The woman in the Qinglou, the powerful bend their waists, and the celebrities write books and erect monuments
In the winter of 1933, Professor Liu Bannong of Peking University took his students to a famous slum in Beijing. Their target is a fireworks woman who has been famous overseas and dominates all over the world - Sai Jinhua.
This is to say that a university professor wrote a book for a fireworks woman, which is really incredible, and even Dr. Hu Shi couldn't help but say: "A professor from Peking University wrote a biography of a woman in a green building, which is really unheard of." ”
However, when you learn about Sai Jinhua's life, it won't be strange. She was born poor and entered the Qinglou in her teens, but she successfully counterattacked with her intelligence and became the wife of Mrs. Zhuangyuan.
Although she has never set foot in the school gate, she plays the role of the ambassador's wife vividly. She is at ease in life, and even created a famous song and dance troupe called "Golden Flower Class".
But she also has a deep patriotic feeling, and she has single-handedly saved the citizens of Beijing from dire straits. Her life is full of ups and downs and full of drama.
One might think that this strange woman, who has been beautiful all her life, will live a rich life in her old age. Surprisingly, however, in her later years, she fell into poverty and was left alone, making it difficult to pay even the meager rent.
Eventually, she grew old desolately, leaving behind endless regrets.
Sai Jinhua's life is not as miserable as other Qinglou women, and she is not forced to enter the Qinglou. Sai Jinhua's original name was Zhao Caiyun, who was born in a famous family, and his family was once wealthy.
However, in the Taiping Rebellion, the family was in the middle of the road, and Sai Jinhua's father was also poor. Despite this, Sai Jinhua still has excellent looks and excellent communication skills.
She has been smart and clever since she was a child, and she is good at memorizing folk tales and local songs, and she always catches the eye when she performs. However, because of poverty, Sai Jinhua's parents were unable to provide her with a good education.
At the age of thirteen or fourteen, she was misled and went astray and followed her mother's former maid to the flower boat in Suzhou, and since then she has embarked on a career in Qinglou. Despite her regrettable experience, Sai Jinhua has always maintained an optimistic attitude and enjoyed every moment of her life.
Sai Jinhua was used to this kind of life, and her family had no choice but to acquiesce. She became even more daring and soon fell into the dust. In order to protect her family's face, she changed her surname to "Fu".
With her beautiful temperament and well-behaved personality, she was appreciated and won the title of "Top Champion of the Flower List". At this time, a champion Lang Hongjun, who was worried at home, heard about Sai Jinhua's deeds, and was very moved, and invited her to the house to play cards with himself and his friends.
Hong Jun fell in love with her, and found that she had experience in poetry and songs, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and decided to redeem her. Sai Jinhua became the champion lady from a woman in the dust, and came to the clouds from the quagmire.
The next year, Hong Jun married her and changed her name to "Mengluan". After marriage, Hong Jun loved Sai Jinhua, which gave her a sense of security. Soon after, she followed Hong Jun back to the capital, and a bigger surprise awaited her.
Hong Jun was appointed by Cixi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of the foreign affairs of the four major European powers, and needed to bring his wife with him. However, Hong Jun's original wife was afraid of a foreign country and was reluctant to go.
So, Sai Jinhua, who was only twenty-eight years old, was selected. Sai Jinhua used to be a woman in Fengyuechang, but she was good at socializing, and after arriving in Germany, she quickly adapted to the role of the ambassador's wife, and also learned some German and English, so that she could communicate with foreigners without barriers.
Her beauty and conversation won the favor of German high society, and even the praise of the iron-blooded chancellor Bismarck. Sai Jinhua and Hong Jun met Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Empress together, and left a precious group photo.
While in Germany, she gave birth to a daughter for Hong Jun, named Deguan. After Hong Jun died of illness, Sai Jinhua returned to her motherland, but she found that Hong Jun left her 50,000 silver taels, which had been privately swallowed by Hong Jun's brother.
Sai Jinhua went to find Hongfu Theory, but was insulted, not only did she not ask for her money back, but she was kicked out of her husband's house, and her only daughter was also taken away, and she fell into a state of loneliness again.
It was extremely difficult for a woman in that era to be alone. In desperation, Sai Jinhua went to Shanghai, changed her name to Cao Menglan, and continued to engage in her old business. At this time, Sai Jinhua was in her youth, with a graceful demeanor, wearing milk bead earrings that Hong Jun had bought for thousands of taels of silver in England on her ears, and a gold chain enamel watch bought from Berlin around her neck.
Coupled with the fact that she has the status of the ambassador's wife and the champion's wife, Sai Jinhua's value has increased rapidly. A few years abroad has filled her with the enthusiasm and boldness of a Berlin girl, as well as the romance and openness of a Parisian woman.
In the bustling Shanghai Shili Foreign Field, Sai Jinhua is unique and mixes like a fish in water. There was an endless stream of guests, and Sai Jinhua was so busy that he barely had time to eat. Subsequently, she opened the "Golden Flower Class" in Tianjin, recruited many young and beautiful Jiangnan women, and became famous in the local area in just a few years, and she also took this opportunity to change her name to "Sai Jinhua".
