Snow, Helen Foster, 1907-1997
Dates
- Existence: 1907 - 1997
Biography
Helen Foster Snow (1907-1997) was an American journalist, photographer, and activist in China.
Helen Foster Snow was born on September 21, 1907 in Cedar City, Utah. She attended West High School. After graduating, she attended the University of Utah. She took the civil service exam, gained a position in China, and moved to Shanghai in August 1931. After arriving in China Helen met Edgar Snow, a reporter also from the U.S. The two were married on December 25, 1933 in Tokyo, Japan. The couple moved to Peking where Helen Foster Snow attended and Edgar taught at Yanjing University. From there they published information regarding the Manchurian incident. Helen Foster and Edgar Snow sympathized with the students who protested the government and its complacency toward Japanese invasion. They helped plan the December movements, and covered events censored in Chinese papers.
Helen published an interview with Zhang Xueliang, a general, who expressed support for communists, contradicting Chiang Kai-shek. In 1937 Edgar and Helen published the magazine Democracy. She worked on the editorial board to editor, and then the editor while Edgar wrote Red Star over China.
Snow entered the communist camp in April 1937, where she interviewed leaders, women, and children of the camp. She would publish her findings in her book Inside Red China in 1938. Helen later toured the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives and wrote to raise support of the initiatives. Helen returned to the United States, living in Madison, Connecticut and travelling the world. Helen died on January 11, 1997.
Citation:
OCLC 17967705: Stanley, M. Foreigners in areas of China ... 1987 (hdg.: Snow, Helen Foster, 1907- ; usage: Helen Foster Snow)LC data base, 11/19/90 (hdg.: Wales, Nym, 1907- ; usage: Helen Foster Snow; Helen Foster Snow (Nym Wales); Hai-lun Fu-ssu-tʻe Ssu-no; Nym Wales; Nym Wales (Helen Foster Snow))
Pseuds. and nicknames dict., c1987 (Snow, Helen Foster, 1907- ; American author and poet; pseud.: Wales, Nym)
Bridging, 1997: t.p. (Helen Foster Snow) p. xxxvii (died 1/11/97)
Women in modern China, 2004: t.p. (Helen Foster Snow) colophon (海伦斯诺 = Hailun Sinuo = Snow, H.)
Familysearch.org, Dec. 6, 2011 (Helen Foster; b. Sept. 21, 1907 in Cedar City, Utah; d. Jan. 11, 1997 in Guilford, Conn.; m. Dec. 25, 1932 in Tokyo, Japan to Edgar Parks Snow)
Wikipedia, Dec. 6, 2011 (taught at Yenching University)
Helen Foster Snow, 2006: p. 13 (b. Cedar City, Utah; b. September 21, 1907); p. 15 (Hannah and John Foster); p. 16 (parents civically engaged); p. 18 (frequent moves in childhood); p. 19 (move to Salt Lake City, UT, West High School, yearbook, student gov't); p. 20 (graduated West High, University of Utah); p. 23 (secretary w/ A.G Mackenzie of American Silver Mining Commission in Utah; wanted Europe; decided on China); p. 24 (to China in August 1931); p. 25 (secretary to an American company in China); p. 31 (secretary for bankers); p. 34 (wrote on Manchurian incident); p. 36 (Shanghai refuge for leftist intellectuals and reformists); p. 38 (developed left leaning political opinions; social secretary at U.S. consulate; p. 39 (m. 1933 Edgar Snow); p. 42 (m. Dec. 25, Tokyo); p. 41 (honeymoon in Formosa, the Philippines, Borneo, the Dutch Indies, and Bali); p. 45 (move to Peking); p. 47 (modelling in Peking); p.50 (student of philosophy, religion, and esthetics at Yanjing University); p. 52 (student movement December 1935); p. 55 (rose awareness of fascist threat in China; helped plan December 1935 movement); p. 58 (home as anti-Japanese salon); p. 61 (poem calling students to action; planned Dec. 9 movement in home); p. 62 (press coverage of events censored by Chinese papers; pen names Nym Wales and Hsueh Hai-lun); p. 64 (December 16th movement); p. 69 (foreign correspondence); p. 70 (worked with artists); p. 71 (Chinese short stories published for West); p. 73 (published Living China); p.74 (poetry); p. 76 (Korea trip alone); p. 77 (Communist territory invitation, returned to Peking; interviewed Zhang Xueliang, support for communists against Japan); p. 80 (editorial board, Democracy); p. 81 (editor, democracy); p. 86 (Xian April 23, 1937); p. 87 (journals in the camp, women and children, leaders); p. 94 (observed visitors, GMD reps); p. 97 (Ding Ling); p. 99 (Kang Keqing; wife of Zhu De); p. 100 (divorce and marriage among communists); p. 107 ("The Passing of the Chinese Soviets."); p. 109 (Inside Red China, 1939); p. 117 (Shanghai); p. 125 (children in labor organizations); p. 126 (women in cooperatives); p. 132 (U.S. policy towards China); p. 135 (photographs); p. 136 (Song of Ariran, Korea and Japan interactions); p. 137 (Indusco inspection tour, Chinese Industrial cooperatives campaign); p. 140 (China Builds for Democracy); p. 144 (Dec. 1940 United States); p. 144 (vc American Committee in Aid of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives; China, Indusco II, 1979, founder of I)
UPB files, July 25, 2018 (1931, American consulate; Living China, short stories, 1935; photojournalism; Song of Ariran)
Found in 44 Collections and/or Records:
Helen Foster Snow periodicals, 1933-1996
Contains magazines, journals, and other periodicals. Topics include tourism, history, foreign affairs and other subjects, all related to China. Dated 1933 to 1966.
