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Chapter 21 The Last Nobility: The Circle of the Aesthetic Poet Shao Xunmei

Shao Xunmei is warm and generous, and she often says: "The money is used up, but the friendship is not enough!" Shao has made many friends because of this. Some people say that Shao has made friends with all writers and artists in Shanghai except left-wing writers. In fact, , Shao has helped many leftist friends: Ding Ling, Yu Dafu, Xia Yan, Lao She, etc., and there are even more friends with some friendships. Nickname: Meng Changjun, Poet of Gambling Country (self-proclaimed) Origin: Shanghai famous family, rich son Years of Birth and Death: 1906~May 5, 1968 Graduate school: Nanyang Road and Mining School, University of Cambridge

Status: Aestheticist poet, publisher, literary activist Marriage: Married cousin Sheng Peiyu, once lived with American female writer Xiang Meili Famous saying: Banknotes are used up, but friendship is not used up Self-report: Who do you think I am?A prodigal son, a money addict, a scholar, a man who wants to be an official, or a hero who is not afraid of death?You're wrong, you're all wrong; I'm a born poet Sheng Peiyu (1905~about 1988), was born in the most wealthy family in Shanghai, the granddaughter of Sheng Xuanhuai, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty and a red-top businessman, and married Shao Xunmei as a cousin.

Ma Xiangbo (1840-1939), born in Jiangsu, was the founder and first president of Fudan University. Among his students were Cai Yuanpei, Yu Youren, and Shao Lizi. Dai Wangshu (1905-1950), born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is one of the most important modern poets. His famous work "Rain Lane" is called "Rain Lane Poet". Shi Zhecun (1905-2003), a writer and scholar, once had a pen battle with Lu Xun, and has the posthumous posthumous title of "there are few evils in the foreign field". Su Qing (1914~1982), born in Yinxian County, Zhejiang Province, was one of the most famous female writers in the Republic of China. Her masterpieces include "Ten Years of Marriage" and so on.

Cao Juren (1900~1972), born in Pujiang, Zhejiang, writer, scholar and reporter.
⊙Shao Xunmei is warm and generous, and she often says: "You can't use up your banknotes, but you can't use up your friendship!" Shao has made many friends because of this. Some people say that Shao has made friends with all writers and artists in Shanghai except left-wing writers. In fact, Shao has helped many leftist friends: Ding Ling, Yu Dafu, Xia Yan, Lao She, etc., and there are even more friends who have some acquaintances. ⊙"Literary Tea Talk Picture" is like a group photo of the Shanghai literary world in the 1930s. Many famous artists sat around and had a discussion over tea. The characters in it are: Shao Xunmei, Mao Dun, Yu Dafu, Lin Yutang, Lao She, Zhang Ziping, Bing Xin, Bai Wei , Hong Shen, Fu Donghua, Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Zhou Zuoren, Zheng Zhenduo, Shen Congwen, Du Heng, Zhang Tianyi, Lu Yan, Shi Zhecun, Ling Shuhua, Xu Xiacun, Mu Shiying, Liu Naou, Ye Lingfeng, Gao Changhong, Tian Han, Ding Ling, Liu Bannong, Xu Zhimo, Jiang Guangci, Peng Jiahuang.

⊙The Shao family is always full of guests and friends. Yu Dafu said that the Shao family is "always full of guests, and the wine in the bottle is not empty." Among the celebrities, Shao sat in the middle, acting like the master, and everyone called Shao "Mengchang Jun". ⊙Shao Xunmei came from a distinguished family background, her grandfather Shao Youlian was a Taoist in Shanghai in the Qing Dynasty, her grandmother was the daughter of Li Hongzhang, her mother was the daughter of Sheng Xuanhuai, and her wife was her cousin and granddaughter of Sheng Xuanhuai.When Shao was studying in the UK, he became brothers with Xie Shoukang, Xu Beihong and Zhang Daofan.Shao Chang helped Xu Beihong, a poor brother, and never cared about spending money, but criticized Xu for not having talent and being just a "third-rate foreign painter".

