Isabel Crook

On September 3, 2025, China held a grand military parade at Tian'anmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931–1945) and the World Anti-Fascist War. Foreign guests invited to observe the parade on the Tian'anmen Rostrum included heads of state and government leaders from 26 countries, as well as 50 international friends or their family representatives from 14 countries who had contributed to China's victory in that war. Among them was Michael Crook from the United Kingdom.

Michael Crook's mother, Isabel Crook, a Canadian woman born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, was not only a founder of foreign language education in the People's Republic of China (PRC) but also a recipient of the Friendship Medal, the highest honor of the PRC for foreigners, having made outstanding contributions to China's education and friendly exchanges with foreign countries. Throughout her 108 years of life, she witnessed the profound transformation of China from weakness to strength, and demonstrated her sincere devotion to the country through her lifelong practice.

Bond with China engraved in her genes

At the turn of the 20th century, China was in a precarious position amidst the ambitions of foreign powers and faced severe domestic and international crises. Against the backdrop of the spread of Christianity in China, Isabel's father, Homer G. Brown, traveled from Canada to Chengdu in 1912 to study Chinese at the Annunciation Seminary in Bailu Town, Pengzhou City, a missionary training institute established by the French Catholic Church in Sichuan. In 1913, he met and fell in love with his compatriot and fellow student Muriel Hockey, and the two later married.

After completing two years of Chinese language studies, Homer G. Brown assumed the role of dean of studies at the Education College of West China Union University. Muriel, also passionate about education, observed a severe shortage of local educational resources — especially in early childhood education, which was nearly nonexistent. Determined to make a difference, she took the initiative to raise funds and establish Dewey Primary School, China's first Montessori kindergarten (now Chengdu No. 11 Kindergarten), and the School for the Blind, Deaf and Mute (now Chengdu Special Education School), thereby enabling more children to access formal schooling. Later, Muriel's mother came to China to visit her and stayed on to teach at the Canadian School in West China in Chengdu.