The secrets of three aristocratic socialists in old Shanghai

Zhou Shuping is the daughter of Zhou Jinjue, a famous old Shanghai industrialist, old Shanghai female writer and translator. After moving to Hong Kong, she published many books in Taiwan Province, and her translations include Napoleon and Daisy. Zhou Jue opened several factories and was known as the Stamp King. Because he likes to collect stamps, the total value of his stamp collection is the highest in China. Among them, the 1 yuan quadruple couplet is the only one in the world, estimated to be worth US$50,000 according to the 1941 World Stamp Yearbook. The four couplets are small characters in the late Qing Dynasty. At the time, this was a huge fortune and could buy a garden home.

Zhou Shuping often participates in various social occasions in Shanghai's upper class and is very enthusiastic. What's more important is that she is not only a beautiful vase, but also an excellent translator. Some of her translated English short literary works have been published in high-end magazines, such as West Wind, edited by Lin Yutang. Due to her family background and achievements in social literature, she became a social star in Shanghai's upper class society at that time. Later, I married a rich man named Li.

After 1949, a large number of Shanghainese flocked to Hong Kong, and most of them lived in two places, namely North Point on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. Zhou Shuping lives on Cameron Road. At this time, Zhou Shuping was middle-aged and no longer had her former beauty, but maybe she wanted to retain her lost youth. She dresses like she's in her twenties and often wears heavy makeup. This condition continues until the age of 80. Because she wore colorful clothes and often walked the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui in her old age, some local residents and store clerks nicknamed her Lao Mei. This nickname is undoubtedly ironic, but they may never have thought that this inappropriately dressed old woman is a Shanghai socialite.

Lu Xiaoman, a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu, is a modern female painter. He studied under the famous painters Liu Haisu, He and He, and was recruited as a professional painter by the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Painting Academy in his later years. Participated in the First and Second National Art Exhibition of New China. Lu Xiaoman is good at drama. Together with Xu Zhimo, he created the five-act play Bian Kun Gang. She is also proficient in Kun Opera, can play Pihuang, writes excellent articles, has a profound foundation in ancient Chinese, and has solid text editing skills. Because of his marriage to Xu Zhimo, he became a famous modern figure. He died of illness in Shanghai Huadong Hospital on April 3, 1965, at the age of 62.

Tang Ying was a celebrity in the Republic of China. His father, Tang Naian, studied in Germany and was a famous doctor in Shanghai. His brother Tang Fan was Song Ziwen's confidential secretary and the Finance Minister of the National Government. Tang Ying is versatile, has a sweet voice, is slim and avant-garde. She graduated from the Shanghai Chinese and Western Girls' Aristocratic School. He is very good at Chinese and English. He can sing Kunqu opera and act. He once starred in Rich Housewives for Fans. In the autumn of 1935, Tang Ying performed Wang Baochuan in English at Karl and other major theaters. Married to Li Zufa, son of wealthy Shanghai businessman Li. The couple had bad personalities after marriage and divorced in 1937. Soon after, Rong Xianlin, the nephew of Hong Rong, the father of Chinese overseas students, got married. In 1948, Tang Ying went to Hong Kong and later immigrated to the United States. He died of illness in New York in 1986.

The reason why Tang Ying became a social celebrity in old Shanghai is closely related to the strict family education she received since childhood. In addition to studying dance, English, and opera, she is well-dressed and avant-garde. Choose perfume No. 5, Chanel sachet, leather shoes, CD lipstick, Celine clothes and LV handbags. What you eat is also special. Each meal will be matched according to reasonable nutritional needs, and it can even include breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner; when eating, you don’t need to play with chopsticks and tableware, and you don’t need to talk while eating. If the soup is too hot, you can stop blowing it with your mouth. When Tang Ying wore cheongsam and high heels and ran to Paramount to dance, who would have known the hard work behind her charming turn?

After Tang Ying, several celebrities appeared in old Shanghai. Such as Zhou Shuping. But compared with Tang Ying, they always seem to be lacking. In 21st century terms, it might be: Anyone who is more beautiful than me is not as smart as me; anyone who is smarter than me is not as beautiful as me. This is Tang Ying's pride and the unforgettable root of the queen of old Shanghai society.

The social butterfly mentioned here is definitely