encouraged Wang to go to Hong Kong or the United States, but Wang, who had never forgotten her original intention, knew what the purpose of her education was, and her purpose of returning to China after her studies was also very clear, that is, to do what she could for the suffering women in China. This is also the original intention, supporting Wang Shuzhen led colleagues through the difficult period of the war, ushered in the founding of the new China.