19 moments

1. Earliest Chinese home

   1892-01-01 · Huai'an, Jiangsu, China

   As an infant, Buck returned with her family to China; Huai'an was the family’s first residence there. The source establishes Huai'an as her first Chinese home after her 1892 birth, but does not provide an arrival day or month.

2. Birth at the Stulting House

   1892-06-26 · Pearl S. Buck Birthplace, Hillsboro, West Virginia, United States

   

   Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born at the house of her mother’s family while her missionary parents were in the United States on leave from China.

3. Childhood in Zhenjiang

   1896-01-01 · Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China

   

   Buck’s family moved to Zhenjiang, where she spent much of her childhood in a bilingual Chinese and American environment.

4. Student at Randolph-Macon Woman's College

   1911-01-01 · Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

   

   Buck left China to study at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, graduating in 1914. The college is now Randolph College.

5. Marriage and mission residence in Suzhou

   1917-05-13 · Suzhou, Anhui, China

   After marrying agricultural-economist missionary John Lossing Buck, she moved with him to Suzhou in Anhui Province; experiences in this region informed The Good Earth and Sons. This is Suzhou in Anhui Province, not Suzhou in Jiangsu Province.

6. Teaching residence at the University of Nanking

   1920-01-01 · University of Nanking campus, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

   

   The Bucks established their home on the University of Nanking campus, where Buck taught English literature and also taught at Ginling College and National Central University. Coordinates identify the former University of Nanking/Nanjing University campus area.

7. Master's study at Cornell

   1924-01-01 · Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States

   

   During the Bucks’ sabbatical-year return to the United States, Buck earned a master’s degree at Cornell University.

8. Year in Japan after evacuation

   1927-01-01 · Japan

   After the Nanking Incident evacuation, Buck stayed in Japan for approximately a year before returning to Nanjing. The source identifies Japan but not a city; coordinates are a representative national point.

9. Evacuation to Shanghai

   1927-03-01 · Shanghai, China

   American gunboats rescued Buck and her family after the Nanking violence; they then traveled to Shanghai before sailing onward.

10. Nanking Incident hiding place

    1927-03-01 · Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    During the Nanking Incident, Buck and her family hid in the hut of a Chinese family while their house was looted. The article places this episode during the Nanking Incident in March 1927; the exact hut location is not documented.

11. Family stay in Ithaca

    1932-01-01 · Ithaca, New York, United States

    

    When John Lossing Buck took the family to Ithaca, Buck accepted an invitation to address Presbyterian women in New York City. The article’s preceding discussion dates the referenced prior year to 1931.

12. Foreign-missions address at the Hotel Astor

    1932-01-01 · Hotel Astor, New York City, New York, United States

    

    At a Presbyterian women’s luncheon, Buck delivered “Is There a Case for the Foreign Missionary?”, a speech whose publication and reception contributed to her resignation from the Presbyterian Board. The Hotel Astor formerly stood in Times Square; the building was demolished in 1967.

13. Green Hills Farm residence

    1933-01-01 · Green Hills Farm, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Buck purchased Green Hills Farm, which became her long-term Pennsylvania home, writing base, and center for her family and humanitarian work.

14. Divorce and remarriage in Reno

    1935-06-11 · Reno, Nevada, United States

    

    Buck divorced John Lossing Buck in Reno and married her publisher, Richard J. Walsh, the same day. Coordinates identify central Reno; the specific divorce venue is not stated.

15. Nobel Prize ceremony

    1938-01-01 · Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

    

    Buck received the Nobel Prize in Literature in Stockholm, becoming the first American woman to receive the award. The source supports the year and venue but not a ceremony day.

16. Green Hills Farm residence during humanitarian work

    1949-01-01 · Green Hills Farm, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Buck was living at Green Hills Farm during the period in which she established Welcome House, a foster home and adoption initiative for mixed-race children of Asian descent. The residence evidence spans 1949; the related Welcome House initiative is documented separately in Buck’s biography.

17. Humanitarian visit to South Korea

    1960-11-01 · South Korea

    Buck made her first trip to South Korea, meeting organizations and schools working with children; the visit became a precursor to her later foundation work there. The source gives only the country for the overall trip; coordinates are a representative national point.

18. Visit to the Kennedy White House

    1962-12-17 · White House, Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    

    Buck visited the White House and urged the Kennedy administration to support a negotiated, de facto independence arrangement for Taiwan.

19. Death in Danby

    1973-03-06 · Danby, Vermont, United States

    

    Buck died of lung cancer in Danby, Vermont, shortly before her eighty-first birthday. Coordinates are a representative point for Danby; the specific death site is not stated.