One day in May 1955, Chinatown, which received a telephone order, quickly prepared the vegetables and vegetables needed by the lady who called and arranged for someone to send them.
The Chinese who delivered the food knocked on the door of the family's house, and the lady with a haggard face but could not hide her elegant temperament took the basket and returned to the house. She took out the vegetables in the basket and found that at the bottom, someone had deliberately hidden something she had not bought, which was a "People's Pictorial".
It was this seemingly ordinary "People's Pictorial" that successfully helped a scientist who was extremely important to the construction of new China to avoid persecution by the US government and return to China safely.
His name, yes
Qian Xuesen
。
Picture | Qian Xuesen
Speaking of "two bombs and one star" Qian Xuesen, I believe that everyone will not be unfamiliar, he is a famous aerodynamicist, system scientist in China, and one of the founders of engineering cybernetics, and there is a resounding nickname - "the father of spaceflight".
In 1991, the Central Committee awarded Qian Xuesen the honorary title of "National Outstanding Scientist" for his outstanding contributions, and Qian Xuesen mentioned his wife in his acceptance speech
Jiang Ying
He said: "Our life of 44 years of marriage is very happy, and I want to thank my lover Jiang Ying. ”
Jiang Ying is the woman who bought vegetables from Chinatown and discovered the People's Pictorial in the story at the beginning of the article.
So, how big is Jiang Ying's coming?
Her father
Jiang Baili
He was a famous military theorist in the Republic of China, and his cousin was a well-known poet of the Republic of China
Xu Zhimo
His cousin is a master of martial arts novels
Jin yong 's
The husband is "two bombs and one star" Qian Xuesen.
Among these honored relatives, Jiang Ying did not look bleak because of this, and in the face of the title of "Lady Qian Xuesen" that others called her when they mentioned her, she said without humility:"
I myself am an artist and a professor of vocal music.
”
Pictured| Jiang Ying
The origin of her and Qian Xuesen's "the most perfect combination of science and art in love" can be traced back to the love between the previous generation.
Qian Xuesen's father
Qian Junfu
He and Jiang Ying's father, Jiang Baili, had already made friends as early as a teenager, and then worked in Beijing together, and over the past few years, the friendship between the two has not been diluted by time, but the relationship has become more and more intimate.
So later, Qian Junfu, who had only one son, "starved" Jiang Baili's flower-like daughters, and asked Mrs. Jiang to ask Mrs. Jiang to come back, and they were photographed by Jiang Ying, who was the third oldest at the time.
The adults made very formal preparations for the succession after agreeing, and they set up several tables for relatives and friends, and publicly announced the news at the table. Qian Junfu changed his name to Jiang Ying
Qian Xueying
, take it home.
Once, when Jiang Qian's two families got together, Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying sang a song "Yan Shuangfei". Although the age difference between the two is seven or eight years old, let alone the biological brothers and sisters of a mother and brother, they have tacit understanding and harmony when singing this song, which has attracted applause and praise from adults. Jiang Baili watched the performance of the two and joked to his friend: "
You Qian Junfu wants my daughter, I'm afraid it's not just a lack of a girlfriend, right?
Picture | Jiang Baili
I am afraid that Jiang Baili at that time would not have thought that one day when his joke would come true, the third daughter Jiang Ying would marry his "brother" Qian Xuesen, just like the two swallows in the song "Yan Shuangfei" who were in harmony and wore the sky and clouds, no matter what kind of situation they faced, they would go hand in hand and spend their lives together.
But at that time, there was a difference of some years between Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying, and they could not play together, and Jiang Ying lived in the Qian family very unaccustomed, plus Jiang Baili and his wife also woke up at this time, and they were reluctant to let their third daughter live in someone else's home, so Jiang Ying naturally returned to the Jiang family.
However, Qian Junfu was still very fond of this little girl, and Jiang Ying recognized Qian Junfu and his wife as dry fathers and mothers, and called Qian Xuesen a dry brother. Soon after, Jiang Baili took his daughter with him when he went to Germany, and Jiang Ying was separated from qian Xuesen, the "brother of Gan", and the two broke off contact.
