At that time, China was in chaos because of the war against Japan. Anna's father wanted to send all six of his daughters abroad to study. But she was determined to go her own way, so she rejected her father's decision. As a consequence, she experienced a nomadic student life at middle school in Hong Kong and at Lingnan University in Guangdong.
當時因抗日戰爭中國社會動盪，父親想將六個女兒都送往國外唸書，但陳香梅不想依附父親、急欲獨立，遂斷然否定父親的決定，隨後在香港真光中學與廣東嶺南大學展開戰爭下的流亡學生生涯。