When she was in Tianjin, she often socialized with ** nobles, so she had the opportunity to meet many important people, the most famous of which was Yang Lishan, the head of the household. It is said that when they met for the first time, Yang Lishan generously rewarded Sai Jinhua with 1,000 taels of silver.
With the help of Yang Lishan, Sai Jinhua's business developed to the famous fireworks land in Beijing, Bada Hutong. In the heyday of Sai Jinhua, there was a saying in the capital: Those mediocre and lustful court officials were all slaves of two women.
Early every morning, they poured into the Dragon Boat Festival Gate one after another, knelt down on the soles of Cixi's flower pots, and obeyed; When the sun was setting, they went to the pine alley one after another, competing to worship under the pomegranate skirt of Sai Jinhua, willing to be dogs and horses.
She had thought that the days of flowers would last, but the war soon came, and it was the legendary moment of her life. In the spring of 1900, the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded the capital, Cixi and Guangxu fled, and the city fell into chaos.
The Eight-Nation Coalition took the opportunity to burn, kill, loot, and do all kinds of evil, and the city of Beijing became a purgatory on earth. One night, several German soldiers broke into Sai Jinhua's house and prepared to ransack it.
Sai Jinhua was not only not afraid, but also took out a photo with the Kaiser and told them in fluent German: "I have been to Germany, and I have taken a photo with your emperor." Seeing this, the soldiers decided that she was an unusual woman, and did not dare to come again, so they hurried away.
When the commander of the coalition forces, Wadsey, heard about this, he sent someone to take Sai Jinhua to the headquarters of the coalition forces the next day. Wadsey admired her very much and had an in-depth conversation with her, and Sekinhua took the opportunity to suggest: "Germany is a country of etiquette, and the barbarism of the soldiers should be stopped, and the people and cultural relics should be protected." ”
At the same time, she also offered to help the Anglo-French army solve the food problem and provide entertainment for the German army. In this way, Sai Jinhua relied on his wisdom and courage to stop the evil deeds of the coalition forces and save the people.
In the negotiations between the Qing ** and the coalition forces, Sai Jinhua also played a key role. A German general was killed by the Qing army during the conflict, and Mrs. Klinder's anger left him bent on revenge.
Sai Jinhua persuaded her and promised to erect a stone monument for Clinder, which eventually appeased Mrs. Clinde's anger. Therefore, Sai Jinhua has won people's respect and praise, and she is known as the "Nine Heavens Protector Niangniang" and "the Second Master of the Peace Minister".
Sai Jinhua's kindness did not get the reward she deserved, but because the new girl in Jinhua's class committed suicide, she was convicted of "torture and murder" and became a prisoner. After her release from prison, her family property was scattered and she was forced to leave the city.
Some people believe that this is because of her background, which disgraced the Qing court; Others believe that it is the jealousy of peers. Sai Jinhua experienced the ups and downs of life and came to the bustling city of Shanghai again, but she was tired of age and the death of her daughter, and hoped to find a harbor to rely on.
She successively married Cao Ruizhong, a railway inspector, and Wei Sijiong, the former director of the Jiangxi Civil Affairs Department, but both ended in tragedy. In the end, Sai Jinhua followed Wei Sijiong back to Beijing after a long absence.
Sai Jinhua's life is full of ups and downs, full of drama and tragedy. She used to be the favorite concubine of the Qing Dynasty royal family, but after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, she was abandoned and began a difficult life.
However, even in the most difficult moments, she never gave up on herself and always stood for her beliefs and principles. Her tenacity and courage earned her respect and admiration, and her life became a legend.
However, the saga ended with her passing, and she left this world alone. Although her life was full of hardships and setbacks, she always remained optimistic and resilient, and her spirit will always live on in people's hearts.
Since ancient times, there have been many chivalrous women, and the story of Sai Jinhua is picturesque. Although her life is full of twists and turns, her wonderfulness is still talked about today. Some people call her a demon who is a disaster and the country is about to die, and some people praise her as the folk Jenny, the savior heroine.
However, time has passed, and these assessments are no longer relevant. What really matters is that she is just a woman who struggles to survive in troubled times. Although we can't perceive the pain and struggle in her heart when she is tricked by fate again and again, there is no doubt that she is a woman with strong vitality, who can always be reborn in the torrent of fate and bloom with greater brilliance.
In the days of Qinglou, she was self-taught, learned poetry and songs, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was appreciated by Zhuangyuanlang. During her visit to Europe, she not only enjoyed the glory and wealth, but also learned his Chinese language, becoming a star in the social scene, laying the foundation for her legendary experience.
When the country was ruined, she did not selectively ignore it because of her humble identity, but bravely stood up and did her part. Perhaps, this is the reason why literati and writers are willing to spend pen and ink to write books and biographies for her.