Ruth Mulan Chu Chao (Chinese: 趙朱木蘭; pinyin: Zhào Zhū Mùlán; March 19, 1930 – August 2, 2007) was the matriarch of a Chinese-American family successful in shipping.

[6] Sewing it into her garments and passing undetected through checkpoints of the occupying Japanese forces, she returned safely to her family, having secured resources they needed to survive the conflict.

[8] When she was seven months pregnant with their third daughter in 1958, her husband achieved the highest score ever on the National Maritime Master's Examination,[8] and he had an opportunity to study in the United States, rare for those times.

[1] After her six daughters were grown, when she was 51 years old, she entered St. John's University in New York City and graduated at the age of 53 with a master's degree in Asian literature and history.

"[17] At the dedication, Elaine Chao said that her mother "believed that men and women should be treated equally, and she and my father made sure her six daughters were equipped with the tools they needed to realize their dreams"[1][18]