Ping-sheng Yen Chin: A Strong Advocate of Rural Reconstruction and Supporter of IIRR

Ping-sheng Yen Chin, who was for 56 years a dedicated advocate for improving the lives of the rural poor, died on September 3, 2002. Over the years, Mrs. Chin held various positions at IIRR including U.S Resident Representative, Vice President, and Secretary and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. She had been a member of IIRR's Board of Trustees since 1987.

Mrs. Chin began working with Y.C James Yen, the founder of IIRR, in 1946 in the context of the Mass Education and Rural Reconstruction Movement in China. During the last 15 years she often returned to China to further the work of IIRR. She died shortly after returning from a trip to China in August 2002.

In an article on the work of Dr. Yen entitled "Rural Reconstruction: A Personal Perspective", she outlined the history of the mass education and rural reconstruction movement. Noting that rural reconstruction has proved to be a successful people-centered development strategy over the period of 80 years, she advised IIRR to "build on its rich experience of the past, take full advantage of new information technologies, and refine, reframe and reconstruct its methodologies to meet the needs of the present and the future."

Mrs. Chin's leadership, experience and wise counsel are missed by IIRR and her many friends. She will be remembered for her great passion and commitment to improving the lives of the rural poor, and her work will continue to inspire development practitioners.

Mrs. Chin was born in Beijing. Her father, Dr. W. W. Yen, was an eminent Chinese diplomat, the first Chinese Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1932 to 1937. She lived with her husband in Pleasantville, New York. 

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