Generally speaking, when people in the world mention the old Shanghai Beach and mention the gangsters in Shanghai during the Republic of China, most of their first reactions are the three tycoons of Shanghai. That is, Du Yuesheng, Jin Jinrong, and Zhang Xiaolin, after all, these three were really the figures who called the wind and rain in Shanghai at that time. The three of them represent the strongest and most influential gang group in Shanghai, and the local black and white naturally sells them some face. However, such a tycoon still has to be called Grandmaster Yuan Kewen, what is going on?
Born on August 30, 1890, Yuan Kewen was the second son of Yuan Shikai, and his biological mother was Korean. However, it was probably not very good, so not long after he was born, Yuan Kewen was taken to Yuan Shikai's favorite aunt Tai Shen. Shen Shi himself has no children, and for this adopted child, he is also treated as his own love, spoiled, almost obedient. Because of this, Yuan Kewen is stubborn by nature, and is a bohemian brother.
Eating, drinking, prostituting, gambling, smoking (opium) can do everything, unlike other brothers, he has the ability to never forget, poetry and song, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are proficient. Yuan Kewen's teachers were all the more cattle people at that time, and students like him did not lose the face of everyone's teachers when their works were outside. It is precisely because he can do what readers do, so Yuan Shikai has a special preference for him, so he has developed such a debauched personality.
Yuan Shikai planned to be proclaimed emperor in his later years, and his eldest son Yuan Keding instigated everything and was bent on becoming a royal and crown prince. Yuan Kewen had different ideas, he opposed his father's claim to the throne, and in 1915 he wrote a poem to express his opposition. After Yuan Keding knew this, he fanned the flames every day around Yuan Shikai, saying how his brother was today. Yuan Kewen's handle grasped a large number of hands, many wives and concubines, and spent money like flowing water.
Like all parents, Yuan Shikai "hated iron not steel" for this son, and at that time, he was indeed lustful. So he imprisoned Yuan Kewen in Shanghai, of course, which was of no use. At that time, the Qing Gang was already dominating in Shanghai, Du Yuesheng had not yet made a name, and the leader was a man named Zhang Shanting. The reason why the two were able to climb up was because Yuan Kewen opposed his father's claim to be emperor, and some people in the Green Gang opposed Yuan Shikai's title of emperor, but the difference was that those in the Green Gang were all arrested by Yuan Shikai.
In order to fish people, Zhang Shanting tried to get involved with Yuan Kewen, and Yuan Kewen was also willing. Although he was imprisoned, he was still the second son of the Yuan family, and it was not difficult to catch someone. After coming and going, the relationship between the two was too good to be good, and Yuan Kewen also joined the Green Gang. The Green Gang all have ranks, pure morality, Wencheng Dharma, Noh Benevolence and Wisdom, Originality, Yuanming Xingli, and Great Enlightenment. Among them, Zhang Shanting is a ceremonial character, Yuan Kewen is a large character, Jin Rong is a tongzi, and Du Yuesheng is a Wu character.
After joining the Qinggang, Yuan Kewen also collected disciples in Shanghai and Tianjin, and has always been known as Jin Jinrong and Du Yuesheng in the south and Yuan Hanyun, the leader of the Jinbei gang in the north. Therefore, Du Yuesheng called Yuan Kewen a grandfather, in fact, he did not suffer losses, one was Yuan Kewen's origin, and the other was in the status of the Green Gang. It should be said that this second son of the Yuan family not only mixed with the underworld, but also had a good relationship with the lowly prostitutes and dramatists at that time.
After his father's death, he became addicted to drama, and he also took the stage as a drama himself, and once shared the stage with Mei Lanfang and others. As a result, he was scolded by the parent Yuan Keding after he knew it, and only then did he give up. To prostitutes, he was motivated by pity, not by play. Gave the Qinglou women, who were of extremely low status at that time, a respect, quite the style of a noble prince, and even willing to sell their treasures to help them.
Therefore, Yuan Kewen's popularity is particularly good, which can be seen from his funeral. In 1931, Yuan Kewen died at the age of 42, because of his perennial expenses, the family did not have money to do his funeral. Finally, his disciples and grandsons bought him a coffin, and when he came out of the funeral, the people in the gang, the monks in Tianjin, the Taoists, the nuns, the lamas, and thousands of prostitutes spontaneously sent him off. It can be seen that he is usually good for these people with low status, otherwise there would not be so many people who would come to send the last journey when he fell.