A studio portrait of Phoebe Chen in a floral qipao

Phoebe Shou-Heng Yu was born in 1917 in Changsha, China. During World War II, 24-year-old Phoebe left China to pursue a master's degree in English at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. While in the United States, she met her future husband Homer Chen and completed her PhD at the University of Chicago. The Chens intended to return to China, but were ultimately stranded in the U.S. due to the Communist takeover of China in 1949. To make matters worse, they faced deportation from the U.S. Thankfully, the Chens received derivative immigration status after the birth of their son, which eventually allowed them to gain citizenship. Though Phoebe never saw her mother again, she reunited with her siblings roughly 40 years later. The Chens were able to form a tight-knit second family in Chicago with their Chinese expatriate friends. Most recently, they resettled in Skokie, Illinois with their three children. Phoebe and Homer were active members of the Chinese American community, founding the Chinese American Educational Foundation and a Chinese language and culture school serving suburban North Chicago. Having settled in the heartland of America to study, build a career, and start a family, Phoebe's path is representative of many Chinese immigrants’ stories, and contrasts with the bachelor immigrants' journey, as exemplified by Shuck Wing Chin’s experience. On her way to the U.S., Phoebe Chen stopped in Hong Kong and had approximately 60 qipaos hand-tailored for her while she waited to take a steamship to Massachusetts. The entirety of this unique wardrobe was graciously donated to MOCA by her daughter, Pamela Chen.