Three Generations of Eminent American Chinese: Lives Intertwined With History

This article describes the lives of 3 generations of a remarkable American Chinese family, who all excelled in their achievements. Grandfather Chan Loon Teung was the first Chinese Harvard graduate; the father, Eugene Chan, and his wife, Winifred Mao, were famous ophthalmologists, working in the United States and in China, and their daughter, Chi-Chao Chan, is a specialist in ophthalmic pathology and uveitis at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. Although the different generations all encountered dramatic situations caused by political turmoil, such as the Xinhai Revolution, World War II, and the cultural revolution in China, this did not prevent them from making major contributions to their home countries and ophthalmology. The history of this family as depicted in this article illustrates what perseverance and passion can achieve.