Harriet Newell Noyes is Guangzhou's foreign pioneer in women's education. (Photo : Women of China)
The news bureau of All-China Women’s Federation acknowledged Guangdong’s first foreign educator who devoted her entire life to working on providing women in the locality quality education they deserved.
In an article published on Wednesday, the Women of China acknowledged the works and contributions of Harriet Newell Noyes, Guangdong's foreign pioneer for women's education.
Born to a Presbyterian pastor's family in 1844, Noyes became a devout American Christian who came to Canton, more popularly known today as Guangdong Province's capital city of Guangzhou, when she was 24 years old as an American Presbyterian missionary in 1868.
When she was just 13 years old, Noyes had decided to "spread the great deeds of God in foreign countries," which she achieved nine years later when she arrived in China together with her siblings.
In order to provide education for the locals of Guangdong, she studied the vernacular for six hours every day and mastered it in just a few months.
As her first legacy, Noyes was able to establish the True Light Seminary in June 1972, which became Guangzhou's first school for women.
Forty years after the school was inaugurated, the True Light Seminary has helped hundreds of women achieve their dream and gave birth to 286 female teachers, 114 female doctors and more than 30 female nurses.
Living by the quote "Actions speak louder than words, but when one speaks whilst withholding actions, surely it would have been better not to speak at all," Noyes complied with her principle through her hard work.
"Much as I want to marry a loved one, it would benefit my family alone. I would rather give up my personal happiness for the sake of all the families through women's education," she explained.
