Li Fu Lee

Li Fu Lee was a Chinese engineer and teacher known for being the first Chinese woman to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her attendance starting in 1925 was reported by numerous media outlets. She was noted for being a Chinese female student and for majoring in electrical engineering, which the undergraduate students at the time said was the most difficult major according to The Boston Globe. She was one of the 25 women who graduated from MIT in 1929 and one of the first women to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at MIT. Li Fu Lee was born on May 3, 1904, in Changdong, Hebei. She was Han Chinese and married Kuan Tung, who was from a prominent Manchu family. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the National Technical School of China. By 1925, she lived in Beijing. In 1925, Kuan was studying electrical engineering at MIT. During his study, he decided he wanted Lee to study at MIT as well. Kuan returned to China with this in mind. Soon after Lee and Kuan had their wedding and honeymoon, in September, they moved to the US. They boarded the President McKinley and sailed from Shanghai to Seattle. Soon after they arrived, that same year, Lee enrolled at MIT in electrical engineering. Lee and Kuan both graduated from MIT with Bachelors of Science in electrical engineering in 1929 and 1927 respectively. She reportedly lived with Kuan at 21 Lee St. in Cambridge. Lee's attendance at MIT was reported by numerous media outlets including by The Boston Globe whose story published a photo of her on October 20, 1925. It declared her as MIT's "most interesting student" that year, saying: "Dressed in her quaint and Oriental costume, Mrs Tung makes an unusual sight in the corridors of the institute." Other newspapers across the US reported on the story as well. Lee was noted for being a Chinese female student. After graduating from MIT, Lee returned to China with her husband and worked as an engineer and teacher. She taught at the National Technical School of China and the National Central University. She also worked for the China Electric Company and the China Telephone and Telegraph Company. She was involved in several projects related to radio communication, power generation, and electric lighting. She also participated in the resistance against the Japanese invasion of China during World War II. Lee moved to the US again in the 1950s with her husband and children. She settled in Chicago, Illinois, where she continued to work as an engineer and teacher. She also became active in the Chinese community and supported various cultural and educational activities. She died in 1985 in Chicago. Her death cause is unknown. She was buried in Chicago. Li Fu Lee was a pioneer and a role model for many Chinese women who pursued higher education and careers in science and engineering. She was also a bridge between China and the US, contributing to the development and exchange of technology and culture. She was honored by MIT as one of its distinguished alumni and by the Chinese government as one of its outstanding overseas Chinese.