Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao donated funds to found two kindergartens in her mother's Chinese ancestral hometown on Thursday.

Elaine Chao was the first Asian American female in U.S. history to be appointed to a U.S. cabinet post. She served as the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.

The former secretary visited the two kindergartens in Lai'an County, Anhui Province, which is the hometown of her late mother. “Anhui Province is where my mother was born. And because my parents emphasized education, like all Chinese and Chinese-Americans, they wanted to improve access to education for all young people,” Chao said during an interview with Chinese media.

The two kindergartens cover a total area of 7,000 square meters. They can hold 630 children and will be open for enrolment in spring next year.

Chao visited Anhui with her father Dr. James S.C. Chao, the founder of the Foremost Group, a New York-based shipping, trading, and finance company. The senior Chao expressed appreciation for the warm welcome of the local citizens as well as his hope to contribute more to his late wife's hometown.

Elaine Chao came to the United States in 1961 with her mother and has worked successively in the country's banking industry and in politics.

The visit to her mother's hometown was part of Chao's search for her ancestral roots and also her efforts in education and philanthropy causes she has been pursuing after her eight-year service in the Bush administration.

Chao is married to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

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