After Jiang Ying came to Germany, he officially opened his own singing path.
Jiang Ying enrolled in piano classes as early as when she was in middle school in Shanghai, and her father bought a piano to encourage her, and when she arrived in Germany with her father, the German teachers thought that Jiang Ying's physical appearance was very outstanding, and she was more suitable for being a musician than a pianist. At the suggestion of the teacher, Jiang Ying tried to sing, and her voice was highly praised by foreign experts. Since then, Jiang Ying, whose talent has been discovered, has focused on the art of singing.
In 1937, Jiang Ying was admitted to the vocal music department of the University of Berlin, Germany, and later went to Switzerland to learn from many well-known music masters, so she mastered a large number of German and French art songs, oratorios, Passion, Mass and other chamber music works, and she also had a deep understanding of classical, romantic and modern opera.
On the other hand, Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study aviation machinery theory in 1935. Surprisingly, as a standard "science and engineering man", Qian Xuesen also has a great interest in art, and he always goes to listen to concerts to relax in his spare time, and in his studies, in addition to studying professional books, he often reads works on art.
Art is like a red line in the darkness, crossing the ocean and implicating Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying, who are in two lands. In 1947, the two of them returned to their homeland after a long absence.
Picture | Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying
After Jiang Ying returned to China, he held his first solo concert at the Lyceum Theater in Shanghai, and it was at this concert that Jiang Ying's outstanding performance deeply shocked the people who watched, along with Qian Xuesen, who was sitting in the audience.
After the concert, Qian Xuesen began to pursue Jiang Ying. At the end, Qian Xuesen took the lead in saying to Jiang Ying:
You and I will go to America.
In the face of this proposal, Jiang Ying was still a little hesitant, but Qian Xuesen was stubborn, and this stubbornness made her soft heart and made her heart move, and Jiang Ying surrendered.
The younger sister did not approve of the marriage between the two, and she said to Jiang Ying: "Sister, if you really marry him, he will not be happy." "When my sister was in the United States, she had heard that Qian Xuesen had lost the girl introduced to him by others, and in her opinion, Qian Xuesenmu did not understand romance, and it was difficult to give Jiang Ying happiness.
Later, the reporter interviewed Jiang Ying, mentioned this matter, and asked her what she thought of Qian Xuesen at that time. Jiang Ying replied with a smile: "I admire Xuesen from my heart, we understand and support each other." ”
Picture | Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying
Because of Qian Xuesen's invitation, Jiang Ying decided to marry him, and the two held a wedding ceremony at the Shanghai International Hotel. After the wedding, they went to Boston, USA, and rented an old house near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, which was counted as an official settlement.
Although the furnishings in the home are simple and simple, there is an expensive black grand piano in the living room. This piano, which did not match the surrounding furnishings, was Qian Xuesen's first gift to his wife. After the two returned to China with difficulty, they also managed to bring the German-made piano back to their home in the dormitory area of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhongguancun, Beijing.
During the period of living in the United States, Qian Xuesen was busy with scientific research, but also helped to teach Jiang Ying, who had just come to the United States and was not proficient in English, he used English from time to time to say witty words in professors to make his wife happy, and Jiang Ying also tried to translate some German songs into English humming, and the small and warm house often heard the joyous laughter of the two. In addition, if the two have time, they often go to listen to music and watch art exhibitions together.
They are strikingly similar to music, paintings, and genres they like, and in Jiang Ying's view, her husband is like a confidant of his destiny. Under such a strong artistic atmosphere, the married life of the two is happy and stable.
On October 1, 1949, New China was officially established!
This news spread to the ears of Chinese students studying overseas, everyone rejoiced, Qian Xuesen was even more excited, he had been living in a foreign country for many years, his heart was full of concern and attachment to his homeland, in the process of studying in the United States, the only thing that could be counted as spiritual comfort was his beloved wife who accompanied him.