⊙Memories of friends: In Shao Xunmei’s study, there is the authentic portrait of the Greek poetess Shaffer estimated at more than 5,000 gold, the manuscript of Swinburne bought in London for 200,000 pounds, and the first copy of Baudelaire bound in parchment. version, and the oil painting on canvas depicting the scene of the Paris bar "Moulin Rouge" with his elder brother Xu Beihong. ⊙Zhang Kebiao said that Shao Xunmei has three identities: one is a poet, the other is a young master, and the third is a publisher. In short, he is really difficult to grasp, that is to say, difficult to express."

⊙In 1927, Shao Xunmei married her cousin Sheng Peiyu, and the wedding was held at the Carlton Hotel, which was unprecedentedly grand.The witness was Ma Xiangbo, and Yu Dafu, Xu Zhimo, Lu Xiaoman, Liu Haisu and others all came to congratulate.Their wedding photo was published on the cover of "Shanghai Pictorial", titled "Shao Xunmei, a foreign English scholar, and Ms. Peiyu, the niece of Sheng Sigong's niece, newly married couple", accompanied by a special article introduction, which became a fashionable topic in Shanghai for a while. ⊙Shao Xunmei is a poet who has published many collections of poetry, edited poetry magazines, and wrote poems in English.But some people were indignant at Shao's status as a poet, saying: "If Shao writes poetry, then what we write is not; if we write poetry, then what Shao writes is not!"

⊙When Shao Xunmei was studying in Cambridge, one day, a strange young man knocked on Shao's door and said that he was introduced by the embassy and wanted to borrow some money. Shao immediately took out 200 francs and gave it to the visitor.After this matter spread among overseas students, it was called "living bank". ⊙In June 1918, Ma Xiangbo, the founder of Fudan University, delivered a speech at a graduation ceremony: "Now the world is declining, people's hearts are not old, the church and the military government are robbers, robbing them all day long. A moment of spring is worth a thousand gold, you How many springs have been snatched by them!..."

⊙Shao Xunmei and Xu Zhimo have many similarities: both are rich sons, both are handsome men, they both studied in Britain and the United States when they were young, they are both poets, and their personalities are very similar.When Shao first arrived in England, Xu Beihong and others said that Shao was very similar to Xu Zhimo.Shao went to a second-hand book stall, and the old man who owned the stall said, "There is a Chinese who wants to translate "The Complete Works of Byron" with the same face as you."Xu Zhimo also heard many stories about Shao, saying that there was a person who was very similar to himself. One day, the two met on the road. Xu took Shao's hand affectionately and said, "Brother, I found you well." bitter!"

⊙After liberation, Shao Xunmei was imprisoned, and she was friends with Jia Zhifang of Hu Feng faction.Shao complained to Jia: "Mr. Lu Xun said in the article that I was a 'donator' and hired someone to write it for me. This is really a big misunderstanding." Shao said that although his article was not well written, it was true. I wrote it myself. ⊙In 1931, Hu Yepin was secretly arrested by Kuomintang agents. Shen Congwen came to Shao Xunmei for help. Shao immediately called Liu Jianxiong, director of the Shanghai Party Department of the Kuomintang, and asked for bail. Liu refused. The two argued for a long time. Finally, Liu asked Shao Tell the truth: Hu has been secretly executed.Shao wanted to show Shen Congwen photos of the execution, and gave another thousand yuan to Ding Ling (Ding was Hu's girlfriend).

