preface
Chen Mengjia (April 20, 1911 — September 3, 1966) was a Chinese poet, archaeologist, and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After the establishment of the Communist Party of China, it was classified as a rightist party. In the 1930s, Chen Mengjia and Wen Yiduo, Xu Zhimo, Zhu Xiang together, known as the “Crescent poetry four poets”.
1
There is a Dongchang Alley on Wangfujing Street, which was the site of Dongchang in Ming Dynasty. In 1625, because of the written impeachment of Wei Zhongxian, Yang Lian and other six people were put into the east Factory prison by the Emperor Of Heaven. They were tortured once every five days, pressed by earth bags and pierced with iron nails into their ears, and finally they were mutilated to death.
On August 24, 1966, the alley, which had witnessed the perseverance of countless loyal officials, was once again enveloped by an atmosphere of terror.
On that day, the Red Guards in Beijing entered their worst phase of violence, with revolutionary guards raiding homes, beating people, destroying property and confiscating property. In Dongchang Hutong, beatings continued from the afternoon into the night, with sticks and whips, and boiling water poured over two elderly women tied to grape shelves.
“It was like killing a pig.” Many years later, Uncle Liu, who lives in Dongchang Hutong, remembers the sound. He sat on the bamboo chair and was silent for a long time.
Many people in Dongchang Hutong did not sleep that night because the screams continued through the night until dawn, when the crematorium trucks arrived to take away the bodies, leaving at least six dead.
Next to Dongchang Hutong is the Institute of archaeology. That night, in addition to the residents of Dongchang Hutong, there was also one person who heard the screams.
During the day, he was wrestled by the Red Guards, put on the high hat of “rogue poet”, and imprisoned in the archaeological institute, a scene which he had foreseen.
It was more than ten years ago. One day, the campus of Yenching University announced that all teachers and students were required to take part in collective exercise. So soon.” Nineteen Eighty-Four is a prophetic novel by British writer George Orwell that foretells the future of totalitarian societies.
On the night of The 24th of August he heard screams outside his window, and the whipping of the brass bands that accompanied each cry. The strap touched the flesh and gave a dull echo, as if it had struck cotton. “Maybe not people.” While he was thus thinking, another scream defied him.
He said to his colleague, “I can’t let people play monkey with me any more.” Then he wrote a suicide note and swallowed a lot of sleeping pills.
August 24 is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the new moon.
When he was 20, he wrote a poem, “The crescent moon spreads a sail.”
If he had died that night, it would have been a good ending. But no, the dose wasn’t enough, and he survived.
2
Dreamers, dream of home, a beautiful name.
However, Mr. Zhao Heng recalled that Chen Mengjia once said to him in the presence of Lingxiaohua, “Do you know why I was called Dreamer?” “I don’t know. Are you dreaming of home?” “No, it isn’t. My mother dreamed of a pig before she gave birth to me, but I can’t call it a dream pig, can I? So they put a lid on the pig.”
Mr. Zhao Heng can not conclude that this story is true or false, however, “home” oracle bone inscriptions, is indeed a “pig” under the baohetou. And Chen Meng’s younger brother is called Chen Mengxiong.
Chen Mengjia was born in Shangyu, Zhejiang province. His father is a clergyman. It is said that the pastor’s father began to learn Christianity, astronomy, geography, mathematics and so on from the age of ten, but did not learn English, the reason is: God is all lovely, if by propagating religion into our country all kinds of adverse forces, he will resist.
Chen Meng family also inherited his father’s stubborn, although, from the appearance of it does not show.
Chen Mengjia has a pair of bright big eyes, clear and energetic, and now there are lying silkworms. His eyebrows are thin, but his hair is thick and dark. His nose and lips are the epitome of classical Chinese beauty.
Many years later, Yang zhishui in McDonald’s asked Zhao Luorui, why choose Chen Meng home? She thought the old lady would say that Chen mengjia was a scholar and that his poems were good, but Zhao Luorui answered with a magnum opus:
“Because he’s pretty.”
