As the saying goes, behind every successful man is a great woman. So what would it be like to have four successful men standing behind a woman?
Military theorist Jiang Baili, "The Father of China's Aerospace" Qian Xuesen, poet Xu Zhimo, and writer Jin Yong, linking these four well-known figures is a soprano singer.
She is Jiang Ying.
Jiang Ying's father is Jiang Baili, her husband is Qian Xuesen, her cousin is Xu Zhimo, and her cousin is Jin Yong.
In such a crowded family, she was destined for a wonderful and extraordinary life.
Complete your studies in the midst of war
Jiang Ying was born in 1919 in Haining, Zhejiang.
His father, Jiang Baili, was a famous military theorist and was famous for his military studies.
Jiang Ying is the third oldest, innocent and beautiful, lively and cute from childhood.
Under the influence of her father, Jiang Ying loved music since childhood. In her fifth and sixth grades, after her father bought her the first piano in her life, she embarked on the road of music.
In 1935, at the age of 16, Jiang Ying followed her parents on a trip to Europe. The strong artistic atmosphere in Europe makes Jiang Ying, who loves music, linger.
The father also intends to keep his daughter in Germany to study. As a result, Jiang Ying became the first oriental student in an aristocratic school in Berlin, Germany.
The young girl, who quickly adapted to the new environment, learned the tough and rigorous character of the Germans.
Two years later, Jiang Ying was admitted to the Berlin Academy of Music with honors, majoring in vocal music.
College time is one of the happiest memories of her life.
During the day she is busy practicing, practicing and learning languages, and at night she indulges in symphony, opera and drama in the concert hall.
Jiang Ying recalled that experience: "When I entered the Berlin Conservatory in Germany, I wanted to listen here, I wanted to listen there, I was interested in everything, I seemed to fall into the ocean of music, it rushed towards me like waves."
With her love for music, Jiang Ying happily wandered in the ocean of music. However, the outbreak of war made the road to education difficult.
Food shortages, alarms that sound at any time, and disruptions to family contact have left people living in fear. The school curriculum was interrupted for a while, and the teachers appeared only occasionally.
Even so, Jiang Ying still insisted on going to school every day to study. Relying on two potatoes every morning and evening, Jiang Ying finally graduated in 1941.
At this time, the bad news of the death of his father Jiang Baili came.
A rising star
My father once said to Jiang Ying: "Since you like music, you should try to learn." Seeking learning requires firm confidence in order to have fruitful harvests."
Although Jiang Ying was deeply sad in her heart, she remembered her father's teachings and resolutely decided to go to Switzerland, a neutral country at that time, to continue her studies.
After coming to Switzerland, although life is still hard, every day to rely on picking vegetable leaves to live, but Jiang Ying's spiritual world is extremely happy.
She entered the postgraduate class of the Vocal Department of the Lushan Conservatory of Music in Switzerland to continue her studies.
The music she once loved has long become her spiritual pillar, guiding her forward in the dark.
In 1943, Jiang Ying participated in the International Music Festival held in Luchen, Switzerland, and won the international soprano competition, setting a new record in the history of Asian music and becoming the first person to win in East Asia.
After becoming famous in World War I, Jiang Ying ushered in the peak of her singing career, which not only attracted the attention of the European vocal music community, but also received strong praise from famous artists.
Soon, with the end of the war, Jiang Ying wanted to return to the motherland after 10 years of absence.
Finally, at the end of 1946, Jiang Ying returned to the embrace of the motherland with her moving singing voice.
"The sword blade comes out of the grinding, and the plum blossom fragrance comes from the bitter cold", the systematic and professional music training over the years has allowed Jiang Ying to harvest flowers and applause on the stage.
The beautiful and beautiful music performance set off a "Jiang Ying boom".
A reporter commented: "She is a star of Western classical music rising in the East."
However, the rising star suddenly chose to get married.
On September 17, 1947, Jiang Ying married his "dry brother" Qian Xuesen. The combination of Lang Cai's female appearance was a sensation.
Brother Gan and "Child Bride"
The marriage between Jiang Ying and Qian Xuesen originally stemmed from a "contract" between the parents of both parties.
