After earning a master's degree from Princeton University and serving as President of the Chinese Students Christian Association, Yen returned to China in 1921 to head national mass literacy campaigns under the Chinese National YMCA. In 1923, Yen and leading intellectuals such as Liang Qichao, Hu Shih, and Tao Xingzhi formed  the National Association of Mass Education Movements (MEM).
Yen, who had earned a master's degree from Princeton University and served as president of the Chinese Students Christian Association, returned to China in 1921 to spearhead nationwide adult literacy efforts under the Chinese National YMCA. Two years later, Yen joined forces with notable thinkers like Liang Qichao, Hu Shih, and Tao Xingzhi to form the National Association of Mass Education Movements (MEM).