In 1932, he graduated from the Law department of Central University and obtained the lawyer’s license. Then he went to write new poems and became one of the “four great poets of the Crescent Moon school”. After two years of writing, he went to the Graduate School of Yenching University to study ancient philology.
Qian Zhongshu was no match for such a man.
It is said that the model of Tang Xiaofu in Fortress Besieged is Zhao Luorui, and Qian Zhongshu was not able to pursue Zhao Luorui, which is certainly one’s opinion. But Zhao luorui is the campus flower in Yanjing, which is not controversial. Zhao was born in 1912, the only daughter of a Christian theologian named Zhao Zichen.
When she was 10 years old, her grandfather asked, “What degree do you want to get in the future?”
Zhao replied: “I just want to be a first-class scholar without any degree.”
In the end, she received a bachelor’s degree from Yenching University, a master’s degree from Tsinghua University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
In 1937, zhao luorui, 25, translated and published the first Chinese edition of Eliot’s long poem the Wasteland. Elliott is said to be back in the summer of 1946 the United States to visit, on July 9, he specially invited zhao she and Chen Meng’s house for dinner in the harvard club, impromptu poet recite “four quartets segment, and in zhao Laura to sign your name on the two books, and inscribed on the cover page” for zhao she signed, thank her translation “wasteland”.
Zhao is well known in Yenching, not least because she is the youngest student in her class. Also because of her many talents, it is said that she performed Shakespeare’s as You Like It on the lawn of The Langrun Garden, playing Rosalin disguised as a man. Even Mr. Ye Gongchao of the Tsinghua Institute of Foreign Languages came to see her, and some people pointed to her and said, “Well, that’s him!
Josephine Cho aged 16
Chen Mengjia how to chase Zhao Luorui, we have no way to know. Both of them were born in Christian families. They both love literature and poetry. One is a lady, the other is an elegant and talented person. Qian Mu once wrote: “his wife is a famous school flower in Yanda, chasing someone, while the lone dreamer’s long gown has the scent of A Chinese writer.”
In 1935, they confessed their love to Zhao Luorui’s father, Zhao Zichen. On April 9, Zhao’s father wrote a letter to his daughter: “I know Dreamer is a man of hope. I know my daughter has ambition. I’m not afraid of what people say. If you want it settled, do it yourselves. I don’t think rituals add much to it.”
As expected, the ceremony was very simple. In January 1936, Chen Mengjia married Zhao Luorui. Their wedding was held in the office of President Stuart Leighton of Yenching University. Mr. Ye sent them congratulatory gifts: a large vermillion porcelain vase for a light fixture, a low single sofa bed, and a set of Hardy’s great poetic play “The Ruler” in a hard shell.
Their first home after marriage, in yan next to the House of Wang Shixiang. Wang Shixiang had a large garden of more than 20 mu. The later cultural relics master was a naughty student who played in the dark and had no property at all. He and Chen Mengjia became lifelong friends. old Zhao Luorui and Wang Shixiang laughed about a case: one night, heard someone outside the park called the door, the noise, she and Chen Mengjia scared, thought there was a strong man. Then I heard a series of scurrying, hissing, and then silence. After a long time, feel no accident, just dare to sleep. It turned out that it was Wang Shixiang and a gang of people who led four dogs to yuquan Mountain at midnight to catch badgers. When they came back at dawn, the gardener was asleep and no one answered the door, so he had to cross the wall and enter.
In The eyes of Wang Shixiang, Chen Meng’s family, whether doing things like sitting or lying down, or smoking and drinking tea, was very dignified — he always smoked the big front door of the tin foil bag, and always drank the Longjing. Chen Mengjia was the guide of Wang Shixiang’s collection of antiques. Every time he entered the antique shop, the merchant would always show him respect. Chen likes to comment on everything, and he also likes to share his good cigarettes with antique dealers. Because he is good at painting, he can trace objects in two or three strokes.
