Anhui in 1895. A 12-year-old girl, shortly after the death of her father, was suddenly divorced by her husband's family.
In that era, the blow of "resignation" to women was huge, and even if it was not her fault, her reputation would be greatly affected, not to mention the loss of her father's protection.
Such a weak girl in a chaotic world, according to common sense, her future life path will be very difficult.
But this girl, far from being defeated by the change of fate, on the contrary, after she became an adult, she successfully entered the political and business circles dominated by men at that time with her own efforts.
She ran a school, served as Yuan Shikai's secretary, and became a well-deserved pioneer of the feminist movement with Qiu Jin, a woman of Jianhu Lake, and had already traveled the world in a dashing manner during the Republic of China.
Her talent and beauty are all talked about by the world, but she is both talented and has been pursued by many talents, but she has never been married, and she has no children under her knees.
She is Lu Bicheng, who is known as "China's first female lyricist in the past three hundred years after Li Qingzhao".
How do lonely and weak women achieve success in men dominating the world?
Why didn't she marry for the rest of her life?
In the story of Lü Bicheng, we can not only read a legend of the Republic of China, but also see the real model of women's independence.
Her talent is a blockbuster Weak woman saves her mother with Wen Yong
Born in 1883, Lü Bicheng's family was very prominent when he was young. Her father was a jinshi, and her great-grandmother was Shen Shanbao, who was the leader in the female literary scene during the Xianfeng period.
The family style of Shuxiang Mendi is different, his father Lü Fengqi attaches great importance to the education of his children, and Lü Bicheng has been reading poetry since he was a child.
She also lived up to her father's high expectations, and she had already shown amazing talent at a young age.
When she was young, she and her father went out for a walk to see the beauty of the flying willows in the wind, Lü Fengqi was interested, said "Spring wind blows willows", did not expect that the 5-year-old daughter Lü Bicheng around her almost did not think, and blurted out: "Autumn rain hits the sycamore." ”
Born into a famous family and full of talent, such a Lü Bicheng was originally born as a proud daughter of heaven. But fate took a huge turn when she was 12 years old.
His father Lü Fengqi died of illness suddenly, and in the face of orphans and widows, the people of the Lü family, instead of sympathizing with and helping, coveted the property of the Lü Bicheng family.
These people actually extorted several of their mothers and daughters, and even abducted her mother under house arrest in order to force the Lu sisters to hand over their father's inheritance.
At the critical moment, it was Lü Bicheng's spirit, talent and courage that saved her and her family.
She wrote to her father's old friends and protégés, asking them to lend a hand. The literary and sincere distress letter impressed his father's old friend Fan Zengxiang, the governor of Liangguang, and with his help, Lü Bicheng and his mother and sisters survived the difficulties safely.
Who knows that one wave is flat, and one wave is rising again. Before Lü Bicheng could fully emerge from the storm of losing his father and saving his mother, a new blow came.
As early as when she was 9 years old, her father had already set up a relationship for her and the Wang family of the same city and village. However, the matter of writing an article to save her mother was well known in the local area, and the Wang family was wary of Lü Bicheng, who had courage and knowledge, fearing that she would not be able to discipline her in the future, and dissolved the marriage contract.
In the context of feudal etiquette, retiring from marriage is a great shame for women. But it is the so-called "where misfortune and blessing depend; where blessings and misfortunes lie." ”
Although the Wang family's selfish and perfidious resignation is humiliating to 12-year-old Lü Bicheng, it is precisely this resignation that saves her from the years in the courtyard of the deep house, and also gives her the opportunity to have a broader life.
Her career started in the media, and she was one of the top politicians and businesses
After the divorce incident, Lü Bicheng followed his mother to his uncle who was then serving as a salt transport envoy in Tanggu. In the 6 years of sending people to the fence, Lü Bicheng experienced many depressing and depressing times, but fortunately, these did not erase the sharp edge of her nature.
(Foreign affairs movement "base" Tianjin)
Under the influence of activities such as the Penghu Reform Law, the viewpoint of restoration gradually spread among the people, and this trend also affected Lü Bicheng.
Young and vigorous, she wanted to visit women's schools in Tianjin, the "base" of the foreign affairs movement, and feel the impact of new culture.
Her uncle, who thought that a girl should be a womanizer, naturally strongly obstructed her decision. But Lü Bicheng was determined and resolutely decided to go to Tianjin alone.
After coming to Tianjin, because he was penniless, Lü Bicheng was once very embarrassed. To make a living, she wrote to an acquaintance of her uncle for help.
