In 1927, Fudan University ushered in the first batch of female college students since its establishment, and on the day of the opening of the school, there was a female student who attracted the attention of everyone.
When she stepped out of an open-top car with a license plate of "84", the gorgeous cheongsam and graceful posture suddenly looked at the many boys passing by. Soon, she had the title "Miss 84".
The woman who became a campus figure as soon as she appeared was Yan Youyun. Her life experience is a microcosm of an era, and she is also a witness and witness to that ever-changing era.
Picture | Yan Youyun
People who are not familiar with the history of the Republic of China will feel very unfamiliar with Yan Youyun's name, but if you study this history a little, you will know that her name has also been a household name, compared with the famous women or talented women of the same period, Yan Youyun's life is more turbulent.
Yan Youyun was born into a wealthy family, and his grandfather Yan Xinhou was a staff member of Li Hongzhang, founded China's first bank, and came from a very wealthy family. His father, Yan Zijun, inherited his father's business and was also a successful businessman.
Because of the solid family, Yan Youyun's life from an early age was comfortable and comfortable, and when the people's living standards were still maintained in food and clothing, Yan Youyun's life was almost heaven.
Yan Youyun of Girls' Generation not only has her own car, but also has a special driver and servant, and even her favorite clothes are specially customized by tailors.
During her studies in Fudan, because of her beautiful appearance and elegant temperament, Yan Youyun was recognized as a school flower. There were also many suitors and people who came to the house to propose relatives, but Yan Youyun was not moved.
Regarding love, Yan Youyun has her own ideas, she said: "The man who can make me like must be mature, talented and interested, and wealth is not important." As long as I marry the person I like, Yan Youyun is even willing to go out to work and earn money to support my family! ”
Pictured| Yan Youyun of girls' generation
Yan Youyun, who attaches great importance to a person's inner life, soon ushered in his own love.
At a ballroom dance in Fudan, Yan Youyun and Yang Guangxin, who was also at the dance, met each other, and the two felt good about each other, and soon came together.
Yang Guangxing was born in a family of silk merchants in Huzhou, with a superior family and a talent. He graduated from Tsinghua University and was sent to study abroad and received a Ph.D. in International Law from Princeton University.
In 1929, at the age of 24, Yan Youyun and Yang Guangxuan, then a professor at Tsinghua University and an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a grand wedding ceremony at the Majestic Hotel in Shanghai.
The wedding also shocked Shanghai Beach at that time, the host of the wedding was Wang Zhengting, who was the foreign minister at the time, and the number of guests attending the wedding reached a thousand.
Picture | Yan Youyun and Yang Guangxuan married for a group photo
Needless to say, life after marriage is happy and stable, and Yan Youyun still lives a good life after marriage, she often goes to beauty salons to do massages, and sometimes visits jewelry stores and fashion stores.
Yang Guangxi is also fond of Yan Youyun, and the two have a deep affection, and have three children after marriage.
But this happy life did not last long, and soon Yang Guangxin went to England to serve as consul general in London, and was later transferred to the Philippines, and Yan Youyun also took her children and followed her husband around the world. But what the family did not expect was that it was in the Philippines that the family suffered an unprecedented blow.
After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army launched an attack on the Philippines ruled by the American Army, and when the American army withdrew from the Philippines, Yang Guangxi refused MacArthur's invitation to retreat and insisted on advancing and retreating with the expatriates.
In 1942, the indomitable Yang Guangxing and 7 other diplomats who remained in the consulate general were secretly killed by the Japanese army.
Pictured| Yan Youyun took a group photo with Yang Guangxuan and his daughters
Although the news of Yang Guangxing's murder was blocked by the Japanese army, Yan Youyun also deeply felt that her husband was fierce and ji, although her husband's whereabouts were unknown, although the danger of war was imminent, Yan Youyun insisted on choosing to stay in Manila and continue to wait for her husband's return with her three daughters.
Yan Youyun, who was unable to protect herself, also became the head of the widows and children of more than 40 other officials who were killed, leading the women to reclaim the lawn into a vegetable garden, raise chickens and pigs, make soap and soy sauce, and mediate the contradictions between the parties.
Later, Yan Youyun occasionally talked about her years in Manila, and the horrors were still vividly remembered: "As soon as I heard the sound of Japanese leather boots or military vehicles driving outside, my heart was hanging to the mouth of my throat, and I was almost suffocated with nervousness... There are many women in the family, so we must hurry up and avoid them."
It's an experience teetering on the brink of life and death, and the whole family can't predict which of tomorrow's sun or danger will come first.
