Bucks County History: Local Author’s Gravestone Pays Homage to Her Time in China

An author from Bucks County made a large impact during her life, and her gravestone shares her relations to a country near to her heart.

Pearl S. Buck was known for her 1931 novel, The Good Earth, which documented life in rural China. During her life, she was a large proponent of the adoption of Chinese-born children, making her one of the first Americans to advocate for mixed-race adoption. 

After her death, her body was interred at her former residence. The Pearl S. Buck House, formerly known as Green Hills Farm, is located in a scenic part of the town of Dublin in Bucks County, where she lived for 40 years.

A large stone above her grave bears her name and the years she lived. On her actual gravestone, her birth name was etched in Chinese characters, a lasting homage to the country and culture that made her life.

Her novels brought a level of awareness of Chinese culture to an American audience; throughout her life, Buck lived in the country herself, residing in Zhenjiang and Nanjing under the name 赛珍珠 (Sai Zhenzhu).

Learn more at Pearl S. Buck International.

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