As for honorifics, the changes now are indeed much greater than those before. Among modern people's titles, sir usually refers to men. But in the past, Mr. could also refer to women. This is a respectful title for women, referring to the more knowledgeable women. The female gentleman who is relatively familiar to us is Mr. Yang Jiang. However, there is another female gentleman who is also hotly discussed by everyone. Last year was the 100th anniversary of Nankai University. There was such a female gentleman that everyone admired, and that was Mr. Ye Jiaying.
Ye Jiaying was born in the 1920s. Her family can be regarded as a truly scholarly family. Even in that era of war and strife, Ye Jiaying was able to continue her education. Ye Jiaying was admitted to the Chinese Department of Fu Jen Catholic University, a prestigious university at the time, in 1941. She chose her favorite major of classical literature. At that time, Ye Jiaying had cut off contact with her family in order to study. During this period, Ye Jiaying's mother also passed away due to illness. Fortunately, Ye Jiaying persevered and turned her sadness into motivation for learning.
In 1948, because of her husband’s relationship, Ye Jiaying followed him to Taiwan and lived in Taiwan for eighteen years. It can be said that that period should be a difficult period in Mr. Ye Jiaying's life. However, Ye Jiaying has always been more persistent in her teaching career. In addition to serving as a school teacher, Ye Jiaying is also actively engaged in literary creation. Later, Ye Jiaying went to Canada to live and became a tenured professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
In 1974, Ye Jiaying finally returned to China, and in 1978 she successfully applied to return to China to give lectures. During the following vacation, Ye Jiaying began teaching in China. It has to be said that Ye Jiaying has a high level of knowledge of classical poetry, and has therefore cultivated a group of poetry and literature research talents. Last year was the 100th anniversary of Nankai University. Ye Jiaying donated 17.11 million yuan to establish the Jialing Fund.