She captured both the hardships and resilience of Chinese farmers, writing about not only poverty but also dignity, not only backwardness but also human complexity, he says. Consequently, the China she depicted, though not a full picture, was warm, textured, and humane, he adds.

One important reason Buck was able to represent Chinese characters with empathy and compassion lies in the fact that "she did not view China as a foreign tourist on a brief visit; rather, she lived and grew up in China, and spent a long time sharing the same world with ordinary Chinese people," says Guo.

Her writing about China did not stem from an abstract "Oriental imagination", but from everyday life, land ethics, family relationships, and basic human emotions, he notes.

A daughter of Southern Presbyterian missionaries, Buck left her hometown of Hillsboro, West Virginia, for China in 1892, when she was about four months old. In 1896, her family moved from Huai'an to Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, where they lived for the next 18 years.

Unlike other missionaries, Buck's parents, Absalom and Caroline Sydenstricker, chose to live among Chinese people to fully immerse themselves in local culture rather than in isolated Westernized compounds.

Life in Zhenjiang greatly influenced Buck and her writing, especially the daily interactions with her nanny and tutor, says Lu Zhangping, director of the Zhenjiang Pearl S Buck Research Association.

In Zhenjiang, a local Chinese woman surnamed Wang cared for Buck for 18 years. Wang, kind and diligent, often cooked her delicious meals and snacks. Their relationship went far beyond that of servant and master. Wang treated her like her own child. Whenever Buck was punished by her mother for disobedience, Wang would quietly help her with the chores and offer guidance. From a young age, Buck had developed a deep respect and admiration for Chinese women.