The merchant girl doesn't know the hatred of the country, and she still sings the backyard flowers across the river. This poem comes from Du Mu's "Bo Qinhuai" in the Tang Dynasty, describing the beautiful sound "Yushu Backyard Flower" made by Chen Shubao, the queen of Southern Chen.
Empress Chen's absurdity led to the end of Nan Chen. Two hundred years later, Du Mu's eyes were full of the smoke of the troubled times at the end of the Tang Dynasty. The poet blames the corruption of the ruling class for this troubled time, but in order to protect himself, most of them insinuate and dare not express his heart directly.
And those escort girls who are despised by the world bear the brunt of the crime and become scapegoats. Most of these escort girls are girls from hard-working families, who have been sold into fireworks and liquor shops since they were young because of their poor family backgrounds for people's enjoyment.
However, they are also human beings, and they also want to be able to change, and they are not willing to let themselves fall.
Zhao Caiyun, a girl from a poor family in Anhui Province, was sold to a "flower boat" in Suzhou at a young age and became a Qingqi person. Unlike ordinary prostitutes, the Qingqi were regarded as a high-end commodity, and they usually only sold their art rather than their bodies.
They not only learn poetry, calligraphy, calligraphy and painting since childhood, practice famous songs and dances, but also serve most of the wealthy celebrities and literati. These "scholars" think they are noble, but they hide their innermost desires.
Zhao Caiyun was selected to become a member of the Qingqi people because of his extraordinary beauty and unique voice. Her singing voice was graceful and melodious, which made those men who were looking for flowers and willows feel pity immediately, and they just wanted to take care of this hard-working woman who had always made a living.
Soon, Zhao Caiyun became a well-known Qing Qi person in Suzhou. In 1886, Hong Jun, the champion of the Tongzhi Dynasty and the waiter of the Imperial Court Rites Department, met Zhao Caiyun who was singing on the "Flower Boat" on the way back to his hometown in Suzhou for a funeral.
He was attracted by Zhao Caiyun's beauty and singing voice, and fell in love with her at first sight. Zhao Caiyun's singing became the beginning of a legend in her life.
Hong Jun couldn't hold back the impulse in his heart, and decided to spend a lot of money to redeem Zhao Caiyun and take her as his third aunt's wife. The Hong family is a scholarly family, and Hong Jun's move has caused controversy in the outside world, and even met with strong opposition from his wife.
Mrs. Hong was well aware of the ethics of marriage, and she felt unacceptable to her husband's behavior of taking a prostitute as a concubine, so she ridiculed Zhao Caiyun and even humiliated him.
Zhao Caiyun was unwilling to endure such treatment, and she came up with the idea of cutting her hair to become a nun. Hong Jun understood his wife's difficulties, he tried his best to intercede, and finally persuaded Mrs. Hong to agree to marry Zhao Caiyun as a concubine.
Hong Jun was appointed as an envoy to Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, and Austria, and according to the rules of Western countries, he needed to bring his wife to the gatherings of some high-class people.
However, Hong Jun's wives were already old and decrepit and resistant to Western culture, so they refused to accompany Hong Jun on the mission. At this time, Zhao Caiyun, as the first choice of young and beautiful, became Hong Jun's companion.
During the mission, Zhao Caiyun's relationship with Hong Jun gradually warmed up, and she grew her knowledge at major reception parties, and also got to know some important people in the West, including Kaiser Wilhelm II and Empress Augusta Victoria, as well as their bodyguard Wadsey.
Zhao Caiyun knows how to show her charm at social events, and her appearance has attracted the attention of Westerners and helped Hong Jun progress in his diplomatic work. However, her behavior has also caused some controversy, and some people even think that she is her husband's "concubine diplomacy".
Zhao Caiyun's legendary life is unfolding, and her story will show the bravery and wisdom of women, as well as her persistent pursuit of love and career.
At a ball, Zhao Caiyun appeared in a Qing Dynasty flag costume, hoping to attract the attention of people in high society. She had four foreign maids wear flag costumes as well, so that the gentlemen could identify with Chinese culture.
When Zhao Caiyun and her four Western maids appeared, the audience was shocked. They not only felt the novelty of these unique clothes, but also deeply felt the connotation of Chinese culture.
Zhao Caiyun's bold attempt has given people a new understanding of this oriental woman, and her cheerfulness has also narrowed the distance between the cultural exchanges between the East and the West. During the days when he settled in Berlin, Germany, Zhao Caiyun and Hong Jun had a daughter, named Deguan.
However, Hong Jun's death changed Zhao Caiyun's life. She was expelled from the Hong family, lost the 50,000 oceans left to her by Hong Jun before her death, and her only biological daughter was also left in the Hong family.
