Zhang Youyi

Zhang Youyi

Zhang Youyi (1900-1988), famous Jiafen, was born in Baoshan, Jiangsu Province in 1900 and married Xu Zhimo in 1915. In 1918, he gave birth to his eldest son, Xu Jikai. In the same year, Xu Zhimo went to the United States to study. The next year, Xu Zhimo moved to London, England.

In 1920, Zhang Youyi went to Europe to reunite with her husband. Xu Zhimo asked for a divorce from you Yi in 1921. In 1922, Zhang Youyi gave birth to her second son in Berlin and formally divorced Xu Zhimo. He returned to China in 1926 and taught German in Soochow University in 1927. In 1928, he served as vice president of Shanghai women's commercial savings bank and general manager of yunshang clothing company. He immigrated to Hong Kong in 1949 and married Dr. Su Jizhi in 1954. In 1972, Dr. Su Jizhi died, and Youyi moved to the United States to reunite with her family. He died in New York in 1988.

Life of the characters

In July 1912, Cheng Dequan, the governor of Jiangsu Province, founded the "Jiangsu Provincial Second women's normal school" in Suzhou. 12-year-old Zhang Youyi went to the school with the help of his second brother Zhang Junmai (Jiasen) and his fourth brother Zhang Jiaao. Yang Daquan, the first member of the school, attached great importance to women's education, and Zhang Youyi received advanced education here.

But three years later, Zhang Youyi, who has not yet graduated, was taken home to get married. It was her fourth brother Zhang Jiaao who was the Secretary of Zhu Rui, the governor of Zhejiang Province at that time. When he visited the school, he found that there was a brilliant student in Hangzhou No.1 middle school, which was Xu Zhimo. At that time, the Xu family was already a rich businessman in the south of the Yangtze River. It was hard for Xu Zhimo's father to get married with Zhang Jia, who had a huge political and economic status. So Xu's father Shen Ru made an engagement. So 15-year-old Zhang Youyi dropped out of school and married to Zhejiang Province as a young grandmother. Xu Zhimo's attitude: "matchmaker's order, by the parents."

Xu Jikai (ah Huan), the eldest son born in 1918, soon left for foreign countries. In 1920, Xu Zhimo received a letter from Zhang Junmai and was forced to take Zhang Youyi to him impatiently. Zhang Youyi recalled Xu Zhimo's attitude at that time: "I leaned on the tail deck and waited impatiently to go ashore. Then I saw Xu Zhimo standing in the crowd looking around. At this time, my heart was cooling a lot. He was wearing a long, thin black fur coat with a white scarf around his neck. Although I've never seen him in a suit. But I knew it was him. I can see his attitude at a glance, and I can't make a mistake, because he is the only one who doesn't want to be there At this time, Xu Zhimo met Lin Huiyin and fell in love with her. Soon, Xu Zhimo left Zhang Youyi and asked someone to take a message to Zhang Youyi to express his desire for divorce. Zhang Youyi left shaston and went to his second brother Zhang Junmai, who was studying in Paris.

At the beginning of 1922, Zhang Youyi went to Berlin with her seventh younger brother, who passed by Paris and went to Germany to study.

He gave birth to his second son Peter on February 24, 1922, and then signed a divorce with Xu Zhimo in Berlin. This is the first Western civilization divorce case in Chinese history according to the civil law. After signing the divorce agreement, Xu Zhimo followed her to the hospital to see little Peter. "He put his face on the window and was fascinated." he never asked me how to support him or how to live

After the divorce, Zhang entered Pestalozzi college to study early childhood education. In 1925, she lost her beloved son Peter. In the summer of 1926, she was taken back to Shanghai by her eighth younger brother Zhang Yujiu. Soon after, she took her eldest son ah Huan to Beijing to study. Until Zhang's mother died, she brought her son back to Shanghai. At that time, Zhang Jiaao was already the vice president of the Bank of China and presided over the banking affairs of various countries in Shanghai. Xu shenru also gave Zhang Youyi No. 125 Haige Road (Fanyuan, Huashan Road), so that she had no worries about food and clothing in Shanghai.

Zhang Youyi first taught German at Soochow University, and later became Vice President of Shanghai women's commercial bank with the support of Zhang Jiaao. At the same time, Zhang Yujiu and Xu Zhimo, the eighth younger brother, set up a yunshang clothing company on Jing'an Temple Road, and Zhang Youyi became the general manager of the company. This has brought her management ability into full play.

In 1934, Zhang Junmai, the second elder brother, presided over the establishment of the National Socialist Party. She was invited to manage the party's financial affairs, and was very influential. After the outbreak of the Anti Japanese War, she amassed military dyes and made a fortune.

On the eve of liberation, Zhang Youyi went to Hong Kong. In 1953, Zhang Youyi married her neighbor, Su Jizhi, in Hong Kong. Dr. Su studied in Japan and practiced medicine in Shanghai. He was divorced and had children. Before marriage, she wrote to the United States for advice from her son (the eldest son, Xu Jikai), "because I am a widow, I should listen to my son."

