Wai-Tsu New

Niu Huizhu (dates of birth and death unknown) was the daughter of Niu Shangzhou, one of the first Qing dynasty students sent to the United States, and Ni Guijin. She was the younger sister of renowned physicians Niu Huilin and Niu Huisheng.

Born into a family that highly valued education, her father Niu Shangzhou worked at the Shanghai Telegraph Bureau and Jiangnan Arsenal, while her mother Ni Guijin came from the prominent Ni family of Shanghai, which was closely connected by marriage to the influential Soong family.

As a self-funded student, Niu Huizhu traveled to the United States on the same ship as Soong Ching-ling and Soong Mei-ling. Her studies abroad were arranged with the help of Wen Bingzhong and his wife, relatives of the Ni family. During her time overseas, she frequently interacted with the Soong siblings and her own brothers, leaving behind photographs that documented these ties.

After returning to China, Niu Huizhu married the prominent architect Guo Yangmo, and they had a son, Guo Bingzhong, who later founded the famous Shanghai pastry brand Red Ruby. Her granddaughter, Guo Xiaqing, donated family heirlooms to the Jiading Archives in 2017.

Niu Huizhu’s family maintained close relations with the Soong family. A 1913 group photograph in Boston featuring Niu Huizhu, Soong Ching-ling, Soong Mei-ling, T.V. Soong, and her brother Niu Huisheng stands as an important historical record of the two families’ interactions.