Helen Foster Snow photograph documentation, 1973-1979
Contains documentation, mainly grouped together in binders or originally grouped in binders. Documentation includes letters to Tim Considine, copies of photographs he owns as well as photographs in the Helen Foster Snow papers, and lists of captions for Helen Foster Snow and Tim Considine's photographs. Helen went to China in 1978 with Tim Considine and a film crew to retrace her steps from X'ian to Yan'an. Dated 1973 to 1979.
Helen Foster Snow photographs, approximately 1853-2000
Helen Foster Snow photographs distributed by Magnum Photos, Inc., approximately 1933-1937
Contains photographs taken during Helen's time as a photojournalist in China and distributed by Magnum Photos, Inc. Duplicates of these photographs are also found throughout the subseries "Helen Foster Snow photographs of Asia." Also included are photocopies of the original typed captions for the photographs. Materials dated 1933 to 1940.
Helen Foster Snow photographs from Asia, approximately 1902-1949, approximately 1970-1987, bulk: 1931-1940
Helen Foster Snow photographs of family and friends, approximately 1853-2000
Helen Foster Snow poetry, 1925-1995
All folders contain poetry written by Helen Foster Snow. "The nomenclature of Helen Foster Snow and Nym Wales are used intermittently in ascribing the author." Drafts with and without annotations, bound volumes, award-winning items, poetry for music, limericks, and other humorous material. Materials date from 1925 to 1995.
Helen Foster Snow professional and personal work files, 1931-1932
Contains manuscripts and drafts of plays, articles, and other literature on various topics in China, as well as correspondence (personal, family, and business), reports, mailing lists, diaries, assorted papers on Shanghai, and essays. Materials created by Helen Foster Snow during her time in China, dated 1931 to 1932.
Helen Foster Snow published and unpublished manuscripts, approximately 1919-1995
Contains manuscripts and associated materials produced by Helen Foster Snow, both inside the United States and in China. Includes non-fiction and fiction writings on China and other topics. Materials date from between 1919 and 1995.
Helen Foster Snow topically-arranged correspondence, 1940s-1990s
Contains letters and other correspondence spanning from the 1940's to the 1990's, both career-related and personal. During this period of time, Helen lived in the United States, but travelled abroad several times.
Additional filters:
- Subject
- China -- Politics and government -- 1928-1937 38
- Photojournalism -- China 38
- Photojournalists -- China 38
- China -- Politics and government -- 1912-1949 34
- Politics, Government, and Law 26
- India 23
- Philippines 23
- Yan'an Shi (China) 23
- Beijing (China) 22
- Shanghai (China) 22
- Utah 22
- Xi'an Shi (China) 22
- Drafts (Documents) 15
- Letters 14
- Genealogy 13
- Communes (China) 12
- International Relations 12
- Journalism 12
- Books 11
- Articles 9
- Literature 8
- Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 7
- Essays 7
- Book reviews 6
- Correspondence 6
- Manuscripts 5
- Notes 5
- Photographs 5
- China 4
- Communism -- China -- History 4
- Connecticut -- Photographs 4
- Asia -- Photographs 3
- China -- Photographs 3
- Documents 3
- Photojournalism 3
- Poetry 3
- Research 3
- United States -- Photographs 3
- Civic Activism 2
- Interviews 2
- Negatives 2
- Papers (Documents) 2
- Personal papers 2
- Publications 2
- Social Life and Customs 2
- Vacations 2
- Acetate negatives 1
- Agriculture -- China 1
- Artifacts 1
- Audiocassettes 1
- Autobiographies 1
- Bali (Indonesia : Province) -- Photographs 1
- Book covers 1
- Books -- Reviews 1
- Chinese language 1
- Clothing 1
- Communism 1
- Contracts 1
- Diaries 1
- Documentary films 1
- Domestic animals -- Photographs 1
- East (U.S.) -- Photographs 1
- Economics and Banking 1
- Fiction 1
- Financial records 1
- Folklore 1
- Glass negatives 1
- Labor History 1
- Lists 1
- Minutes (Records) 1
- Paintings 1
- Periodicals 1
- Philippines -- Photographs 1
- Photocopies 1
- Proposals 1
- Reports 1
- Seneca Falls (N.Y.) 1
- Slides (Photography) 1
- Speeches, addresses, etc. 1
- Telegrams 1
- Translations 1
- Utah -- Photographs 1
- Videocassettes 1 + ∧ less