The son's reply was sincere: "my mother has lived as a widow for more than 30 years. She gave birth to me, caressed me, bowed me and raised me The whole life of his mother is very happy. His mother's job has been done. His mother's heart should be comforted. Who comforts his mother's family? Who's with his mother? If the mother gets people, the son asks the father to do things. " Ah Huan is a civil engineer in the United States. This letter is quite contrary to his father's selfish charm.

Zhang Youyi, who has changed over the years, makes a vivid analogy for this heavy life: "I am a fan in autumn, which is only used to drive away blood sucking mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites the moon, the owner tears up the fan

Character ending

In 1967, at the age of 67, Zhang Youyi and Dr. Su visited Cambridge, England and Berlin, Germany. Standing outside the cottage where she lived with Xu Zhimo, she could not believe that she had been so young. After her second husband died, Zhang Youyi went to live in New York.

After living together for 18 years, Dr. Su died in 1972, Zhang Youyi went to the United States and died in New York in 1988

Anecdotes of characters

During his life in London, shaston and later in Berlin, Xu Zhimo was not friendly to Zhang Youyi, even cruel.

After they lived in shaston, Zhang Youyi became pregnant soon. At this time, Xu Zhimo was upset because of Lin Huiyin. He had no time to take care of Zhang Youyi. When he heard this, he said, "beat it quickly." Abortion was dangerous that month. Zhang Youyi said, "but I heard that someone died of abortion!" Xu Zhimo said coldly: "there are still people who died because they took the train. Do you see that people don't take the train?" Xu Zhimo wants to divorce immediately. Seeing that Zhang Youyi doesn't agree, he leaves and leaves Zhang Youyi alone in shaston. When the time of delivery was approaching, Zhang Youyi wrote to her second brother Zhang Junmai for help. She came to Paris and later went to Berlin to give birth to her baby. Xu Zhimo knows where Zhang Youyi is going, but he doesn't pay attention. Only when she had to go through the divorce procedures, she found Berlin and forced her to sign the divorce agreement. After childbirth, Zhang Youyi quickly recovered from her grief, hired a nanny, studied German by herself, and entered Pestalozzi college, specializing in early childhood education. In 1925, Peter (Xu Desheng) died of peritonitis at the age of 3. In a letter to a friend, Xu Zhimo mentioned that "C is a woman with ambition and courage She's really not afraid of anything now. " (C refers to Zhang Youyi)

Zhang Youyi travels around Germany with a broken heart. While working and learning, she learned fluent German. Her serious philosophy of life is in line with the rigorous work style of Germany. She has found self-confidence and life support. Zhang Youyi divided her life into "before going to Germany" and "after going to Germany" -- before going to Germany, she was afraid of everything; after going to Germany, she became fearless.

Historical evaluation

When people are thinking about Xu Zhimo's romance, enthusiasm, infatuation and perseverance, looking back at those years, we have to admit that he was merciless and cruel to his original wife, Zhang Youyi. Because of the arranged marriage, Xu Zhimo despised Zhang Youyi from before marriage to after marriage. When I saw Zhang Youyi's picture for the first time, I turned down the corner of my mouth and said in a disgusting tone: "country bumpkin!" After marriage, Xu Zhimo never looked at Zhang Youyi. In addition to performing the most basic marital obligations, she was ignored. Even in the case of fulfilling his marriage obligations, he just obeyed his parents' wishes to have grandchildren. Xu Zhimo's indifference to her stems from her aversion to feudal ethics. Deeply influenced by traditional Chinese moral concepts, Zhang Youyi has a quiet and resolute personality and a dignified manner. She is very effective in taking care of housework, raising children, taking care of her parents in law and taking care of her finances. But these advantages, in the eyes of poets who publicize their independent selves, are lack of insight and dull.

Characters' self narration

Zhang Youyi divided her life into two parts: "before going to Germany" and "after going to Germany".

Before she went to Germany, she was afraid of everything, such as divorce, doing wrong, not getting her husband's love, but she was often hurt. After she went to Germany, she suffered the heaviest pain of her life, divorced her husband, her beloved son died in another country, and the darkest time of her life was like a big net, which covered her with the sky, and everything fell to the bottom.

At this time, she suddenly understood that everything in life should depend on herself. The pity of others can't win a bright future. The pain of divorce and the loss of her son made Zhang Youyi grow up overnight. She was a shy girl and turned into a sonorous rose. Even if the wind and rain were fierce, she was fearless and soon created her own wonderful life.

Zhang Youyi is a strict person all her life. Some people say that she doesn't care. She helps Xu Zhimo take care of her parents. She helps Xu Zhimo write a complete collection. She does it herself. In fact, she does not care. How can a woman who does not care live alone for many years after divorce? She's just taking care of herself. The stubborn power in her mind is so strong that she admires herself. Her calmness makes her always play the role of slow start in the tortoise rabbit race. But with unremitting perseverance, she often can go to the end.

In her later years, Zhang Youyi's definition of love is classic. She was asked about love

Chinese PinYin : Zhang You Yi