Qian Xuesen always laughed and said, "Jiang Ying is my family's child daughter-in-law."
The Jiang family and the Qian family were originally family friends. At that time, the Jiang family had five golden flowers, while the Qian family only had one son, Qian Xuesen.
Therefore, the Qian family made a request that the Jiang family could pass on the third elder to them.
Jiang Baili, who had a military personality, happily agreed to this request. As a result, Jiang Ying, who was only four years old, was passed over to the Qian family and renamed "Qian Xueying".
But because of his young age, Xiao Jiang Ying soon lost his home, coupled with the fact that Qian Xuesen was 12 years old at the time, the age gap aggravated Xiao Jiang Ying's loneliness, and he cried every day.
On the other hand, Jiang Baili and his wife soon regretted their original decision and proposed to the Qian family the idea of bringing Jiang Ying back.
Qian Xuesen's mother had to agree, but made a new request.
"You old three, when you grow up, I am my daughter, and I will have to be my daughter-in-law in the future."
Jiang Baili agreed as soon as he took a bite.
Since then, Jiang Ying has called Qian's parents to be a father and a mother, and Qian Xuesen to be a "dry brother."
Later, at the party of the Jiang family and the Qian family, Jiang Ying and Qian Xuesen, who had already become a big girl, sang a song "Yan Shuangfei", which made the parents of the two families very happy.
No one expected that a song without guessing had become a portrayal of the lives of the two.
Not long after, Qian Xuesen went to the United States, Jiang Ying went to Germany, and the two broke off contact.
It was not until, after Jiang Ying returned from Europe to become famous, that Qian Xuesen had news of Jiang Ying and quickly returned to China from the United States.
Seeing each other again, the two were no longer young boys and girls, and Qian Xuesen had a heartwarming feeling for Jiang Ying in front of him.
Therefore, Qian Xuesen took the initiative to express his love to Jiang Ying.
"Let's start making friends and get married." Will you come with me to the United States?" ”
Soon, they were married, and the child daughter-in-law married gan brother.
Impressive new wedding date
At that time, Qian Xuesen was already the youngest tenured professor at MIT.
After marriage, Jiang Ying, whose career has just started, can only push off many performance opportunities and follow her husband across the ocean to the United States.
Qian Xuesen's first gift to Jiang Ying's new marriage was a black German grand piano.
When she first arrived in the United States, Jiang Ying fantasized about a sweet new wedding date, but on the first day of their reunion, Qian Xuesen poured a basin of cold water on Jiang Ying.
After breakfast, Qian Xuesen finished drinking tea, got up and said to Jiang Ying: "Then I will leave, come back in the evening, you are slowly familiar with it alone." ”
Jiang Ying, who was not familiar with life, waited for a day and looked forward to Qian Xuesen's return. After the two went outside to eat, Qian Xuesen made a cup of tea and said to Jiang Ying: "See you back, see you back." ”
Before Jiang Ying could react, he went into the study and didn't come out until 12 p.m.
At this time, Jiang Yingcai realized that there is not only romance and sweetness in life, but also reality and triviality, especially the boredom of the husband of the "science and engineering man", which is a test.
Although Qian Xuesen spends most of his time reading and researching, every weekend the two of them have a fixed leisure time.
Jiang Ying often accompanied Qian Xuesen to social occasions, and her generosity was well received by friends.
Jiang Ying quickly adapted to free life in the United States, but she never forgot the music she loved.
Her plan for herself was: "After having a family and two babies, I will have to pursue my own profession."
Then, life will always stage the drama of "impermanence" without any defense.
A dark moment of froth
In October 1949, after the founding of New China was announced, Qian Xuesen decided to return to the motherland and contribute his share to the motherland.
He told Jiang Ying: "Science has no borders, but scientists have a motherland."
However, the act of returning home was sabotaged by the US side.
On the eve of the family's return to China, Qian Xuesen was arrested on charges of being a member of the United States Communist Party and illegal entry.
In the face of sudden changes, Jiang Yinglin was in danger, taking her two-month-old daughter and two-year-old son with her running around to rescue her husband.
After fifteen days of prison torture, Jiang Ying collected fifteen thousand US dollars in bail before Qian Xuesen was granted bail.