⊙Ma Xiangbo met Yuan Shikai in North Korea in his early years. Ma was the political adviser to the king of North Korea, and Yuan was just a low-level official stationed in the Qing army. Yuan once asked Ma for advice on promotion. Then you can leapfrog promotion.Yuan Rufa concocted it, and the official luck was smooth.Yuan asked: "Sir, since you have such a thorough understanding, why don't you manage it for yourself?" Ma replied: "I can only say that I can't do it, so I will end up as a scholar!" ⊙"Be famous as early as possible", Ye Lingfeng wrote the blockbuster "Nuwa's Sorrow" when she was 20 years old.Mu Shiying "became a sophisticated writer" at the age of 18, began to publish a collection of novels at the age of 20, and basically stopped his novel career at the age of 23.Shi Zhecun wrote the novel "Yuan Shang Deng" at the age of 23, which was listed as one of the five best Shanghai school works by Shen Congwen.Hei Ying (Zhang Youjun) became famous with "Daughter of the Empire" at the age of 19.When Xu Xiacun was 22 years old, he published the only collection of novels in his life.Zhang Ailing was published at the age of 24.Su Qing published the famous "Ten Years of Marriage" at the age of 26; Xu Xu wrote "Ghost Love" at the age of 28, but it has already been considered a "painful exception" who became famous late. ⊙Hong Shen went abroad to study abroad, specializing in drama, and was the first foreign student majoring in drama in China.When he came back from studying abroad, his grandmother asked him what he had learned in foreign countries. He said, "Learning to be an opera", but his grandmother was very disappointed, and nagged: "What a good man, why did you learn to be an actor?" ⊙Earlier, when Hu Yepin was arrested and imprisoned, his girlfriend Ding Ling went to send him a bedding, sprinkled French perfume on the quilt and pillow, and sent him a beautiful big cake.Naturally, the cake was snatched up by fellow prisoners, and the quilt was laughed at severely. ⊙Female writer Bai Wei published a collection of love letters between herself and her lover Yang Sao, which caused an uproar. Li Shicen was indignant, and said to everyone: "If Bai Wei and I publish a collection of love letters together, my page number may be larger than Yang Sao's now. The page numbers are much thicker!" ⊙Among female writers, the boundary between circles and circles is actually more obvious than that between male writers. Zhang Ailing said: "Comparing me with Bing Xin and Bai Wei, I really can't be proud of it. I can only be compared with Su Qing. I am Willingly." ⊙In April 1927, Shao Xunmei's old friend Liu Jiwen became the mayor of Nanjing Special City and invited Shao to be his secretary.Shao quit his job after only three months. He felt that he was not suitable for an official position, and vowed never to be an official again. ⊙"Rain Lane Poet" Dai Wangshu fell in love with Shi Zhecun's younger sister, Shi Jiangnian, and pursued him for a long time but failed.Once, Dai Wangshu mistook the love letter as a poem draft and sent it to the newspaper, but sent the poem draft to Miss Shi.After the newspaper received this affectionate love letter, it published it as usual. Ms. Shi was ashamed and touched, and finally agreed to Dai's pursuit. ⊙In the early 1930s, a New Sensation School emerged in the Shanghai literary world, represented by Mu Shiying, Liu Naou, and Shi Zhecun.Mu Shiying's own life is also "feeling school". When he was in his twenties, he fell in love with Qiu Peipei, a dancer who was six years older than him, in a ballroom. He started a crazy pursuit, chased her from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and finally married her. ⊙In 1927, Liu Naou met Mu Shiying, who was seven years younger than him, for the first time. This year, Mu Shiying was 15 years old. The venue was a dance hall, and the topic was about women and marriage.Liu told Mu: "Once you get married, the gates of hell will close behind you." It is said that the clothes, bras and leather shoes that Liu chose for his wife did not need to be tried on at all, and the size was absolutely perfect. ⊙Women writers Xiang Meili and Shao Xunmei once had a long-term relationship. In 1946, Shao met Xiang Meili in the United States. Xiang’s husband Boxer said to Shao: “Mr. It should be returned now." Shao smiled and replied: "I haven't made any arrangements yet, so I have to ask you to keep it!" ⊙Liu Jiwen was the first mayor of Nanjing under the Kuomintang regime. In 1928, Liu’s wife bought a pair of silk stockings for 25 yuan. After the news broke the news, Hu Hanmin, Wu Zhihui and other veterans held a meeting in the Legislative Yuan The court impeached Mayor Liu. ⊙Liu Na'ou went to dance halls, cafes, movie theaters and other places for a long time when he was young, and was known as the "Dancing King".Someone said to Liu: "You and Mu Shiying are very similar, you are really a pair of twin stars." Liu replied: "The biggest difference between me and Mu Shiying is that