Yuen Tsung Sze (1909-1992), also known as her pseudonym Mai-Mai Sze, was a Chinese-American actress, author, advocate, and painter from Tianjin, China. When Mai-Mai was six years old in 1915, she moved with her father Alfred Sao-ke Sze, a Chinese Ambassador at the time, to London. When Mai-Mai’s father was appointed to be the first Chinese Ambassador to the United States in 1921, she moved with her father again to Washington D.C. where she attended the National Cathedral School for six years. She attended Wellesley College from 1927 to 1931 and received a Bachelor’s degree in the humanities, including English literature and philosophy. After graduating from Wellesley, she primarily focused her work on painting and performing arts. Mai-Mai was an active participant in lecturing Chinese cultures and providing support to the Chinese community during and throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. In 1956, her translation of Gai Wang’s work The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting was published by Bollingen Foundation along with her commentary on the text.
