Isabel Crook

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Isabel Crook
Isabel Crook.png
Born (1915-12-15) December 15, 1915 (age 105)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
OccupationProfessor, anthropologist
LanguageEnglish, Chinese
NationalityCanada
United Kingdom
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
London School of Economics
Notable worksXinglong Chang: Field Notes of a Village Called Prosperity 1940-1942
Revolution in a Chinese Village: Ten Mile Inn
Notable awardsMedal of Friendship (2019)
Spouse
​
(m. 1942⁠–⁠2000)​
Children3 sons
RelativesHomer G. Brown (father)
Muriel J. Hockey (mother)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese饒素梅
Simplified Chinese饶素梅

Isabel Crook (Chinese: 饶素梅; pinyin: Ráo Sùméi; born 15 December 1915) is a Canadian-born Chinese anthropologist and former professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She is notable for her participation in the Cultural Revolution, as well as her work as a teacher and researcher.

Early life[]

Isabel Crook was born on December 15, 1915, in Chengdu, Sichuan, to Canadian missionaries Homer and Muriel Brown.[1] Homer Brown was the Dean of the Education Faculty at West China Union University, and Muriel set up Montessori Schools in China and served on the board of the YWCA.[2] When Crook was young, she became interested in anthropology and the many ethnic minorities in China.[citation needed] At the age of 23, Crook graduated from the University of Toronto and began carrying out field research in Li County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.[citation needed]

Career, Marriage, and the Cultural Revolution[]

In early 1940s, she met David Crook, a committed Stalinist who had spied for the KGB in Spain and Shanghai, and married him in 1942.[1] In 1947, Isabel and David Crook went to Ten Mile Inn, Shidong Township, Hebei Province, to observe and study the revolutionary land reform.[3] Six months later they accepted an invitation from CPC leaders to teach at a newly established foreign affairs school, which was the forerunner of today's Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).[1] As a teacher at BFSU Crook laid the foundation for foreign language education in China.[citation needed] During the Cultural Revolution, David Crook was imprisoned from 1967-1973 in Qincheng prison, while Isabel Crook was confined on the BFSU Campus.[4] Despite this, Isabel Crook has stated that she understood and forgave her captors.[1] In June 2019, she became an honorary citizen of Bishan District, Chongqing.[5]

Personal life[]

Isabel Crook was married to David Crook, a journalist and a member of the British Communist Party. They have three sons.

Works[]

  • Xinglong Chang: Field Notes of a Village Called Prosperity 1940-1942 (兴隆场：抗战时期四川农民生活调查（1940-1942）)
  • Revolution in a Chinese Village: Ten Mile Inn (十里店：中国一个村庄的革命)

Awards[]

On September 30, 2019, Isabel Crook was awarded the Medal of Friendship by Chinese president Xi Jinping.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "A Story of Rural Wartime China, 70 Years in the Making". The Wallstreet Journal. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Parents 1915, Chengdu – Isabel Crook". 2018-04-29. Archived from the original on 2018-04-29. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  3. ^ "Isabel Crook: Live with China one century". chinadaily. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  4. ^ "The Autobiography of david crook - The Ballad of Beijing Gaol (1967-73)". davidcrook.net. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  5. ^ Zeng Qinglong (曾清龙) (18 September 2019). 国家最高荣誉！璧山荣誉市民伊莎白·柯鲁克被授予“友谊勋章”. Sohu (in Chinese). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Isabel Crook: A life-long friend of China". cri.cn. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.

External links[]

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