Isabel Crook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isabel Crook
Born	(1915-12-15)15 December 1915 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Died	20 August 2023(2023-08-20) (aged 107) Beijing, China
Occupation	Professor, anthropologist
Language	English, Chinese
Nationality	Canadian British
Alma mater	University of Toronto London School of Economics
Notable works	Xinglong Chang: Field Notes of a Village Called Prosperity 1940-1942 Revolution in a Chinese Village: Ten Mile Inn
Notable awards	Medal of Friendship (2019)
Spouse	David Crook ​ ​ (m. 1942; died 2000)​
Children	3
Relatives	Homer G. Brown (father) Muriel J. Hockey (mother)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	饒素梅
Simplified Chinese	饶素梅
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ráo Sùméi

Isabel Crook (Chinese: 饶素梅; pinyin: Ráo Sùméi; 15 December 1915 – 20 August 2023) was a Canadian anthropologist and professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She was noted for her participation in the Cultural Revolution, as well as her work as a teacher and researcher.

Early life

Isabel Crook was born on 15 December 1915, in Chengdu, Sichuan, to Canadian missionaries Homer and Muriel Brown. Homer Brown was the dean of the Education Faculty at West China Union University, and Muriel set up Montessori Schools in China and served on the board of the YWCA. When Crook was young, she became interested in anthropology and the many ethnic minorities in China. At the age of 23, Crook graduated from the University of Toronto and began carrying out field research in Li County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

Career, marriage, and the Cultural Revolution

In the early 1940s, she met David Crook, a Stalinist who had spied for the KGB in Spain and Shanghai, and married him in 1942. In 1947, Isabel and David Crook went to Ten Mile Inn, Shidong Township, Hebei Province, to observe and study the revolutionary land reform. Six months later, they accepted an invitation from CPC leaders to teach at a newly established foreign affairs school, which was the forerunner of today's Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). As a teacher at BFSU, Crook laid the foundation for foreign-language education in China. During the Cultural Revolution, David Crook was imprisoned from 1967 to 1973 in Qincheng prison, while Isabel Crook was confined to the BFSU Campus. Despite this, Isabel Crook had stated that she understood and forgave her captors. In June 2019, she became an honorary citizen of Bishan District, Chongqing.

Personal life and death

Isabel Crook and her husband had three sons. She died in Beijing on 20 August 2023, at the age of 107.

Works

• Xinglong Chang: Field Notes of a Village Called Prosperity 1940-1942 (兴隆场：抗战时期四川农民生活调查（1940-1942）)
• Revolution in a Chinese Village: Ten Mile Inn (十里店：中国一个村庄的革命)

Awards

On 30 September 2019, Isabel Crook was awarded the Medal of Friendship by Chinese president Xi Jinping.

See also

In Spanish: Isabel Crook para niños