What were good families like in Shanghai during the Republic of China?

What did a good family look like in Shanghai during the Republic of China?

When it comes to good families and social butterflies in the Republic of China, it’s really a bit chaotic. However, in fact, everyone thinks that gentle breeze helps lilies and social flowers shine on peonies. Every family is associated with the drizzle of parasol trees, but the social butterfly is associated with cars, BMWs, fine wines, friends, and poets.

In my mind, a good Republican family is a little naive, a little shy and willful, a little proud of the changes in the world, and finally, a little doting and cherishing itself.

In addition, a very important point is that people with a good family background must be well-educated, not necessarily social butterflies. In Shilixiu, there is a strange girl who is beautiful, open-minded, and a little sentimental. She is called a social butterfly, 369 and other characters.

However, many times, ladies and social butterflies are intertwined. For example, Tang Ying and Lu Xiaoman, the famous social butterflies during the Republic of China, how can we say that they are not well-known ladies? Therefore, the range of good families has also expanded. But if I were to think of one of the top big families in the Republic of China, my first reaction would be the fourth daughter of the Yongan Guo family and the eldest daughter of the Kong family. They are two sharply contrasting characters.

Actually, Miss Zhao Si and Zhao Yidi are also a standard plum girl with white hair. I refuse to call her a social butterfly. However, for some reason, there is always a sense of distance between her and my family in my heart. Maybe it's diluted because being a little tougher will allow you to have a family.

Kong Lingyi is definitely a legend that lasted from the 1930s to the 1990s, mainly due to her life experiences and her parents, Kong Xiangxi and Song Ailing, who have been struggling with this legend.

She is the favorite daughter of Kong and Song, and also her niece Meng He. She was pampered and pampered all her life and never suffered a bit. She was held by her parents as a child and was given to her husband Chen Ji-en by Baba, who had low life experience and no I don't know how many levels.

Because she liked this man, in order to make this poor man worthy of him, Kong Xiangxi appointed him as the deputy director of the Kuomintang Central Banking Bureau without saying a word and sent him to the United States. If this were today, it would mean Bai married Phoenix Man, and Phoenix Man didn't want to talk about it. His father-in-law also helped with the investment, which shows how valued Kong Lingyi was in the country.

Kong Lingyi was born in Shaanxi, and his family in Shanxi has a 12-acre garden. You need to learn English, French, piano, and horse riding. Whether you can learn it or not is secondary. What's important is that you learn every aspect of the family imaginable.

I have been traveling abroad with my family since I was a child, and I have seen a lot. There are people coming in and out of the house, all kinds of dignitaries, but I don’t know how much she has seen; even when she was from Nanjing When she was a middle school student, she lived directly in Chiang Kai-shek's mansion in Song Meiling. At the age of twelve, she was already the little girl at the wedding of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling. As you can imagine, her vision is very broad.

But this lady is a true miracle. It stands to reason that a woman who was born into such a noble family and was thoroughly influenced should always have ideas and pursue ideals, but Ms. Kong Lingyi did not. Because all the good things in life can be obtained with hands, Kong Lingyi moved to New York State in the United States after the Anti-Japanese War. From then on, all domestic events had nothing to do with her. During the land reform and cultural revolution, she saw no natural disasters and suffered no hardships. Miss Otora is an innocent woman. Eating well, dressing well, and enjoying life are the most important things to her.

Born into a wealthy family, she naturally knows what kind of things are good. Afternoon tea, fancy clothes, expensive cosmetics, and fashionable new things are what she cares about. She has to reach for what she wants. Kong Yi's second husband, Huang Xiongsheng, was an air force colonel and military attaché and was already married and well-established when she met her. She tried her best to get him out of the marriage and remarry him. The childish demeanor of the eldest lady is evident.

After Soong Meiling passed away, Kong Lingyi, who was already old, took the lead in auctioning the house where she lived and some used electrical appliances. As a result, it caused an uproar in the overseas Chinese community and at home, accusing her of not knowing how to pass on and protect precious history. However, Miss Oku doesn't care about me: these are things we don't care about. I don't want it, and what we want is already there. What are you so sad about?

You see, this is the disdain of a famous family who has devoted his life to care and love for this world.

On the other hand, Ms. Guo’s Yong Department Store is of another type. She is the kind of person who would have people call her Miss No. 4 no matter what environment or situation she is in.

Guo Wanying is also called Miss Daixi because her English name is Daixi. Miss Daisy is a contradiction. She was born in Sydney. Throughout her life, English was better than French, and French was better than Chinese. But she has never attended any foreign school, and has only worn Hanfu and tied her hair in a Chinese bun her whole life.

Like Kong Lingyi, although Miss Daixi is also highly educated, and even because she studied at Yenching University, she is more closely exposed to the flames of revolution than Kong Lingyi, but she has no understanding of current politics and movements. Know nothing and have no interest. She loves fashion, pursues it, designs or improves her own clothes, learns to drive, ride a horse, hunt and shoot. She has no ambition and does everything based on interest.

This kind of indifference without ambition is given by the good life she has enjoyed since birth: she doesn’t want all this at all, because it is her innateness; she despises all this because It's just part of her blood. I think this is the essence of a good family. This is completely different from those women who work hard to get promoted step by step. Even if they marry a rich man, they may not become such a good family. Deliberate changes the day after tomorrow can prevent this kind of indifference.

Miss Daisy’s life was full of ups and downs, which was completely different from Kong Lingyi’s peaceful and smooth life. A few words from Jinzhiyuye in Shanghai sum up her ups and downs: liberation took away her way of life, the anti-rightist movement took away her husband, the Four Clean-ups took away her normal life, and the Cultural Revolution took away almost everything in her family. stuff, and her family.

But her indifference allowed her to face all kinds of criticisms, including cleaning toilets, shaving her head, and being paraded through the streets, but she could hold her head high; this indifference made her respect herself and take herself seriously, never because of Bullying from the outside world leads to underestimation of oneself. This is the key to her ability to face all kinds of hardships calmly and remain graceful.

Miss Daisy and her whole family, including her son and daughter, immigrated to the United States, leaving her alone in Shanghai. She worked her entire life and took pride in being able to support herself. She worked as an English teacher, English secretary, translator, etc., and even earned her own pension. In 2006, the author Chen visited her and found that she maintained a good posture, had a hobby of wearing Hanfu, and used a knife. Break the habit of drinking afternoon tea. Even though she speaks Chinese and Shanghainese, she can't help but speak English.

Chen Zai wrote in her book that when she talks to you, she will raise her hand and gently hit your arm when she says something interesting. She is very coquettish. I particularly like this description. The image of an old lady who is still elegant and lovely at the end of her life and still has a girlish heart emerges vividly on the page. Really makes people like her.

The most valuable thing is that Miss Daisy never talks about any of her sufferings. When she was interviewed by foreign media, the media wanted her to talk more about the suffering she suffered during the Cultural Revolution, but she never mentioned it because complaining repeatedly was a very indecent behavior and she didn't want others to pity her. herself. She thinks she is worthy of respect and beautiful. Don't complain and don't show off are two very, very precious qualities, which are really admirable. Such ladies are truly of good family.

I can, I don’t believe it. I have written so much. At the end of my writing, I saw that the owner wrote in the description that the answer should be explained in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation. Thanks, and I realize I may have been a little off topic. But I'm a little tired of typing, and I still have work to do. I'll give you a fill-in when I'm free.

Finally, I add the most famous and beautiful wedding photo of Miss Daisy, which shows that we are also following the trend with pictures and texts.