Passing the Torch

Winny Lin, originally from Guilin, China, grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, where she began her career as a journalist with the leading Central News Agency before moving to Illinois to earn her master's degree in special education. Winny went on to dedicate forty years to teaching in Kentucky, touching countless lives with her expertise and enthusiasm about Chinese culture. Now residing in California with her husband, she continues to share her love of Chinese language and culture as a popular online Mandarin Chinese instructor and as a columnist for both the Southern Chinese Daily News (in Chinese) and the Messenger Inquirer (in English) of Owensboro, Kentucky. Winny is a passionate storyteller who brings history and culture to life through her writing. She has published numerous articles highlighting the contributions of Chinese Americans to the United States, uncovering historical sites of Chinese immigrant communities in California, and sharing her deep appreciation for Chinese culture and history, and global travel. Drawing on her experience as both a journalist and an educator, Winny brings a uniquely informed and dynamic perspective to every article. In 2025, Winny was honored with the Koji Arioshi Award, the highest distinction of the National US-China People's Friendship Association --for "introducing the principles of friendship to young people."