And now the sun and the moon change into a new day, which is the time for him to return to China and dedicate his strength to the construction of the country. After consulting with Jiang Ying, he decided that the couple would immediately return to China and serve the country. Qian Xuesen bought a plane ticket to Canada and resigned from school, while Jiang Ying, who was at home, packed his bags and entrusted the large furniture to the moving company.
For us now, it is not difficult to return to China, but for Qian Xuesen at that time, it was extremely difficult.
Mao Zedong
Qian Xuesen once commented on this: "
The Americans regard Qian Xuesen as the strength of 5 divisions, but in my opinion, Qian Xuesen is more powerful than 5 divisions!
Naturally, the US government will not easily let Qian Xuesen, who has extremely high value, leave.
Pictured| Mao Zedong
Qian Xuesen was anticipating the difficulties of returning to China, and after purchasing a plane ticket, in order to ensure a smooth trip, he asked to go to Washington to visit the deputy secretary of the Navy
Kimbell
Kimbell replied unceremoniously: "You are not allowed to leave the United States." ”
Qian Xuesen got this non-protesting answer, and after consideration, he decided to let his wife go back with their two children first, while he stayed in California for the time being. Jiang Ying did not agree with this treatment plan, she tightly held her husband's hand and said firmly:
I disagree, I'm going to stay here with you.
Soon after, the immigration bureau came and took Qian Xuesen away. The explanation given by the US side is that Qian Xuesen is a communist and that coming to the United States is illegal entry. Using this as an excuse, they detained Qian Xuesen and detained him on a small island facing the sea in Termino.
Jiang Ying tried to rescue Qian Xuesen outside, she found a lawyer to fight a lawsuit, and the US side proposed that Jiang Ying hand over a high bail of 15,000 US dollars before agreeing to release Qian Xuesen. For Qian Xuesen, who is a professor, 15,000 US dollars is an unimaginable huge amount of money, fortunately, the wife of Qian Xuesen's student at that time took the initiative to come to the door and offered to help Jiang Ying.
But even so, Qian Xuesen was held for a full 15 days in the prison full of illegal transit personnel and criminals. When Jiang Ying saw her released husband, he visibly lost a lot of weight, and she tried to talk to Qian Xuesen, but found that because of these days of prison life, Qian Xuesen temporarily lost his voice.
After the US side accepted the money, it did not remove the supervision of Qian Xuesen, but only let him leave the "prison" place. They informed Qian Xuesen that he could not leave the United States and stipulated that he could only move within 30 kilometers of his own residence.
Qian Xuesen's family lived under the surveillance of American agents for five years, in order to prevent accidents between her husband and children, Jiang Ying did not dare to ask for a nanny, she needed to take care of all the housework, her original study and research time was occupied by these family chores, and she could only squeeze out some free time every day to insist on vocal exercise.
In addition, Jiang Ying also suffered from the unscrupulous intimidation of the secret agents (
stream
Intimidation and threats. They often broke into the house to search, but Jiang Ying was strong enough to bear all this and protect her family, her appearance was weak, but her heart was very strong.
Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying were supervised all day and all night, their movements were restricted, their letters were inspected, their phones were monitored, and there was no privacy to speak of, no freedom to speak of.
They lived a full five years of this terrible day, but the five years of suffering did not shake the family's belief in returning to China, and even during this period, Qian Xuesen still immersed himself in academic research and wrote two books, "Engineering Cybernetics" and "Lecture Notes on Physical Mechanics".
Figure | "Engineering Cybernetics" by Qian Xuesen
After a long and depressing wait, Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying finally saw the opportunity to return to China.
That day Jiang Ying called to Chinatown to buy vegetables and asked them to deliver the dishes they needed to their homes, and it wasn't long before a Chinese brought them. The cabbage and vermicelli that Jiang Ying bought were randomly packed in baskets, and she didn't pay attention at first until she saw a copy of the People's Pictorial hidden underneath when she took out her things.
The pictorial magazine carried a photograph of the opening ceremony of the National Congress, and in addition to Chairman Mao Zedong, there was also an old man she knew very well.
