Speaking of the women of the Republic of China, the ones we are most familiar with are Lin Huiyin, who "is the April in the world", Yang Jiang, who "doesn't compete with anyone, and disdains to compete with anyone", and "the world's most beautiful woman in the Republic of China" "Flower Man" Zhang Ailing.
Even without Liang Sicheng, Xu Zhimo, and Qian Zhongshu, Lin Huiyin is still Lin Huiyin, and Yang Jiang is still Yang Jiang. They are remembered by the world for their beauty and talent. On the contrary, without Zhang Ailing, Hu Lancheng would not be worth mentioning.
But another woman who is one year younger than Lin Huiyin and six years older than Yang Jiang is rarely known to future generations. This is Yan Youyun, a famous lady from Shanghai Beach.
Yan Youyun's grandfather, Yan Xinhou, was Li Hongzhang's staff. He opened several spinning mills, flour mills, and oil pressing plants in Ningbo and Shanghai. He was the first person to introduce modern machinery to Chinese factories. The leading businessman in southeastern China.
Father Yan Zijun is the only son of his grandfather and inherits his grandfather's property. The mother, Yang, is the father's second wife. Peaceful, not sociable, likes classical novels, poetry, raising silkworms, raising goldfish, collecting jewelry, and traveling.
My father is very caring about his family, and he especially likes his daughter. She is honest, generous and versatile. My mother is gentle, filial, knowledgeable, sentimental, and a quiet woman who does not argue. Even if parents quarrel, they never do it in front of their children.
There is no doubt that Yan Youyun’s childhood was happy.
In 1919, 14-year-old Yan Youyun studied at Tianjin Girls' High School. At the age of 20, she went to Shanghai Hujiang University to study. Because the school rules were too strict, she transferred to Fudan University in her junior year and became the first female student at Fudan University.
At that time, tailors came to the house every day, and there were new clothes every day, and the same clothes were never worn twice. Each child in the family had its own wet nurse, each adult had its own maid, and each small family had its own cook.
The house they live in is quite grand, stretching for half a block around Jing'an Temple and the entire block of Difeng Road. There are four generations in the family, with a family of more than 80 people, all supported by their father.
When traveling, there is a private driver and co-pilot. Because she drives a luxury car with the license plate 84 into the campus, which makes her classmates envious, she is known as "Miss 84".
Yan Youyun likes tennis, volleyball, skating, and swimming. She often eats, watches movies, and rides horses with her friends.
No matter in terms of clothing, food, housing, transportation, entertainment, or studies, this is a rich lady through and through.
Eighteen-year-old Yan Youyun told her mother her views on marriage very seriously: "My future husband must not only win my love, but also be someone I respect. It doesn't matter whether he is rich or not."
Yang Guangming graduated from Tsinghua University at the age of 20 and received a doctorate in international law and political science from Princeton University at the age of 24. He is a professor of political science at Tsinghua University at the age of 27, a consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Beiyang Government, and a special commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Shanghai at the age of 28. He is easygoing by nature, good at socializing, loves tennis and dancing, and takes good care of his younger siblings.
Yang Guangming's conditions not only met the two "musts" of Yan Youyun's view on marriage, but also came from a good family background, so he pursued her crazily. A young talent, a well-known lady and the belle of Fudan University, the combination of the two is a perfect match.
The nature of the job of a diplomat is that they move from one country to another every few years. After marriage, Yan Youyun took on the responsibility of a diplomat's wife and followed her husband overseas. In three years, I traveled from London to Geneva, from Geneva to Paris, from Paris to London and Geneva again, and finally returned to my country. In just three years, I moved five or six times. Each time I went to a different country, I needed to rent a house and recruit maids and chefs.
In three years, she went from a princess with no worries about food and clothing to a "butler" who was responsible for running the house, recruiting and training servants, instructing chefs, and planning and hosting many parties. Yan Youyun, a first-time wife and mother, actually took care of everything in order and lived happily.
