He was born into a wealthy family, and his father was a famous banker in Tianjin. He was born to the fifth concubine. His father was seventy-two years old when he was born. After his death, his father died, and his family changed. When he was young, he accompanied his biological mother to move south to Shanghai. When he was studying at Nanyang Public School in Shanghai and serving his mother, he was a handsome young man. At that time, there was the famous Shanghai Society in Shanghai literary circles. Mr. Li answered the Shanghai Society's essay call and his name repeatedly ranked first. From then on, he was highly regarded by celebrities in Shanghai, and his friends became more and more popular, and he eventually became famous as a talented scholar in Shanghai at that time. Later, his mother died. When he went to Japan to study, he composed a song called "Golden Thread Song", with the lyrics: "Pursuing to walk wildly with hair down. In the middle of the wilderness, crows crow at dusk, and there are a few declining willow trees. Who will clean up the broken rivers and mountains? They are scattered." The west wind is still there. It makes people lose weight when they are walking. They say they are missing each other, and their sadness is deep in their hearts. The feeling is thicker than the wine, and it is difficult to look back. "Twenty articles shocked the world. After all, what's the point of empty talk? I can't sleep in the cold wind for a long time. It's my motherland. I can't imagine how proud he was at that time." Chest, patriotic enthusiasm blazing. When he became a monk, he gave me all his past photos. I saw him in the photos in Shanghai at that time: velvet bowl hat with a square of white jade in the middle, curved vest, floral satin robe, fat braids hanging at the back, and a ribbon underneath. Wearing leg braces, thick-soled shoes with double beams, and holding her head high, her handsome look is revealed between her brows. He was really the first-class handsome young man in Shanghai at that time. This is the first characteristic that expresses him: taking everything seriously. If he decides to be a handsome young man, he will do so to the fullest.
Later, when he went to Japan and saw the culture of the Meiji Restoration, he longed for Western civilization. He immediately gave up his attitude as a handsome young man and became an overseas student. He entered the Tokyo Art School and the Music School at the same time. These schools imitate the West and teach Western paintings and music. Mr. Li learned English very well when he was at Nanyang Public School; when he arrived in Japan, he bought many books on Western literature. When he became a monk, he gave me a incomplete original version of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare". He said to me: "I have read this book carefully before, and there are many notes on it. Although it is not complete, it is also a keepsake." It can be seen from this that when he was in Japan, he launched a comprehensive attack on Western art, studying painting, music, literature, and drama. Later, he founded Chunliu Drama Club in Japan, gathering comrades studying abroad, and performed the famous Western tragedy "La Traviata" (written by Xiao Dumas). He himself tied up his waist and dressed up as La Traviata, making his appearance in style. This photo was given to me when he became a monk and was kept by me until it was destroyed by fire during the Anti-Japanese War. Now I still remember this photo: curly hair, white top, long white skirt dragging the ground, waist as small as a handful, hands raised to support the back of the head, head tilted to the right, eyebrows furrowed, eyes squinting, exactly The Lady of the Camellias looked like she was hurting herself. In addition, there are many photos of the performance, which are too many to remember. The Chunliu Drama Club later moved back to China, and Mr. Li left it alone, leaving it to another group of people to run it, which became China's first drama club. It can be imagined from this that Mr. Li was an international student through and through when he was in Japan. I have seen photos of him at that time: tall hat, stiff collar, stiff sleeves, tuxedo, sticks, and pointed shoes. In addition, with his long body, high nose, and footless glasses on the bridge of his nose, he looked like a Westerner. This is the second time he expresses his characteristic: taking everything seriously. Learn the same, be like the same. If you want to be an international student, you must be an international student thoroughly.
After he returned to China, he worked as an editor at Shanghai Pacific Newspaper. Soon, he was invited by Nanjing Normal University to teach painting and music. Later, he was hired by Hangzhou Normal University to teach at two schools at the same time. He lived in Nanjing for half of each month and lived in Hangzhou for half of the month. Both schools hire teaching assistants, who take over the classes in his absence. I am a student of Hangzhou Normal University. By this time, Mr. Li had changed from an international student to a teacher. This change has become really complete: instead of wearing the beautiful dress, I put on a gray coarse cloth robe, a black cloth mandarin jacket, and cloth-soled shoes. The gold-rimmed glasses were also replaced with black wire-rimmed glasses. He is a highly cultivated artist, so he is very particular about appearance. Although the clothes are commoner, they fit well and are always neat. Wearing cloth, he has an infinite appearance, but also has a simple beauty. As you can imagine, he has played the role of La Traviata and has a very slim figure. Wearing civilian clothes, he is still a handsome man. It is always appropriate to wear light makeup and heavy makeup. This poem originally described Xizi, but it is also very suitable to describe the appearance of our Mr. Li. People today talk about the art of life. Most of them are curious and innovative, not artistic. Mr. Li's clothing can truly be called the art of life. The clothes of his era express the thoughts and life of that era. The thoughts and lives of each era are completely different, and the clothing of each era is also completely different. Mr. Li, who wears common clothes and shoes, is completely different from Mr. Li in the dress era and Mr. Li in the curved vest era. This is the third time he expresses his characteristic: seriousness.
When I was in second grade, Mr. Li taught drawing. He taught us charcoal plaster model drawing. My classmates have always been used to drawing and painting, and at first they didn't know how to start. Among the more than forty people, no one could describe him decently. Later he showed us the painting. After drawing, paste the model drawing on the blackboard. Most of the students looked at the blackboard and copied. Only a few classmates and I followed his method of sketching from plaster models. I started to be interested in sketching from this time on. At this point, I suddenly realized that those pink notebooks were originally sketched by others after seeing the real objects. We should also start by sketching directly from the real thing. Why copy others and follow their example? Then my painting improved. After that, Mr. Li had more opportunities to get close to me.
Because I often asked him to teach painting and Japanese, I knew more about Mr. Li's future life in more detail. He used to read Xingli books, but later he suddenly believed in Taoism, and he often kept Taoist scriptures on his desk. I was still a young man at that time and could not talk about religion. Mr. Li did not talk to me except for describing the incident. But I noticed that his life was gradually converging, as if he were about to leave for a distant place. He often gives me things he doesn't use. When his friends Japanese painters Ono Takatoku, Kawai Shinzo, Miyake Katsumi and others came to West Lake to sketch, he took me to treat them to a meal. After that, he handed these Japanese people over to me and asked me to accompany them (I had already Able to speak Japanese for ordinary social interactions). He himself closed the door to study Taoism. One day, he decided to go to Daci Mountain to fast. I had class obligations and could not accompany him, so Wen Yu, the school worker, accompanied him. A few days later, I went to see him. I saw him lying on the bed, his face was thin, but he was in good spirits. He spoke to me as usual.