Jiang Menglin is a famous educator and the longest-reigning principal of Peking University.
Jiang Menglin
At the beginning of 1919, he was qualified as a doctor of education at Columbia University, and was hired by his compatriot Cai Yuanpei as a professor in the Department of Education of Peking University, acting president after the May Fourth Movement, and general secretary in September 1919, after 1930, he stepped down as minister of education and officially served as the president of Peking University, until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he handed over the seat to Hu Shi, who served as president for 15 years and presided over the school administration for 25 years, which was the longest reigning president in the history of Peking University.
During His reign, Jiang Menglin emphasized "rectifying discipline and developing mass governance to make up for the shortcomings of the school", hired masters such as Qian Mu, Gu Jiegang, and Fu Sinian, and began to pay attention to academic education, which eventually made Peking University one of the five famous schools in the Republic of China.
His educational proposition was: "Education is the science of the whole life." The purpose is to enjoy the fullness of life, or to achieve the richness of human life. ”
Looking at Jiang Menglin's life experience, rich is rich, and complete happiness is not necessarily.
He paid too much attention to the pursuit of personal freedom, regarded the romantic casualness of love as a happiness in life, and after abandoning his wife Sun Yushu, the two "love stories" composed by him became jokes, and finally the old situation was desolate, and he ended up drinking and hating on the sickbed.
1. Abandoning his wife and children, marrying the widow of an old friend in order to "fulfill his obligations", and was eventually expelled by Peking University Students
Jiang Menglin is a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, born in 1886, who studied at the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University at his own expense.
Before going abroad, he married Sun Yushu, a woman from the same village, and after returning to China in 1917, he took Sun Yushu to Beijing, where they had the eldest son Jiang Renyu, the second son Jiang Renyuan, the third son Jiang Renhao, and the daughter Jiang Yanhua.
At the end of 1928, when he was the minister of education in Nanjing, he had an affair with his young secretary Tao Zenggu, so he let Sun Yushu live with his children in his hometown in Zhejiang, "divorce without leaving home", and formally married Tao Zenggu himself.
At the wedding, he gave a public speech, saying that Tao Zenggu was the widow of his good friend and Peking University professor Gao Renshan, and after Gao Renshan was killed, Tao Zenggu took his three-year-old son Gao Tao and two-year-old daughter Tao Yanjin to make an independent living, so he married and married another in order to help his old friend "fulfill his obligations": "Because I love Brother Gao, so I love the people he loved more, and I love her more, so that I can be worthy of my deceased friend and can fulfill my obligations for my old friend."
Jiang Menglin and Tao Zenggu were married
At this time, his own children Jiang Renyuan and Jiang Yanhua were still in elementary school, and his youngest son, Jiang Renhao, had just toddlered and was sent to Zhejiang to be cared for and raised by his honest wife.
Hu Shi, a witness to the marriage, delivered a speech for it, saying that he particularly admired Jiang Menglin's "bravery" and praised the wedding as "a symbol that can represent the changes of the times" and is "a way to live" from various difficulties.
This remark was published in the newspapers of the time, and it was a joke for a while, and Jiang Menglin was called "the last love" ever since.
However, Tao Zenggu, who became the wife of the president of Peking University, brought a lot of criticism to Jiang Menglin, among them, the most disgusting thing for students was that during the period when Peking University moved south and merged into the Southwest United Nations University, Tao Zenggu often took the girls of the United Nations University to the US Military Headquarters to dance with AMERICAN officers.
Jiang Menglin and Tao Zenggu
At that time, prices in Chongqing soared, but Tao Zenggu lived in luxury, arrogant and liked to point fingers, which made Jiang Menglin's reputation plummet, and Jiang Menglin's old friend Fu Sinian also said: "Jiang Menglin and Professor Peking University do not have a harmonious relationship, and it is always The contribution of Ms. Tao Zenggu."
In 1944, on the eve of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, led by famous professors such as Fu Sinian and Zhou Binglin, the masters and students of Peking University launched a wave of "overthrowing Jiang Yinghu" and calling on Jiang Menglin to step down and welcome Hu Shi who was overseas to return to the school to take charge, so that Jiang Menglin's dream of reviving the program of Peking University after returning to Beiping was shattered. In August 1945, Jiang Menglin resigned and Hu Shi succeeded him as president of Peking University.
Soon after, Jiang Menglin became the chairman of the newly established "China Rural Revitalization Joint Committee" (the "Agricultural Rehabilitation Association") of the Chinese and American governments, which is a leisure job far from the core of politics and religion.
In 1949, Jiang Menglin took Tao Zenggu, Tao's two children and his daughter Jiang Yanhua to Taiwan, and his three grown sons chose to stay on the mainland and did not follow their father.
