Juliana Young Koo
Juliana Koo | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 September 1905 Tianjin, China |
| Nationality | Republic of China |
| Spouse(s) | Clarence Kuangson Young (m. 1929–1942) Wellington Koo (m. 1959–1985) |
| Children | 3 daughters |
Juliana C. Young Koo (née Yen) (born 26 September 1905) is a Chinese American diplomat who served as first head of the UN Protocol Department, supercentenarian and third wife of diplomat and politician Wellington Koo.[1]
Biography
She was born to a wealthy family with business and government ties in Tianjin, China as Yen Yu-ying, on 26 September 1905 to Yan Zijun (1872—1931). His grandfather, Yan Xinhou (1838–1907), was a Chinese visual artist. She attended Keen School when she was 14.[2] She was one of the first women to graduate from Fudan University.[3]
She married Clarence Kuangson Young on 6 September 1929. Her first husband, a Chinese diplomat, was posted to Manila at the beginning of World War II and was arrested and eventually executed by the Japanese on 17 April 1942. Juliana and her three daughters survived. After her first husband Yang Guangsheng (a consul general stationed in Manila, Philippines, from 1938 to 1942) was killed by the Japanese army She took care of more than 26 widows and children of the consulate staff. After the war, she took her three daughters to the US on her own and became the first head of the UN Protocol Department.[3] She spent 10 years working at the United Nations in New York.[4] She was the United Nations first female diplomat.[5]
After She immigrated to New York, United States she met her future husband, Wellington Koo, in 1952. In September 1959 she married Wellington, another Chinese diplomat.
She released her autobiography called 109 Springtimes: My Story in 2015.[6] On September 26, 2015 Koo became a supercentenarian, when she reached the age of 110 years.[7] According to her the secret to her longevity is eating foie gras, beef, pork belly and “as much butter as you like.” She advises against exercise and vegetables; she also suggests regular bouts of mahjong, a game she still likes to play.[8] Juliana Koo currently lives in New York City.
References
- ^ Barron, James. "Lessons of 107 Birthdays: Don't Exercise, Avoid Medicine and Never Look Back". City Room. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
- ^ Wang Ruifeng, Jin Wan Bao (2015-09-21). "The legendary life of Tianjin-born diplomat Juliana Young Koo". investinchina.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
- ^ a b Staff (2015-05-18). "Juliana Young Koo recalls the past in new book". Global Times. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
- ^ Liu Zhihua (2015-05-20). "Story of a century". China Daily. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
- ^ Staff (2016-07-22). "她是驚艷上海灘84號，兩位外交家夫人無數男人排隊僅為一睹芳容" (in Chinese). kknews.cc. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
- ^ Lun Xiao Xuan (2015-05-18). "顾严幼韵口述自传在京发布 周明伟出席发布会[组图]" (in Chinese). China Network. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
- ^ Hong Xiao (2015-09-27). "Author and wife of diplomat celebrates 110th birthday". China Daily. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
- ^ Mimi Sheraton (2016-12-10). "111-Year-Old's Secret Foie Gras Diet". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-04-27.