Ruth Mulan Chu Chao’s Legacy Lives On In New Chinese Kindergartens

The late Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao was born in China’s Anhui province in 1930. She graduated from secondary school, which at that time was a rarity for Chinese girls. This precious gift of an education was something that she carried with her for her entire life, imparting to her children and to the world the sense of the tremendous value of education and its key role in ensuring success in the world. Years later, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao obtained her Master’s degree from St. John’s University, in New York, in the fields of Asian History and Literature.

Her passions for education, Asian culture, and the importance of strengthening the cultural ties between East and West, resulted in a lifetime’s work of philanthropy and advocacy. Now, approximately 1,000 young children will attend two kindergartens named in honor of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, thus extending her legacy to a new generation of young scholars.

A dedication ceremony for the opening was attended by members of the Chao family, including founder of the Foremost Group and husband of the late Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, Dr. James S.C. Chao, Deputy Chair of Foremost Group Angela Chao, and former The Honorable Elaine L. Chao. Also present was a large crowd of parents and community members who feel that the new kindergartens benefit not just the young students, but also the entire community.

Angela Chao spoke about her mother and the gifts that she passed on to her children. She said that her mother always encouraged her and her sisters to contribute to society and to be helpful to others. It is only fitting that two kindergartens should now be named in her honor at her place of birth, in a land she never forgot.