ABSTRACT
Wu Wen-Tsun was born in Shanghai on 12 May 1919 as the first child of four. His father Wu Futong 吴福同 was an educated professional in a medical publishing house. Wu Futong was a graduate of a new Western-style high school affiliated to Nanyang College (Nanyang gongxue 南洋公学), established in 1896 to train competent technicians necessary for China’s modernization. Wu Futong was valued for his English language skills, and he and his family led a middle-class lifestyle. He had a large library and provided education for all of his children; however, only the eldest son Wu Wen-Tsun proceeded beyond lower-middle school. Wen-Tsun’s younger brother Wu Wenjie 吴文傑 died in childhood, and their two sisters Wu Wenjuan 吴文娟 and Wu Wenmei 吴文美 never attended high school (Ke Linjuan 2009: 1-3).
