In Loving Memory of Mrs. Daisy Chen (1938-2025)

Mrs. Daisy Chen, a native of Ningbo, China, was the wife of the late philanthropist Mr. Chen Yet-Sen and a dedicated philanthropist in her own right. She shared Mr. Chen’s profound belief in the power of education, dedicating her life to the development and well-being of children. Together, they established The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, which, over twenty years from its inception, continues to bring love and hope to children and communities in need.

Mrs. Chen was a passionate advocate for early childhood literacy, viewing it as essential for inspiring a lifelong love of learning and nurturing family bonds. Driven by this conviction, she served as the Treasurer since the foundation’s establishment, actively engaging in its governance and strategic planning, and contributing significantly to local education development by funding innovative, high-impact reading education programs.

This same belief also inspired her to champion and sponsor the Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award from its inception in 2008. The award honours outstanding original Chinese children’s picture books – inspiring new audiences of readers – both young and old alike.

Under Mrs. Chen’s devoted leadership, the foundation has been an influential champion of early childhood literacy. Today, the Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award has become one of the most respected and influential in its field, and the Stone Soup Literacy Initiative stands as a regional benchmark for school reading and library development. Her vision and generosity not only expanded society’s understanding of early childhood literacy and nurtured a new generation of Chinese picture books but also planted the seeds of reading in countless young hearts, fostering their cultural identity and intellectual growth.

Mrs. Chen’s spirit will live on, continuing to nourish generations of children worldwide with the legacy of countless beautiful stories she inspired.