Wang Shixiang said he bought furniture and Chen Meng home can not compare, he bought is a corner, not a series, Chen Meng home to buy furniture is one by one together, big to the eight Immortals table painting case, small to jewelry box and pen container.
Mentioning his early death, Wang Shixiang only said two words: “What a pity.”
He repeated the two words several times.
3
We may be more familiar with Chen Mengjia as an expert in bronze ware, but Chen Mengjia as a poet is unfamiliar.
My favorite poems are those by Chen Mengjia. I buried some expensive poems by Chen Mengjia, Iron Horse Collection and Selected Crescent Moon Poems edited by him from the old books. In the windy weather in Beijing, I often stayed indoors for a whole day, reading his poems and forgetting about time and everything.
His poems, like his people, are gentle, like the breeze. But the wind is backbone, not kitsch, he is more like iron horse, linling creaking in essence.
A wild flower opens and falls on the moor,
He sees the blue sky, he does not see his own smallness,
Accustomed to the gentle wind, accustomed to the howling of the wind,
Even his own dreams were easily forgotten.
In 1937, the loving couple left Beijing and moved to Kunming, where Chen’s family taught at Southwest Associated University. Because the rules forbid couples from teaching at the same school, Zhao became a housewife: “I was a housewife for eight years. I have the traditional idea of a wife dying for her husband, but I’m also really well-educated. When I cook, I always have a Dickens book in my hand.”
In 1944, the Rockefeller Foundation gave the couple a scholarship to study in the United States. Chen Mengjia taught Chinese ancient philology at the University of Chicago and collected the materials of Shang and Zhou bronzes scattered in Europe and America. Josephine Zhao completed her doctorate.
They set out in the fall, flew over the Himalayas, passed through India, and took an 18-day boat ride to the University of Chicago. Chen Mengjia wrote in the journey of “Beyond the mountain” :
Out of sight of the Himalayas
Clouds piled up into mountains
Everything is too lonely
This is the desert in the sky
Chen mengjia found the coordinates of his life, he wanted to complete the “All China Bronze” this project. To this end, after a one-year visit to the University of Chicago, he wrote to Feng Youlan to apply for a one-year leave of absence at Tsinghua university. His idea was that, in addition to continuing his study of archaeology, he would visit more than 40 museums (and private collectors) across the United States that housed Chinese bronzes and systematically compile a catalogue of bronzes.
This year, he was 34 years old.
During his time in the United States, he visited American bronzes, museums, and antique dealers, and then returned to his office at the University of Chicago to sort out what he had collected and to make proofs. Zhao later recalled. Mr. Chen has also written articles in English, such as’ The Artistic Style of Chinese Bronzes, ‘and with The Art Gallery of Chicago’s Gloria Kelly compiled’ A Catalogue of Chinese Bronzes in Buckingham’s Collection. ‘
During his three years in the United States, Chen Meng’s family personally measured and recorded more than 2,000 pieces of bronze inscriptions. Only 250 bronzes were included in the seven volumes (1933 ~ 1935) of The Quintessence of Bronze in Search and Storage of ** in Europe and America, compiled by Matsuji Meihara, a Japanese. More importantly, Chen Mengjia showed his characteristics of attaching great importance to indexing system and comparing with archaeological materials in the study of Bronze Age dating, classification and inscription. In a word, Chen Mengjia provided a future direction for the study of Chinese gemology.
In the summer of 1946, Feng Youlan, a visiting scholar in the United States, brought Chen Mengjia the letter of appointment signed by Mei Yiqi, the president of the university, and returned to Tsinghua to prepare for the museum. In August 1947, Chen Mengjia flew from New York to Europe. Before leaving, he visited someone.