2. The 74-year-old fell in love with Xu Xianle, the "school flower" of Guanghua University, at first sight, and disregarded the opposition of everyone to steal the wedding
Tao Zenggu died of illness in 1958, and before she died, she repeatedly told her relatives: "Meng Lin (Jiang Menglin's character) is in good health, and it is too emotional. When I die, he will not be able to bear it; moreover, I cannot bear his long loneliness. So, I hope you can help him find a suitable partner to accompany him..."
This relative took Tao Zenggu's words to heart, after Tao Zenggu's death, he repeatedly acted as a matchmaker for Jiang Menglin, and Jiang Menglin was 72 years old at this time, his daughter Jiang Yanhua and son-in-law moved in with him to take care of his life, he had no intention of remarrying, and he did not agree to this matchmaker's many times.
In 1960, at a banquet at the Yuanshan Hotel, the matchmaker introduced him to 52-year-old Xu Xianle, and the 74-year-old Jiang Menglin's heartstrings were completely stirred.
Xu Xianle
Xu Xianle was born into a famous family, his great-grandfather was a famous scientist Xu Shou in the late Qing Dynasty, his father Xu Jiabao was the general office of the Machinery Bureau, five brothers and three sisters all graduated from famous schools, when they studied at Shanghai Guanghua University, they were called school flowers, after graduation, they went to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, became a ministry flower, and later went to work at the Central Trust Bureau in Taiwan, and then became a bureau flower, at this time Xu Niang was half old, but she still had a bright face and charm.
Jiang Menglin called the matchmaker on the same day and said: "That Miss Xu is too good, her temper is gentle, especially her demeanor is really good, too good, too good." And asked the matchmaker to ask Xu Xianle to dinner.
Jiang Menglin wrote in his first love letter to Xu Xianle: "Among some of the ladies I have ever met, you are the one who has touched my heart the most..."
But Xu Xianle's reputation is not very good, she looks bright and bright, from college has been a suitor like a cloud, one of the young rich businessman Shen Daoming has been associated with her for a long time, and finally because of the money is not happy and scattered, in 1937, Xu Xianle in Chongqing married the 20-year-old army lieutenant general Yang Jie, married for seven months, the two also turned against the money, divorce ended.
After knowing each other for several months, Jiang Menglin dreamed of Xu Xianle's soul.
Once the two of them got into an awkward fight over a small matter, and after not seeing each other for several days, Jiang Menglin slept unsettled, and used a banner of one foot of Japanese painting Phnom Penh crepe water-colored paper to transcribe a five-generation poem to give away:
"Where to throw people in the eternal night, no sound, incense cabinet cover." Eyebrows, the moon will sink, can't stand each other? Resentment and loneliness, change my heart, for your heart, always know each other's memories.
Five generations of Gu Yuan's words, tune and send heartfelt feelings. Xin Ugly Spring Book in Shimen, Jiang Menglin. ”
There is also a line at the back of the paper: "Dedicated to you in your dreams"
Among Xu Xianle's relics, he saw three notes given to her by Jiang Menglin in May and June 1961, which said "Xianle Wu Ai" and "I haven't seen her for several days, I miss it a lot", and I have invited her to dinner many times.
Soon the two talked about marriage, but Jiang Menglin's friends objected, and on June 18, 1961, Hu Shi, who had praised him for his "bravery" when he was married for the second time, wrote a long letter from the hospital room to persuade him, saying:
"Brother Meng Lin:
Your news of the continuation of the string has really caused a storm in the city, and these words are roughly like this: A certain lady (small years note: referring to Xu Xianle) has opened her mouth to ask you for 200,000 yuan, and you have only given 80,000: of which 60,000 are to buy engagement rings, and 20,000 are to make clothes. This is what a certain lady told people herself, and she felt very wronged and dissatisfied. Friends who care about your happiness come to me and say that I must vigorously advise you to "restrain the horse from the precipice", endure the great sacrifice of the large sums you have paid, or save a little savings, otherwise you will never have spiritual happiness in the rest of your life, and perhaps there will be great pain...
The way this young lady treats Mr. Meng Lin now is exactly the way he used to treat her ex-husband, General Yang Jie, and the same way she has treated many boyfriends in the past seventeen or eighteen years: before talking about marriage, first ask for a large amount of money, first ask for all the property management rights, Mr. Meng Lin is too loyal, too fascinated, and is definitely not the person who can deal with her. ”
The first on the left is Jiang Menglin
The "first lady" Song Meiling heard about this matter and also expressed her opposition.