When Jiang Ying went to pick up Qian Xuesen, her husband had already lost his voice after being tortured.
After being released from prison, Qian Xuesen's family continued to be closely monitored by the FBI.
They cannot leave Los Angeles, their activities are limited to thirty kilometers of their place of residence, and they must register with the IMMIGRATION Office every month, report their whereabouts, and accept summonses from USCIS officials at any time.
In such a humiliating life, the couple did not lose heart. Under the meticulous care of Jiang Ying, Qian Xuesen gradually regained his ability to speak.
Jiang Ying played the piano every day and practiced vocals, while Qian Xuesen immersed himself in books and completed two monographs, "Engineering Cybernetics" and "Physical Mechanics".
On the title page of the book, Qian Xuesen prominently marked the words "To tsiang yin" (dedicated to Jiang Ying) to express his love for Jiang Ying.
It was the mutual froth between the husband and wife that allowed the two to survive that gray time together.
A difficult journey home
Life under house arrest in the United States lasted five years before The Qian family returned to China.
And this is thanks to Jiang Ying's risk of secretly passing on the message, only to save the family from the sea of suffering.
In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai attended the Geneva Conference to negotiate the detention of Chinese expatriates and students by the United States. The US side claimed to have released the Chinese in the United States long ago, but refused to admit the seizure.
It was not until the Chinese side presented Qian Xuesen's handwritten letter requesting rescue at the meeting that the US side was able to admit the facts.
In the end, the Chinese government exchanged the early release of 11 American pilots captured in the Korean War for the Qian Xuesen family, who were under house arrest.
And this key letter was sent by Jiang Ying at the risk.
After receiving the news that he could return to China, Jiang Ying did not dare to delay for a moment, for fear of any changes.
The plane ticket was gone, and the family returned to China in the third class of the ship.
In October 1955, Jiang Ying and Qian Xuesen finally returned to the embrace of the motherland.
After returning to the embrace of the motherland, Jiang Ying was assigned to the Central Experimental Opera House as a soloist and vocal music instructor.
Jiang Ying, who had not been on stage for a long time, was extremely excited.
On the stage, she once again released her love and desire for music, and every time she performed with all her strength, she was loved and sought after by the audience. When performing in Chongqing, Jiang Ying returned to the stage six times in a row.
On the other hand, Qian Xuesen's work is also carried out mysteriously. Due to confidentiality requirements, Qian Xuesen often disappeared mysteriously, sometimes for ten days and a half months, sometimes for several months.
Once, Qian Xuesen disappeared for several months without any news. Jiang Ying was extremely anxious in her heart, and she could only run to the Fifth Courtyard of the Ministry of National Defense to inquire about her husband's news.
"Where has Qian Xuesen gone?" Does he still want this home? ”
After finally learning the news of her husband's safety, Jiang Ying could only return home alone. Gradually, she also got used to her husband's sudden disappearance.
The husband was busy with work, and the big and small affairs of the family all fell on Jiang Ying's body. In order to better take care of the family, Jiang Ying can only give up the performance she loves.
Although unable to shine on the stage, Jiang Ying found her new mission under the stage. She devoted all her efforts to cultivating the next generation of singers.
In her coaching career, Jiang Yingtao and Li Fenfang have cultivated many singers in the vocal music scene, and Zhang Aaron, Zhu Ailan, Jiang Yong, Li Shuangjiang, etc. are her proud protégés.
On February 5, 2012, Jiang Ying passed away. Her protégés and close friends came to see her off.
At this point, Jiang Ying's life came to an end.
Coco Chanel said: "The face of a woman at the age of twenty is innate, the face of a thirty-year-old is shaped by life, and the face of a fifty-year-old is our own responsibility."
Jiang Ying was born into a famous family, and after experiencing the suffering of World War II and being placed under house arrest in the United States, he is still on the road of pursuing music.
She has a prominent family and husband, but she is not submerged behind the stars, but lives out her style.
There are always people who say, why should women live so hard?
This is because once you choose the easy path, you will only go narrower and narrower, and the more lonely you go.
Perhaps, most people can't become legends, but at least, we can live to be ourselves.
Reference: The Biography of Jiang Ying