Wendi Deng Murdoch - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Wendi Deng Murdoch was born in Jinan, Shandong, and raised in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Her birth name was Deng Wenge (邓文革), which means "Cultural Revolution". She changed it in her teens when a more open and international mood took hold. Murdoch is the third of four children (three daughters, one son) born to engineers. Murdoch attended Xuzhou First Secondary School and Xuzhou No. 1 Middle School. She developed a strong interest in playing volleyball. While in high school, Murdoch's father relocated to Hangzhou, where he worked at the People's Machinery Works; she and her family remained behind for a short while. In 1985, when she was 16 years old, Murdoch enrolled in Guangzhou Medical College.

In 1987, Murdoch met an American businessman and his wife, Jake and Joyce Cherry, who had temporarily relocated to China and helped build a refrigerator factory. Murdoch studied English with Joyce. In 1988, Murdoch abandoned her medical studies and travelled to the United States to study, with Jake and Joyce Cherry sponsoring her student visa. Murdoch enrolled at California State University, Northridge, where she studied economics and was among the top 1% of students.

Murdoch received a bachelor's degree in economics from California State University at Northridge and an MBA from the Yale School of Management where she currently serves on the board of advisors.