In desperation, Zhao Caiyun could only go to Shanghai to engage in his old business. Zhao Caiyun, who first arrived in Shanghai, did not have a great reputation, so she began to use her identity to carry out propaganda, claiming that she was the wife of the champion and the wife of the minister.
This name made Zhao Caiyun instantly known to everyone in the Shanghai circle. Many celebrities came to her and did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to get her favor.
However, five years later, Suzhou champion sued Zhao Caiyun, and she decided to go north and return to Beiping. In Beiping, Zhao Caiyun renovated the original brothel and established it"Golden Flower Class", and became an old bustard himself.
She renamed herself Sai Jinhua, and with her unique teaching methods and insights as a minister's wife, she was unique among the celebrities of Beiping. "Golden Flower Class"She also prospered because of her excellent business.
Since then, the name of Sai Jinhua has resounded in the capital. Although her past is full of ups and downs and twists and turns, her wisdom and courage have left an indelible mark on her in this era.
During the Gengzi period, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, and the Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an with Emperor Guangxu. Sai Jinhua, who also escaped the war, led a group of girls to escape to Tongzhou.
One night, two German soldiers knocked on a closed door, and they heard that there were several young and beautiful girls living inside. So they planned to behave rudely to these girls.
However, one of the women stopped them in German and spoke to them fluently in English. This was not the most surprising thing for the two German soldiers, but even more to their surprise, the woman knew their commander, Wadsey, and asked to see him in person.
This woman of unknown origin frightened the two German soldiers, so they put away their recklessness. The next day, they reported the matter to Wadsey.
Wadsey instructed them to be sure to invite the lady to him. This woman is Wadsey's old acquaintance, Sai Jinhua. Years later, the two were reunited. Wadsey looked at Sai Jinhua, who at this time had faded away from the childishness and youthfulness of meeting in Germany, and had more of the charm and charm of a mature woman.
This made Wadsey, who had already had plans for Sai Jinhua, even more excited.
Wadsey used Sai Jinhua's influence to help solve the food problem of the coalition forces, and also took the opportunity to dissuade them from killing innocents indiscriminately. During this period, Sai Jinhua successfully redeemed tens of thousands of living beings at the cost of his body, and was hailed"Protector of the country"。
The end of the Eight-Nation Alliance's carnival also allowed Wadsey to deal with the initial problems. He demanded that the Empress Dowager Cixi make atonement for her sins on the grounds of Klinde's death. Of course, the Empress Dowager Cixi did not want her life to be threatened, so Li Hongzhang became a representative in negotiations with Wadsey and other coalition officers.
Sai Jinhua also helped, persuading both sides to take a step back. Eventually, they signed the Treaty of Xincho. The Empress Dowager Cixi did not have to fight for her life, but built a memorial arch for Klinde on Dongdan Street, which is now located in Beijing's ** Park, and was renamed the Defending Peace Square.
During the negotiations, Sai Jinhua won people's respect and love for his wisdom and courage, and was known as the "Second Master of Sai" for peace. However, Sai Jinhua's life has not always been smooth sailing.
Three years later, the Gengzi incident was basically quelled, but her "Golden Flower Class" had an accident. In April 1903, a girl committed suicide because she could not bear it.
This caused Sai Jinhua to be involved in a life lawsuit, but she relied on her connections and financial resources to save her life in the end, but the Jinhua class had to be disbanded.
Sai Jinhua had no choice but to return to Shanghai, and in 1911 she married Cao Ruizhong, an inspector of the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway Section, as a concubine. The next year, Cao Ruizhong died, and Sai Jinhua had to return to his old business again.
Sai Jinhua fell in love with Zhao Sijiong and spent a good time together, and later married in Shanghai, and Zhao Sijiong died of illness three years later, and Sai Jinhua became a widow three times. After Zhao Sijiong's death, Sai Jinhua had a difficult life, and it was not until her later years that she was accompanied by the maid Gu's mother.
Sai Jinhua died at the age of 66, and her grave is located in Taoranting, which is now part of Taoranting Park in Beijing. It is said that Sai Jinhua's epitaph was written by Master Qi Baishi himself.
Sai Jinhua once wrote these two famous sentences a long time ago: The country belongs to everyone, and it is everyone's responsibility to save the country. You may be surprised that a ** woman has such a high level of consciousness.
Lin Yutang once wrote in "Jinghua Smoke and Clouds": You have made many righteous deeds and contributed to society, and God's eyes are bright. Beijing was spared mass killings and looting, and order gradually began to be restored, all thanks to the gift of the famous prostitute Sai Jinhua.
Hu Shi even lamented in "New Youth": It is unprecedented for a professor at Peking University to write a biography for a prostitute. Even after so much time, her deeds are still being adapted into a TV series to make more people remember this "alternative" hero.
Some people have some dirt on their bodies, but they are very clean inside. On the contrary, there are those who are well-dressed, but who are full of hypocrisy and sanctimony at heart.