Chen Shutong
。 Chen Shutong worked as a teacher in Qiushi Academy, once taught the fathers of Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying, and was also the "tai teacher" of Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying.
According to the prompts of the pictorial newspaper, Jiang Ying decided to try to contact Chen Shutong after consulting with her husband. But at that time, the letters sent by the two of them were to be examined by American agents, and in order to avoid inspection, after Qian Xuesen wrote the letter, Jiang Ying used his left hand to imitate the child's clumsy handwriting to transcribe the cover of the letter envelope.
Pictured| Chen Shutong
The two secretly drove to a supermarket with many black people that day, and Jiang Ying did not send the letter directly to China, but to her sister living in Belgium
Jiang Hua
Hands. Jiang Hua was very clever, and after receiving the letter, she understood the meaning and forwarded it to Qian Junfu, who was in China.
After so many twists and turns, the letter finally arrived
Zhou Enlai
In the hands of the Prime Minister. At this time
Wang Bingnan
In geneva, the US ambassador resolutely denied the persecution of the Qian Xuesen family by the US government, but he could not be reversed unless he was allowed to reverse it, and the letter was presented by Wang Bingnan as evidence.
After the Chinese side tried to rescue them, Mr. and Mrs. Qian Xuesen, who were under house arrest, received a phone call: "You can go back!" The two men were suspicious of the letter, and soon received another letter informing them that they could return to their homeland.
Pictured| Zhou Enlai
Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying were overjoyed, and they immediately ordered ferry tickets to prepare to return to China by boat. However, at this time, the US side did not give up its obstruction of Qian Xuesen's return to China, and they felt that Qian Xuesen's status would not be willing to sit in the third class, so they told them on the phone that there was no ticket in the first class, and if Qian Xuesen insisted on taking this ship to China, he could only take the third class.
However, the US side did not expect that Qian Xuesen was afraid that the night would be long and dreamy, and did not hesitate to buy a third-class ticket and prepare to return to China immediately. It was September 17, 1955, and the Qian Xuesen family successfully boarded the "President Cleveland" cruise ship.
In addition to the people from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation who "sent off" Qian Xuesen on the dock, there were also many reporters who conducted interviews on Qian Xuesen's departure from the United States, and some reporters asked whether he hated the United States.
"I don't hate the American people. When you are bitten by a dog, you cannot hate the dog, you can only hate the owner of the dog. ”
Not long after the cruise departed, one of the people living in the first class was a very prestigious feminist leader, who approached the captain and questioned qian Xuesen's fact that he was living in the third class: ""
How could you have such a famous professor living in third class?
The captain was forced to take the Qian Xuesen family to the first class when the cruise ship arrived in Hawaii. But Qian Junfu sent them a telegram warning them not to disembark at will in the middle of the way, because after leaving the US border, no matter what happened, the US side would not be responsible.
The two men arrived in Kowloon with their boats in this tense situation, until they reached the Lo Wu Bridge in a small boat, saw the red flag on the shore and the people who greeted them, and then completely relaxed their minds.
On September 18, a number of foreign newspapers and magazines reported on Qian Xuesen's return to Red China.
After returning to China, Jiang Ying worked in the Central Experimental Opera House, when her Mandarin was not good, in order to be able to return to the stage she loved, she studied hard and practiced diligently, and even worshiped the old artists, but her return to the stage to sing was not smooth.
In this family, there are three elderly people who need to be taken care of, and there are a pair of children under it, and Qian Xuesen often needs to visit the front-line base for research, and every time he goes back to the base, he often stays for ten days and half a month.
Even once, after Qian Xuesen left home on a business trip, Jiang Ying did not get news from her husband for more than a month, she could not contain the worries in her heart, and went to the Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defense to inquire about Qian Xuesen's recent situation, and the comrades of the Fifth Academy understood her anxiety, although they comforted her, but the only information that could be said was that Qian Xuesen could not come back temporarily when he went out on a business trip. Jiang Ying knew that it was a state secret, so he did not ask again.