Although life is difficult and faces great psychological pressure, Yan Youyun has always maintained an optimistic heart. In her free time, Yan Youyun can also play the piano, and the melodious sound of the piano seems to make people forget the pain of war. According to her second daughter, Yang Xuelan, "Her mother was the lubricant and everyone loved her." When I was a child, I didn't feel any pain, only love. "
Pictured| Yan Youyun and her three daughters
The hard years in Manila were full of hardships and fears of life, but they also experienced the wisdom of her life, and she gradually grew into an independent woman.
After the war, Yan Youyun traveled to the United States with her three children. It was also at this time that Yan Youyun finally learned and confirmed the news of her husband's murder, and yan Youyun was sad in the face of the death of her lover, but she knew that she could not fall, because the three children still needed her.
In order to live, Yan Youyun went around looking for jobs, she was very lucky, because she had a good foundation in Chinese and English, and had been a diplomat's wife, familiar with the etiquette of diplomatic occasions, so Yan Youyun, who was only 40 years old, became the first batch of protocol officers of the United Nations and the first batch of female diplomats of the United Nations.
The work of the Protocol Division involves all official matters of united Nations protocol and cannot be faulted. But Yan Youyun worked in the United Nations Protocol Division for thirteen and a half years, but she did a very good job, eventually becoming a prominent female diplomat until her official retirement in October 1959.
Yan Youyun not only achieved results in her career, but also her three daughters achieved success in their studies. Her eldest daughter, Yang Leimeng, serves as editor-in-chief of the Two Days Publishing Group in the United States, and has worked on countless masterpieces, such as "Kissinger's Memoirs".
The second daughter, Yang Xuelan, became the first Chinese vice president in the history of GM, and she played a key role in the establishment of Buick cars in Shanghai.
Picture | Yan Youyun took a group photo with friends
For women who love to laugh, happiness is never absent.
As her daughters grew up, Yan Youyun also found a new home, this man is Gu Weijun, who was once known as the "first diplomat of the Republic of China", and he was also Yang Guangjing's boss.
In October 1959, 54-year-old Yan Youyun and 71-year-old Gu Weijun registered their marriage in Mexico City.
This marriage is precious to Yan Youyun and Gu Weijun, who have already entered the twilight. After marriage, the two supported each other, and Yan Youyun played the role of Gu Weijun's housekeeper and secretary, carefully helping Gu Weijun in life and work.
If it is said that the marriage between Yan Youyun and Yang Guangxing is a combination of golden children and jade girls and heavenly creations. Then, the combination of her and Gu Weijun is to be in love with each other and accompany and support.
Pictured| Yan Youyun and Gu Weijun exchanging rings
Under the care of Yan Youyun, Gu Weijun not only relied on his old age in life, but also completed a 11,000-page, 5 million-word memoir with the help of Yan Youyun, leaving behind a story of China's diplomacy for nearly half a century for future generations.
Gu Weijun's eldest son, Gu Dechang, once said movingly: "If it were not for her (referring to Yan Youyun), my father's life expectancy would have been shortened by twenty years." ”
The twilight love affair lasted for 26 years until 1985, when Gu Weijun, who was 97 years old, died of illness.
Although her lover died, Yan Youyun did not give up on herself, although her life is nearing its end, but Yan Youyun's later life is still comfortable and peaceful, colorful.
In her later years, she played mahjong, read newspapers, and even often baked cakes herself, as in her youth, she still lived a very delicate and ritualistic life, she had to wear makeup and high heels when she went out, and at her 100-year-old birthday feast, she still wore a cheongsam and high heels to dance with guests, although she was a centenarian, but her mentality was always young.
Her daughter Yang Xuelan said: "We feel like she is a star-like figure. ”
Pictured| 98-year-old Yan Youyun took a group photo with a doctor
Yan Youyun published her oral autobiography "One Hundred and Nine Springs – My Story" at the age of 109, in which she wrote the following sentence in her own handwriting: "Every day is a good day!" My longevity secret: don't exercise, don't eat tonics, love fat the most, don't dwell on the past, and always look forward. ”
The usual health care method is to exercise more and eat less meat, but Yan Youyun has summed up a different longevity secret, not only not exercising but also loving to eat fat meat.
Perhaps the key factor affecting longevity is not what to eat, whether to exercise, the key lies in the mentality.
It is precisely because of Yan Youyun's optimistic attitude that she does not dwell on the past, so that there is no regret or regret in her heart, and what is in front of her is always a beautiful future. On May 24, 2017, Yan Youyun, the century-old man who witnessed the change of the times, died of illness at his home in New York at the age of 112.