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Pao Swen Tseng (1894-1978) was born in China and was educated at Hangchow High School for three years. She then came to England and attended Blackheath High School for one year.

She was admitted to Westfield College in October 1913, and studied intermediate Science, Mathematics and Botany under Ellen Delf-Smith. She was awarded the BSc Honours degree in Botany in 1916, becoming the University of London 's first Chinese graduate.

After graduation, Tseng worked with Westfield to bring Christian women's education to China. She contributed to the establishment of the I Fang School in Changsha, China, where she became Principal. The I Fang School was a women's college based on similar ideals as Westfield, and included subjects such as Botany, like Westfield.

Through her work and efforts as Principal of the I Fang School, she became an acknowledged authority on education for girls.

At the onset of the Second World War, she went to live in Hong Kong, and later moved to Taiwan. She became involved in the United Nations and participated in the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 1953. She died in 1978.

The College Archives hold papers relating to Pao Swen Tseng, including photographs from her time at Westfield and after, and other memorabilia.

Pao Swen Tseng at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women, 1953. Having graduated from Westfield in 1916, she returned to China, where she established the I Fang Collegiate School for Women in Changsha, China.