Because of this situation, the family's life can only be managed by Jiang Ying alone, and it is impossible for her to go on a tour in other places, and the leader also considered this situation and felt that she was really not suitable for working in the opera house, and proposed to transfer her to a stable conservatory to teach.
At that time, Jiang Ying was a world-renowned soprano singer, and after knowing that she was about to leave the stage, she could not accept it at first. But she also understood that this was the difficulty of the central leadership taking care of her family, so she suppressed her yearning for the stage, turned behind the scenes, and became a music educator.
Photo | Jiang Ying (front row, center)
But Jiang Ying did not give up her artistic career because she could not take the stage, as long as she encountered the right opportunity, such as the graduation performance of the school, she would take the stage. At this time, Qian Xuesen will try to go to the scene as much as possible to watch his wife's performance. But qian Xuesen is busy with work after all, and when he really can't get there, Jiang Ying will record his performance and watch it when Qian Xuesen is idle.
It is gold that shines everywhere, and Jiang Ying, who devoted herself to the cause of music education, has also made remarkable achievements, she taught at the Central Conservatory of Music, successively served as professor of the Vocal Music Department, director of teaching and research, deputy director of the Opera Department, and personally cultivated Fu Haijing, Zhu Ailan, Jiang Yong and other outstanding musicians who occupy a place in the international music scene.
The difference in the direction of their work, one focused on scientific research and the other on art, did not affect their conjugal life, on the contrary, they showed the most perfect model in which science and art complement each other. For example, Qian Xuesen published the book "The Art of Science and the Science of Art", the English translation of the book was set by Jiang Ying, and Jiang Ying also spent several months of hard work to participate in organizing and directing the "Starry Light" concert, which she dedicated to astronauts and also used it to praise the hardships and greatness of aerospace workers.
Picture | Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying
At the "40th Anniversary of Professor Jiang Ying's Teaching Activity - Art and Science Seminar", Qian Xuesen was going to be present in person, but he could not attend due to physical discomfort, he wrote down the speech, entrusted his daughter to read it at the meeting, in the speech, he did not shy away from expressing his love and respect for Jiang Ying.
"I would like to explain to the comrades here that Jiang Ying has greatly helped and enlightened me in my work, and this is actually the enlightenment and development of literature and art to scientific thinking!"
He credits half of his scientific career to his beloved wife, just as in 2001, when the Hong Kong Fok Ying Tung Awards Committee awarded Qian Xuesen the "Fok Ying Tung Outstanding Award", Qian Xuesen ridiculed Jiang Ying: "The award belongs to me, the money belongs to you." ”
On the surface, this is talking about the distribution of awards and bonuses, but it playfully uses a harmonic sound, and what Qian Xuesen is really saying is "Jiang (award) Ying is mine, and Qian Xuesen is yours."
They are one and the same, they are the branches that grow on the ground, and they are also the lotus that grows in the water, and it is you who have me, and I have you.
Pictured | Jiang Ying while singing
These two people, who have made outstanding contributions to scientific research and art respectively, have a simple and unobtrusive attitude in their daily lives. After returning to China, the two lived a life no different from ordinary people's homes, living in a red brick old building built in the 50s, and the furnishings and furniture in the home were simple and low-key, except for the precious piano brought back from the United States, the most valuable should be those neatly arranged and numerous books.
The relevant departments have repeatedly proposed to arrange more comfortable housing for Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying, but they did not want to cause any trouble to the country because of their personal lives, so they resigned from the state's good intentions. The money they have accumulated in their simple lives, they do not intend to keep, but use it to help the poor and contribute to the country and the people.
In addition to their material contempt, they do not care much about the reputation of Qian Xuesen and his wife. There is a "three noes" agreement between the two:
One does not write a biography, the second does not evaluate the merits, and the third does not accept reporters' interviews.
They spent this life together in such an ordinary and pure way, on October 31, 2009, Mr. Qian Xuesen passed away, and three years later, on February 5, 2012, Jiang Ying also left the world. They have been together for 62 years, through the same suffering, the same prosperity, with their lives together to play a long song of science and music.