On August 2, 1949, Situ Leiden had to leave China, and his back was a little embarrassed and lonely. He has been a missionary, a university president, and an ambassador to China, with fame and fortune, and a lot of infamy, tearing half of his life into two extremes.
Situ Leiden, a particularly Chinese name, many later Chinese are familiar with this person through the article "Farewell, Situ Leiden". He was born on June 24, 1876, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, to a missionary family, just 16 years after the end of the Second Opium War. The first sentence he learned was Hangzhou dialect. During his adolescence, Situ returned to the United States, but returned to China in his second year to teach the teachings of the ** religion.
He is not the only foreigner who has lived in China from his youth to his old age, but he is one of the few witnesses and even participants in this group of people at some important historical turning points. So much so that historian Lin Mengxi once said: "In the entire 20th century, there was probably no American like him, who was involved in China's political, cultural, and educational fields for a long time and comprehensively, and had an immeasurable impact."
This evaluation is not an exaggeration, from his lifetime to his death, Situ Leiden almost witnessed the honor and disgrace of the Chinese nation and the unity and division of Sino-US relations - the Wuxu Reform, the New Deal at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Xinhai Revolution, the Nanchang Uprising, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation. During his 50 years in China, he is known for his two most well-known identities, one is the president of Yenching University, and the other is the former US ambassador to China. The glory, scenery, compromise, silence, and obsession of Situ Leiden's life are all brought about by these two identities.
The Times Are Critical: Stuart's Farewell Road.
A few days before leaving, even the air was filled with tension. At that time, his embassy in China was already full of messes: scattered paperwork, hurried staff, anxious conversations, everyone planning for their future. Situ Leiden stared at everything in front of him, his eyes cloudy and silent: to leave or not to leave?That's a problem.
But soon, it was no longer a multiple-choice question, but an order. The United States demanded that he immediately return to Washington and stop communication with the Chinese side. At this time, he was old and old, and his parents and wife were buried in the yellow earth of China. The only thing that accompanied him away was the secretary Fu Jingbo's family and the dilapidated suitcase he had carried all his life.
In 1949, Stuart Layden left with a sense of loneliness, and in the context of that time, he played a thankless role - from an educator who became the US ambassador to China with half a push, and naturally represented the interests of the US side;However, they also maintained a neutral attitude toward the KMT and the CPC, and the contradictions were entangled, so there was no good place between the KMT and the CPC.
The Bitterness Behind the Glory: Stuart Leiden's Twisted Life.
Relieved of his burden, Situ Leiden poured out unscrupulously, "The most wrong choice (I) have ever made in my life is to accept the position of ambassador (before)." He spends most of his time at home, in a cramped, ordinary little bedroom. There is a simple single bed inside, and there are a few ** hanging on the four walls, which are not the scenery of the United States, but the Yanyuan Garden in distant Beijing, the Yenching University that he built with all his life's work and dismal management, the most haunting homeland.
Fu's family recalled that he never regarded the United States as his home, as if he came here every day to wait and wait, ready to return to China at any time. However, the international situation at the time was so volatile that some writers joked about this period as "cold peace". Therefore, this wish of Stuart Leiden can only be a phantom, and he begins to recall his days in China, because he cannot hold a pen in his hand, he simply dictates it by himself, and his friend Stanley. Hornbeck ghostwriting completed. "Fifty Years in China" became his last spiritual sustenance.
Three years have passed and three years have passed, on August 1, 1955, I felt that my time was short, and the 79-year-old Situ Leiden made a will, one is to ask Fu Jingbo to bury his ashes next to his wife, and you will help me revise this article after you receive it.
Stuart Layden's life is legendary, he has experienced the great changes in history, experienced the vicissitudes of Sino-US relations, and closely linked his personal destiny to the rise and fall of China. This essay profoundly depicts Stuart's fifty years in China and his parting journey in times of crisis.
First, Stuart's life and personal experiences make him a unique witness and participant in the history of U.S.-China relations. Born into a missionary family in China, he learned the Hangzhou dialect at a young age, which allowed him to immerse himself in the local culture during his early life in China. As he grew older, he became a missionary and university president, profoundly influencing education in China. Later, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to China, serving as a bridge between China and the United States. His life spanned a wide range of fields, including religion, education, and diplomacy, and his personal experience in China has had a profound and complex impact on the development of U.S.-China relations.
Secondly, the article vividly depicts Stuart's farewell road when the situation is critical. In the face of the political changes in 1949, Stuart Leiden was urgently recalled by the United States, which became a turning point in history. The moment was full of tension and unease, the embassy in China was already in chaos, and his parting seemed to have become a last resort. The description of this period makes the reader feel the anxiety of international politics at that time, as well as the helplessness and confusion of Situ Leiden in the great changes of history.
Finally, the description of Stuart's later life and farewell is even more impressive. Although he spent a long time in the United States, he did not see it as a real home. In his later years, he recalled his time in China, and his nostalgia for his homeland was palpable. The care of Fu Jingbo and his family made Situ Leiden's later life full of warmth and touch. His farewell is not only to leave China, but also to an era, farewell to his life's dedication and dedication.
Overall, Stuart's story shows half a century of life in China for a foreigner like no other, and his role in the dramatic changes in history. Through delicate descriptions, the article enables readers to have a deeper understanding of Situ Leiden's life experience and deep feelings for China.
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