his novels are better than mine." ⊙ Zhang Ziping announced his withdrawal from the Creation Society. Some people commented: This is Zhang Ziping who "sacrificed the country for his home". "Zhang Ziping has a wife and a few children. Chuli people went to wave the flag and hold some secret meeting of the Bolsheviks". ⊙Lao She lived quite lonely in London. He later recalled: "In my opinion, even if a person admits that the British have many advantages, he probably would not be willing to make friends with them because of this...even if he lives in London or other places In the last ten or eight years, I may not be able to make a single friend." It was precisely because of this loneliness that Lao She, who was nearly 30 years old, began to write novels. ⊙Lao She and Xu Dishan knew each other when they were in China, and met again in London, and got closer. Sometimes they could chat for three or four hours standing on the side of the road.Xu hated Britain. Lao She recalled: "Sometimes he hated foreigners too much, because he wanted to criticize the British. He even regarded the British as being stupid and ridiculous when they were polite, orderly, and not allowed to make noise when eating soup." thing." ⊙In order to sell his newly published novel "The Trilogy of Love", Zeng Jinke falsely claimed that before publication, the manuscript was snatched by his girlfriend and thrown into a pool in a French park. Thanks to the timely salvage, this work survived ... Once the news was released by the reporter, readers rushed to buy it, and three editions were printed in a short period of time. ⊙In the 1930s, it was rumored that Guo Moruo’s manuscript fee reached 15 yuan per thousand characters; editor Lin Yutang received 350 yuan a month, and editor-in-chief of “Human World” received 500 yuan a month; Zhang Ziping received 500 yuan a month. If you write 10,000 characters, based on an average of 6 yuan per 1,000 characters, you can earn 1,800 yuan a month, plus the royalties from publishing books, you can earn 3,000 yuan a month. ⊙The poet Dai Wangshu fell in love with Shi Zhecun's younger sister. After eight years of bitter love, he broke up. Dai was very depressed. Mu Shiying comforted him and said: "What is Shi Zhecun's younger sister? My younger sister is ten times more beautiful than her." Soon , Dai Wangshu fell in love with the Mu family sister and got married. ⊙When Zeng Jinke was the editor-in-chief of a publication, he was famous for his love of publishing articles by female literary youths. Therefore, in order to earn some manuscript fees, Zeng Jinke often used the pen name of Jiao Didi to contribute articles. ⊙Zeng Jinke once declared that he would withdraw from the literary world, and published an announcement in the newspaper, saying, "I will leave quietly amidst the triumphant laughter of the heroes."Someone also posted a notice in the newspaper, mockingly said: "I was shocked to learn that the poet Zeng was determined to leave this literary world. I cried for three days and three nights, deploring this big loss in our literary world. Our poet Zeng not only has a high moral Regardless of his personality, he ignored all our rumors and slanders, what a great personality and morality this is!" ⊙In the 1940s, female writers Su Qing and Zhang Ailing were very popular. After Su Qing’s novel "Ten Years of Marriage" was made into a movie, it is said that Su Qing took 5% of each movie ticket; The price tag is extremely high, up to 60,000 yuan per thousand characters! ⊙Someone made a wealth list of female writers in Shanghai. At that time, the ranking was: the richest man Su Qing, the second Zhang Wanqing, and then Pan Liudai. ⊙Su Qing's father is the manager of a bank in Shanghai. His family is wealthy. When Su Qing was a child, she had tutors who taught her English, music and dance. The family often went out to socialize, go for a drive, and eat Western food.The parents hoped to train their daughter to be the wife of a minister in the future, but Su Qing, who was like a wild girl who mingled with the people, obviously disappointed her parents. The mother sighed and said, "This child really does not have the blessing to be the wife of a minister!" ⊙Su Qing and Zhou Lengjia "excused each other" in the newspaper, Zhou scolded Su's "Ten Years of Marriage" as "full of papers of a romantic widow, two cherries, bold and old-fashioned, sleazy and interesting", and broke the news that there is a bookstore in Suzhou Posted an ad calling her work "A Scientific History of Sexuality." ⊙Cao Juren joined the "Beijing School" and "Shanghai School" in the flames of war, and cursed: "Once you become a literati, you will have nothing to look at. The world is as black as crows, and there is no difference between the Beijing School and the Shanghai School." Being ridiculed as "Dr. Crow", he "had an unlucky mouth and a fiery heart". Whenever there is any right and wrong in the literary world, he will intervene.
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