This is all New York’s most famous Chinese antique dealers, his name is c t loo C.T.L (oo), because he put the zhaoling mausoleum of emperor taizong of 6 horses “sayin Lou zi” and “fist 䯄 MAO” stolen was known all over the world to the United States. Both Chen and Lu Qingzhai came from Zhejiang province, and the latter made many contributions to his bronze research. Before he left, he persuaded a wily Businessman from Zhejiang province to donate a few bronzes, such as the “Life-melon pot” numbered A714 (later renamed the “heir pot” and now stored as a first-class cultural relic in the National Museum).
The c.T. loo
In a letter to his wife, Mr. Chen gave some details: ‘Lu said he was ashamed of his country and didn’t want to meet Chinese.’
Chen Mengjia said that you should gain the understanding of the people and the national government and donate something to the country without letting others think you are a bad person.
4
Chen Mengjia knows nothing about politics.
Just as his teacher Zhu Ziqing wrote to him, telling him that Mr. Wen Yiduo had grown a beard after the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, and that he would not shave it until he won the war. What he cared about was his own research.
When he returned to Tsinghua, he had no idea what was going on at home, too. He was obsessed with buying antiques and building museums for Tsinghua. At that time, the PEOPLE’s Liberation Army was approaching Peiping from the northeast, and all the old and young people in the city were retreating. Chen thought it was a good time for him to “pick up the leak”.
“When I entered the city with Wu (Han), Zhu (Qing) and Pan (Guang Dan), I went to the West Lake camp first to buy more than ten pieces of palace clothes. The second Supreme Ancient Zhai ate together and bought forty million antiques. I bought myself a rosewood pen holder and four small China bowls.” (Feb. 3, 1948)
“Early in the morning, Liu Renzheng waited for me at the gate of the young People’s Association. We visited the hardwood furniture in private houses, Longfu Temple, Dongsi, Tianqiao North Street and other small cities. We ran all night and went to Zhen Dexing to see the embroidered clothes. Today I bought daming red sandalwood table (painted table, no drawer, five million three hundred thousand), two small round tables of half-moon mahogany (for a coffee table, five hundred and fifty thousand), a small rectangular tea table (rosewood, two hundred and fifty thousand), a long piano table (with two tea tables for legs, board six hundred and fifty thousand)… The piano table and table were repaired in the small instrument. After two weeks, everything was transported by Zhen Dexing’s hired car. In addition, I ordered a table of eight imals and a table of small piano, which cost about 3 million yuan each, and entrusted one person to do it. I will go to the city again on Thursday (the day after tomorrow) to run with Liu, which was very laborious but also interesting. Everything is very cheap in dollars.” (Nov. 8, 1948)
This ignorance doomed him to tragedy.
In November 1951, Chen Meng’s family was forced to do an inspection, the inspection did not pass, then, he did the second time, the third time……
Mr. And Mrs. Chen Mengjia are in Suzhou
Zhao Said in her diary, “He is sometimes rational, sometimes emotional, although I am at ease, but I really can’t stand him”, “today, I woke up early and was forced by the madness of the dreamer to scold him and destroy his personal heroism. It was a little better after the scolding, much better than rational persuasion. “” I woke up early and struggled with the dreamer again. I tell you not to eat shit, not to ride a horse. Take these two mottos. Don’t take responsibility for SINS never committed, but don’t be conceited. Ride a big horse.
Chen Mengjia’s poet could not tolerate such a humiliation, while Zhao Luorinue, although a little sober, is not naive, this movement, is not a “not arrogant, not riding a big horse” can be solved?
In April 1957, the Communist Party of China (CPC) put forward the policy of “letting a hundred flowers bloom” and welcomed intellectuals to express their views. Chen Mengjia published two Hopes in wen Wei Po on May 6. He said in the article, “After I returned to Beijing from Xi ‘an, many people listened to the sound of ‘Ming’ and ‘playing’. It was very noisy. This is the blooming season, welcome the arrival of red May, really a good weather ah! Chairman MAO’s two talks on “Ming” and “fang” are epoch-making shots that have connected Chinese literature, art, science and culture in the past decades. They are trumpeting encouragement ahead of the coming cultural revolution. Personally, I feel strongly that a new healthy and lasting ethos has begun… But I can’t wait for you to let me sing, you see I sing to you just put… We can’t wait and we can’t stop. We’d better hurry up and sing!”
