Scholar to fund study of culture that gives her peace

A hush fell over the crowd at Tianjin's Nankai University as Florence Chia-ying Yeh prepared to talk.

It was a rare public appearance for the renowned poetry scholar in her mid-90s, and her fans were not about to miss a chance to see her.

About 50 people had packed the small reading room of the college's Jialing Academy on June 24, and at least 60 more stood in a courtyard listening through speakers as she chatted about her life and recited poetry.