A woman of her time, a leader of the ages

It would not be until 10 years later, in 1934, that more enlightened attitudes would prevail and women were able to take their rightful place in the architecture program, but of course for Lin it was too late.

Lin is widely known in China, not for her architectural talent, but as a prominent figure in novels and television dramas that depict her as a poet and as a romantic heroine.

Last month, a century after Lin began her studies in Pennsylvania, her granddaughter Yu Kui arrived in Shanxi province, where her late grandmother did research, with a special document in hand: the architectural degree for which Lin had worked so assiduously, but which she had been denied. In May, recognizing this historic injustice, the University of Pennsylvania publicly and posthumously bestowed on Lin the degree she so richly deserved.