Chen’s focus has been on simplifying Chinese characters, which has been a big issue.
As early as 1941, he wrote in The Method of Reading: “The Chinese are the oldest people in the world who use the written word. We have been writing for at least 3,500 years. The strangest thing is that after three and a half thousand years, the Chinese characters have not changed much, and many of them have not. We know that the Shang people already had a very complete writing system, and its previous writing has not been found yet.”
So this time, he put a positive attitude, into the “hundred schools of thought.”
He wrote in the Guangming Daily: “There must be some objective reason why Chinese characters, which have been used for more than 3,000 years, have not embarked on the path of pinyin.” “In the past foreign devils could not speak Chinese well,” he said in a public speech. “Now scholars in more enlightened capitalist countries don’t say Chinese is bad. I think Chinese characters will be used for many years to come. We should treat it as a living thing, which is also a cultural heritage of our country.”
In xia Nai’s diary, Chen Meng’s family was the first to give a speech during several times of “great cries” in the archaeological Institute.
Only a few weeks later, when Da Ming was stopped, Chen Mengjia suddenly saw an angry headline in the newspaper: “Refuting the fallacy of The Right-wing Chen Mengjia”.
5
There are too many targets for Chen Mengjia to attack.
First, social relations and life experience. Chen came from a Christian family, and his father was a pastor. He himself graduated from the Law department of Central University. As a young man, he was a poet of the “Crescent School” with a strong bourgeois flavor. Zhao Zichen, his father-in-law, is a Christian activist and dean of the school of Religion at Yenching University. He and his wife, Josephine Chao, both studied and worked in the United States in the 1940s. All these life backgrounds are negative factors for Chen Mengjia’s political image. Each made him a minority in society, the opposite of the masses and the object of deep digging.
Chen Meng couple Chen Meng couple
Second, Chen Meng family no block, personality lonely high, easy to be hated. As recorded in the Diary of Xia Nai in 1954, “I went to Ma Shi Street in the morning and met With Mr. Chen Mengjia. I was very angry with Director Zheng for refusing to let him go to Luoyang yesterday”. Director Zheng is Zheng Zhenduo. Someone in the anti-right reported that he had “viciously attacked our beloved Dean Guo” during his lecture at southwest United University. In his own review, he also said, “When I lived in the countryside during the Anti-Japanese War, my colleagues generally looked down upon the peasants, and I also looked down upon these colleagues, thinking that I was always superior to them… Our attitude is not so different from that of the people who despise farmers at all. We are not on the side of the people.”
In 1947, Chen Mengjia (left), Zhao Luorui and their couple took a photo with Zhao Jingde in the United States
Third, Chen Meng’s income is high, easy to trigger the “hatred of rich” psychology. In addition to the salary, Chen meng’s remuneration is also quite good, living standard is far higher than ordinary colleagues. According to the Diary of Xia Nai, at that time there was already a TV set in Chen Meng’s family. He “watched movies and TV almost every day, and sometimes commented on it.” In 1956, he spent money to buy eighteen bungalow in Qianliang Hutong, which also had a Steinway piano specially bought for Zhao Luorui. This was a terrible living standard at that time, and rumor spread all over the place.
Of course, the most important thing is that Chen Mengjia opposes the promotion of simplified Chinese characters, which is inconsistent with the leader’s views. This changes from a simple academic issue to a complex issue of ideological understanding and political standpoint. This also became his peers, Rong Geng, Tang LAN and so on denounced him.
His teachers and assistants all wrote articles and criticized him from all sides from 720 degrees: “he had a very high opinion of himself,” “he was enjoying a high manuscript fee and bought a courtyard house,” “he did not respect the views of his old comrades,” “he did research with the money of American imperialism,” “he associated with traitors”…
Years later, when a New York Times reporter interviewed an aide who was critical of Mr. Chen’s family and handed him the material, the already renowned expert lowered his head and said, “That’s not what we’re talking about today, and I hope you don’t write about it in the New Yorker.”
