She attempted to return to China in 1950, after the communist victory, but she was not allowed to enter the country at that time, due to a general ban on westerners and foreigners entering at the time of the Korean war.
In 1960, she was allowed entry and made a friendship visit to Tiananmen square in Beijing, where she met with Zhou Enlai and saw a statue of Norman Bethune, which she cried in front of.