In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States. Yang Guangming and seven other Chinese consuls were killed by Japanese troops. Yan Youyun and three daughters were left behind. At the age of 36, she had to take on the responsibility of the consul general's wife. She not only had to take good care of her own daughter, but also comforted the wives and children of other consuls. The wives' quarrels, the children's illnesses, the depletion of savings, and anxiety caused her weight to drop to 41 kilograms.
Later, she organized her wives to grow vegetables, beans, chickens, and pigs. With the help of many overseas Chinese, she bravely survived the war with her wife and children.
In 1946, the replacement salary of her deceased husband and her own savings could no longer sustain the family, so she got a job as a "protocol officer" on the recommendation of Hu Shize. Yan Youyun rarely got up early before and after marriage, but Yan Youyun was never late for a day after work.
Before joining the United Nations, Yan Youyun had never formally worked, but the experience of being a diplomat’s wife gave her confidence. With high emotional intelligence, she quickly figured out the essentials of her work. In this way, I enjoyed working at the United Nations for thirteen and a half years.
In 1959, Yan Youyun and Gu Weijun got married in Mexico City. Gu Weijun's experience and character naturally satisfied the two "musts" in her view on marriage when she was young.
After marriage, Yan Youyun was finally able to put an end to her life of having to move every few years.
After settling down, Yan Youyun has always focused on her husband. She said: "I really like to take care of Weijun wholeheartedly to make him healthier, more comfortable and happier, and I believe that Weijun will live a more nourishing life under my care." "
Prepare a cup of hot lemon water for him in the morning, soup, biscuits, and bread at three or four in the afternoon, and a cup of Ovaltine and some snacks for him at eleven or twelve in the evening. Let him have sufficient time to read, think, and do oral history research.
Yan Youyun is Gu Weijun's fourth wife and also his favorite. Besides that, she gets along well with his children.
Gu Weijun’s daughter Juzhen wrote this:
Dearest Youyun:
In 1985, Gu Weijun passed away peacefully at the age of 97.
In her later years, Yan Youyun not only witnessed the satisfying careers and lives of her children and grandchildren, but also helped many children establish themselves and succeed in the United States. She still lived happily during these years.
In 1992, her youngest daughter died of colorectal cancer, which made her unhappy for a while.
In 2003, he suffered from colorectal cancer and underwent surgery. After the surgery, he went home to recuperate five days later and forgot about his illness. A few months later, she danced with the doctor who operated on her at a birthday party. That year, she was 98 years old, wearing makeup and high heels.
1. Able to enjoy blessings and endure hardships
Although Yan Youyun has never left a shocking work in various industries, she has been raised by her parents both materially and spiritually since she was a child. With a correct outlook on life and values, he can not only enjoy the wealthy life of a wealthy lady, but also endure the poor life of self-reliance during the war.
Whether suffering tempers the will or destroys the will, it all depends on the quality of the sufferer. People who cannot bear the suffering can also not bear luck. People with good quality can endure both great suffering and great suffering. Great luck.
2. Don’t cling to the past and look forward
After reading Yan Youyun’s oral narration "One Hundred and Nine Spring: My Story", she will always mention that she is very happy in her life. . It seems that her life has nothing to do with troubles.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, it’s really not the case. The brutal murder of Yang Guangming; the displacement during the war; the children falling ill one after another; the death of Gu Weijun; the death of his third daughter from cancer; and his own diagnosis of colorectal cancer... any of these events is a big deal for the person involved. of blow. Yan Youyun will always face it optimistically. Although it is painful, she does not exaggerate.
People who know the value of pain will not easily reveal and show their pain to others.
So, when many people are entangled in the past and lamenting that "life is just like the first time we met", Yan Youyun is thinking about how to create a better future.
3. Wisdom, love and a sense of mission
Yan Youyun always said: "In my life, no matter what difficulties I encounter, I always think that someone will reach out." Helping hands, this is indeed the case." She said that there were many noble people in her life, but she did not know that she herself was a noble person to many people.
The most praiseworthy thing about Yan Youyun in her life is her education. When getting along with others, she can always consider problems from their perspective, which makes people very comfortable.
"Let others feel happy because of her existence", perhaps this is Yan Youyun's excellence.
Wisdom, love, and sense of mission, it is this overall pattern that has made her elegant throughout the century.