Intriguingly, Chen Mengjia was optimistic about several young students did not go very far on his academic road, but the assistant in fact inherited the mantle of Chen Mengjia. Do not know the Chen Mengjia under the nine springs to see all this, will make how to feel.
When the rightists were appointed, the leading rightists in the institute of Archaeology were Chen Mengjia. Xia Nai clearly recorded this fact in his diary: “On Saturday, July 13, I attended the Chinese anti-rightist movement conference in the morning, and the main object was Chen Mengjia. Chen Mengjia was not only a rightist, but also an outstanding rightist. Criticism of him began on July 13, 1957, at the first congress of the anti-right movement, and the struggle has grown every day.”
On August 9, Xia nai wrote in his diary: “The meeting began in the afternoon, director Zheng also came, Chen Mengjia did self-criticism, and then wang Shimin, Shi Xingbang and Wang Zhongshu gave speeches.”
The three speakers mentioned in the diary were all young men under thirty-five at the time. In fact, during the Cultural Revolution, Wang Shimin and Wang Zhongshu both became ghosts and snakes in the archaeological institute. Chen’s suicide was preceded by a parade in The Kogu District wearing a paper hat. They were also listed.
The diary of Zheng Zhenduo, then vice minister of culture, also recorded the meeting against Chen Mengjia: “At 2:30 PM, go to the institute of Archaeology and participate in the discussion on the mistakes of Chen Mengjia, a rightist. First I said a few words, and then Chen Meng family made a preliminary review. It’s trivial, it’s empty of content. Wang Shimin made a more detailed disclosure. Shi Xingbang gives a fundamental refutation. Everyone was unanimous in their dissatisfaction with Chen’s review. At nearly six o ‘clock, I went first, for I was to entertain foreign guests. (Hot, thunderstorms at night)”
Zheng Zhenduo and Chen Mengjia were originally friends. They are both fond of collecting. Zheng Zhenduo goes to archaeology every time, total want to look for Chen Meng home to chat, still accompany to see art exhibition sometimes, stroll about li factory or Longfu temple, he also had a meal in Chen Meng home.
But after reverse right, Chen Mengjia this name, disappeared completely from Zheng Zhenduo’s diary, two people have no contact again.
In 1958, Zhao Luorui became mentally ill and was sent to the Union Hospital. Union hospital to turn Zhao Luorue to the mental hospital, Chen Mengjia refused to, of course, then want to ask zheng Zhenduo, the noble at that time, try to make the wife can stay in union. He dared not go directly to find it, and could only ask Xia Nai to mediate. Whether Xia Nai delivered this message or not, it is impossible to verify whether Zheng Zhenduo helped him.
That October, Zheng Zhenduo’s plane crashed in the Soviet Republic of Chuvash.
At the end of 1958, Chen Meng’s family was sent to Henan province, known as the “cradle of Yin and Shang culture”, for labor reform. For the next five years, he was banned from speaking publicly on his own behalf. More than a year later, due to Xia Nai’s care, the Archaeology Institute sent Chen Mengjia to Lanzhou to assist gansu Provincial Museum in sorting out the newly unearthed Wuwei Han slips. In the “Indian Summer” of the early 1960s, he was moved back to the archaeological institute. The rightist’s hat was taken off, Chen Mengjia relieved, he actively into the work, temper also somewhat restrained.
During the delegation, Chen’s family continued to write letters to his wife. In one of them, he said: “We must live on, but we must relax our hearts.”
But he broke his promise.
6
In 1980, Xia Nai obtained Chen mengjia’s diary for the last few years, the last of which was written on August 24, which read: “This is my last day.”
But in fact, because the dose was not enough, he was rescued.