Chen Cheng told Jiang Menglin: "My wife received a call from Lady Jiang, and she resolutely opposed your marriage to this Miss Xu, and my wife also opposed it, and she wanted me to tell you." If you must marry him, then we will not be able to meet again, at least, your wife, and we will not be able to meet. ”
On the one hand, he went to Hu Shi's hospital room and lied to Hu Shi that the wedding had been canceled; on the other hand, he wrote to Chen Cheng, saying that "foreign newspapers, as close as Vietnam and as far as the United States, have reported on it." Therefore, after careful consideration, for Menglin, for the other party, and for the reputation of the government, in fact, it is necessary to marry immediately. ”
In the second marriage, Jiang Menglin married Tao Zenggu in order to help his old friend "fulfill his obligations", and in the third marriage, Jiang Menglin "for the reputation of the government" wanted to marry Xu Xianle, repay the country, treat the righteousness of friends, and win the love of Meng Linhu.
Because there were too many opponents, on July 18, 1961, 75-year-old Jiang Menglin quietly held a secret wedding at Chen Neng's home in Linyi Street, Taipei City, and even his close friend Hu Shi was kept in the dark by him.
On the same day, he wrote to his daughter Jiang Yanhua and proudly said: "I can often see people who are not up to sight, and pedestrians are afraid to do it." I can do it myself. Therefore, in order to save himself, he resolutely decided to marry Ms. Xu. ”
3. After marriage, he was abused by "Xu Niang", did not have enough to eat, was cheated of money and property, and ended up hating
Within a few days, Jiang Menglin's illusion of love was shattered.
On the night of the wedding, Xu Xianle asked Jiang Menglin to make a list of his stocks and deposits to her. After that, he gradually took over the financial power of jiang Menglin's family and the peasant rehabilitation association under Jiang Menglin's administration, forced Jiang Menglin's daughter to move away, and withheld Jiang Menglin's life, so that he felt that he could not eat enough, and could only go to a friend's house to rub rice.
The first on the right is Jiang Menglin, and the second on the right is Xu Xianle
On December 6, 1962, Jiang Menglin broke his leg, during the hospitalization, Xu Xianle did not take care of the whole time, happily participated in the dance outside, and also asked Jiang Menglin to change small wards to save money, and took the opportunity to transfer all of Jiang's property, occupied the property of the Peasant Restoration Association, and defrauded 10,000 yuan from the Agricultural Rehabilitation Association on the grounds that the operation needed money, and even the deposits and stocks of Jiang Yanhua and Tao Yanjin were transferred by her, which made Jiang Menglin chill.
At the beginning of 1963, Jiang Menglin asked to separate from Xu Xianle on the condition of paying NT$3,000 per month, Xu Xianle thought that this was "a letter of suspension", and immediately counterattacked, writing "Xu Xianle's Book of Jiang Menglin" published in the newspaper, saying that the reason why she did this was that Jiang had promised her: "Because you once said to me: In the past, every grass and tree belonged to Tao Zenggu, and now all belong to you." ”
On April 10, 1963, three months after the two men tore each other apart in the newspaper, Jiang Menglin requested a divorce on the grounds that he was "unable to bear the pain of Xu Niang's abuse" and demanded that Xu Xianle return his belongings.
At the press conference, Jiang Menglin burst into tears: "I am determined to divorce Ms. Xu, I have a reason, and there are reasons." "Now for more than a year now, I am disappointed, I have suffered unbearable pain in life: home is the abyss of my pain, and I deeply regret that I did not accept the advice of my former friend Mr. Hu Shizhi and made a mistake." I am ashamed of my old friend..."
Not to be outdone, Xu Xianle continued to publish texts in the press under the title of "I and Jiang Menglin", accusing Jiang of "transferring the passbook, stocks, and land at the time when Jiang opened the knife.", she replied: "You said that everything you have belonged to me, so what I am doing today is nothing more than acting according to your wishes." ”
Hu Shi died in February 1962, and in his long letter before his death, he had bitterly advised: "Miss Xu (Xu Xianle) has found out in detail all the property status of Mr. Meng Lin, and in the future it is bound to cause trouble until Mr. Meng Lin's old age is not named, the six relatives do not come to the door, and there will never be a day to satisfy this young lady's greed..."
Remembering the words of his former friend, Jiang Menglin was in pain.
Finally, on January 23, 1964, the divorce case that caused a sensation in Taiwan was concluded by mediation. Jiang Menglin paid 500,000 yuan in alimony and regained his freedom. On June 29, Jiang Menglin, who was physically and mentally exhausted, died of liver cancer.
Xu Xianle gained almost all of Jiang Menglin's wealth in this divorce war, and lived a life of pampering until his death in 2006 at the age of 98.
"Amorous" Jiang Menglin, in several marriages, heavy color is not heavy morality, love is supreme, ignoring family obligations, and finally paid a heavy price for this old-age affair.