Hu Xiuying[1](Chinese name:胡秀英; English name: Holly), was an eminent scholar in plant taxonomy. Professor Hu XiuYing is currently Honorary Professor of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Senior College Tutor of Chung Chi College and Emeritus Senior Research Fellow of Arnold Arboretum,[2] Harvard University. Professor Hu is a great authority on Ilex, Hemerocaulis, Paulonnia, Compositae and Orchidaceae.
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Hu Xiuying was born on February 26, 1908, in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. At that time, three of her brothers or sisters had died from tetanus. In order to make Hu Xiuying have a good health, her father walked far from her hometown to buy Chinese herbal medicine for her. when she was only 4 years old, her father passed away, leaving Hu Xiuying and her mother to depend on each other for survival in difficulties. Her mother workd on the farm to earn money to afford her school fee. Through Hu Xiuying's efforts, she earned the scholarship and then she went to study in Jinling College, majoring in chemistry and physics, then converted her course into biology. At the same time, she studied taxonomy of higher plants from Dr.Albert Steward in Jinling College. Two years later, she came back to her hometown as a PE teacher to returen on her alma mater. in 1930, she went on her studies in jinling. In 1933, She draduated from Jinling College, and got Master of Science degree from Lingnan University four years later. Having got the scholarship from college of Radcliffe in Harvard University, she furthered her studies in America. In 1946, she became the first Chinese female to pursue doctoral education in Harvard University under a scholarship from Radcliffe College. Since obtaining her doctoral degree in 1949, Professor Hu has devoted over half a century to the research of plants in Harvard. During that time, she was appointed by harward university to do research about botany. In 1968, Professor Hu took up the position as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology of Chung Chi College and continued her research work in the diversity of Hong Kong vegetation and a honorary professor in South China Agricultural University[3](SCAU) and CUHK(Chinese University of Hong Kong).[4] She was appointed Advisor to the Sunyatsen Botanical Garden in Nanjing]], Honorary Professor of South China Agriculture University in Guangzhou, Advisor to the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden in Shenzhen, and Honorary Professor of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University in 1999.
Now in her nineties, Professor Hu still enjoys her plant studies and is a prolific researcher. Devoted wholeheartedly to the research of plant taxonomy throughout her working life, Professor Hu has produced and identified as many as 185,000 plant specimens, and published over 160 papers.
In recognition of the outstanding contributions of Professor Hu in botany and Chinese Medicinal research, she was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2001.