On August 25, Xia Nai wrote in his diary some details before and after Chen Mengjia’s suicide: “When I went to the university this morning, I saw a notice on the notice board from the Red Guards saying that Chen Mengjia, a right-wing member of my university, had attempted suicide. Heard: yesterday noon after work, he went to a CAI surname widow’s home in Dongchang Hutong (its husband died in 1963, according to the cloud had in death before in Chen), by the center left masses out of the public, he committed suicide to resist the movement, guilty of the crime of the current counter-revolution, but also in the suicide note to slander the masses insulted him, so suicide. The institute held a general meeting, and the Cultural Revolution group reported the matter and warned the three anti-revolutionaries and rightists who had made mistakes.”
and Chen Meng home in the hospital when the rescue, Zhao Luorui is being questioned by the Red Guards are ruthless.
Chen Mengxiong, Chen mengxiong’s younger brother, went to Chen’s house the next day. A poster criticizing him was posted on the door. “When I entered, the Red guards were already waiting. ‘Well,’ said the Red Guards. ‘You are throwing yourself into a trap. ‘”
The red guards placed Chen and Zhao on a chair in the middle of the courtyard. “They shaved our hair — they called it The Head of Yin and Yang. Then they took off their belts and whipped us. First they used belts, then buckles. I was wearing a white shirt and it turned red with blood. As soon as they let me go, I telephoned the office, which sent me home.”
Chen Meng’s family lived an extra 8 days, during which they could not write poetry, conduct archaeology or study. What an extra 8 days.
Soon after, the hospital sent him home on charges of “committing suicide”, and on September 3rd he was found hanging from a beam, aged 55.
7
After Chen’s death, Zhao was asked to transcribe revolutionary songs on carbon paper. “The lyrics she wrote were ‘Long live Chairman MAO, long live, long live,” Zhao recalled. ‘And so over and over again. But she made a mistake and wrote ‘wan’ instead of ‘none.'”
For this crime, Zhao was arrested and jailed for five years.
Zhao’s illness was on and off and she never recovered. When their old friends Wu Ningkun and Zhao Luorui met again, “I noticed that her lips were twitching from time to time and asked if she could reduce the dose. Her face changed color and she asked, ‘Are you going to make me sick? ‘”
Zhonghua Book Company decided to publish Chen Mengjia’s “Western Zhou Bronze Age Dating” and discussed publishing matters with Zhao Luorue, who first laughed hysterically: “I can get paid again!” After a while, she began to cry bitterly again.
They have no children. In her old age, Zhao Luorue had cerebral sclerosis and weak eyesight. She loved reading all her life, but she had to use her eyes as prescribed by the doctor. Her greatest enjoyment was sitting in the room and listening to classical music.
Every qingming Festival, she will pay a memorial service to two people, one is the Dreamer, the other is his father: “When the dreamer died, he didn’t even leave his ashes, so I can only mourn in my heart.
And Chen Mengjia, a long time ago, with his own poem, for his own ending, made a prophecy:
I sleep in peace forever,
No need to fly on the tomb of paper ashes;
No one ever visits my grave again,
Turning into a heap of bone powder in the earth.
Resources for this article
Summary of Research on Chen Mengjia by Shi Yuhui
Ye Hui’s Manuscript Fee and Precious Furniture of Chen Meng’s Family
Josephine Chao, My Reading Life
Yang Zhishui, Reading for ten years
Wu Ningkun, Zhao Luorui, a Generation of Talented Women
Remembering dreamers by Wang Shixiang
He Wei, Chen Mengjia’s Dead Road and Chinese Characters’ Living Road
Chen Mengjia in Sports by Tang Zhihui
Chen Xiaowei: Chen Mengjia in The Diary of Xia Nai
Liu Yiqing (Luxuriant Life of Chen Mengjia and Zhao Luorui)
The Death of Chen Mengjia, Poet and Archaeologist, by Wang Youqin
Joseph Chan, “The Memory of Josephine Cho”
The Past of Chen Mengjia by Fang Jichao
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