By chance, the founder of the Ta Kung Pao, Ying Xi, saw the letter, was impressed by Lü Bicheng's writing, and hired her as a trainee editor.
At this point, Lü Bicheng also became the first female editor in China, and soon she appeared in the press with excellent writing.
During this period, Lü Bicheng used her energetic poetry works to publicize and promote women's rights, and successfully sowed countless seeds of expounding women's emancipation of the mind in the "Ta Kung Pao", and was known as "the last female lyricist in the past three hundred years" with her good poetry.
But a single Ta Kung Pao was not enough to realize Lü Bicheng's full ambitions, and after gaining recognition in the male-dominated press through her writing, she began to actively organize girls' schools.
After some efforts, Lü Bicheng established the first women's normal school in modern China, Beiyang Women's Public School, and served as the principal, which was called "Columbus of the Beiyang Women's Academic Circle" by the people of the time. ”
Lü Bicheng's outstanding talent also attracted the attention of Yuan Shikai, who was hired as Yuan Shikai's secretary and became the only woman in the core of Yuan's political clique at that time.
However, after perceiving Yuan Shikai's political misdeeds, Lü Bicheng, who loved and hated clearly, resigned in anger. After bravely breaking into the literary world and shining in the political arena, Lü Bicheng began to enter a new field, that is, the unpredictable business world.
After resigning from the government and leaving Beiping, the land of right and wrong, Lü Bicheng chose to live in Shanghai. The opening of the Ten Mile Ocean Field affected her, and she began to start a foreign trade business.
With outstanding talent and extraordinary courage, in just three years, Lü Bicheng accumulated a rich wealth.
Her friendship is the same as the same glory, and she will never forget her pity for each other
Her outstanding performance in the feminist movement also brought her a sympathetic friendship.
In the summer of 1904, a special visitor from the Tianjin Ta Kung Pao, dressed in men's clothes but with women's hair in a bun, instantly attracted the attention of Lü Bicheng.
This special visitor is the famous JianHu heroine Qiu Jin.
It turned out that Qiu Jin had also used the name "Bicheng", and the arguments described in the article signed "Bicheng" in the "Ta Kung Pao" coincided with her, and many people mistook the fledgling Lü Bicheng for "Qiu Bicheng", and Qiu Jin himself was also curious about this editor, so he made this trip.
After the two met, they had a good conversation, and the two most famous leaders in the feminist movement in the Republic of China became confidants. Qiu Jin originally wanted to say that Lü Bicheng would act with her, but due to the lack of personal ambitions, she was unable to make the trip.
When they were separated, Qiu Jin said that she would no longer use the "Bicheng" in the future, as a way to express her recognition and respect for this close friend.
Three years later, Qiu Jin was heroic and righteous, and it is recorded that at that time, Lü Bicheng overcame many difficulties and managed to collect Qiu Jin's body, and then arranged by Wu Zhiying, Xu Zihua and others to be buried on the shore of the West Lake.
She also wrote the "Biography of The Revolutionary Woman Qiu Jin" in English, remembering her best friend, and the work was widely published in various newspapers in New York, Chicago and other places, and the response was good.
The famous friendship between Lü Bicheng and Qiu Jin can be described as an enviable story, but her love road makes people sigh.
Her love is unique and the pursuit of many people is difficult to move
Lü Bicheng is both talented and has countless suitors, including many such popular figures as Yuan Kewen, the prince of Yuan Shikai. But none of these people could move her, and in the end, she was still alone.
(Kevin Yuan)
When it comes to the issue of marriage and love, Lü Bicheng's attitude is also very frank: "There are not many men who deserve praise in my life." She also generously commented on several "celebrities" at that time, "Liang Qichao already has a family, wang Jingwei is too young..."
In an era when marriage was still the top priority in a woman's life, she looked very open, "the right partner is difficult to find, the opportunity is not there." Fortunately, I have some savings on hand, and I have no worries about food and clothing, so I would rather put my heart on literature to entertain myself. ”
After accumulating a lot of wealth in business, Lü Bicheng went to the United States to study, and began a self-guided tour in a dashing way, traveling around the world alone.
When in the United States, she lived in a luxury hotel, wore the most avant-garde costumes, befriended celebrities, amazed everyone, and was called "the noble princess of the Orient" by American society.
Lü Bicheng is also a vegetarian, has attended international conferences of animal protection organizations, and has traveled around the world to give lectures. Wherever she goes, she is the focus and has redefined the image of Chinese women in the world.
During this period, Lü Bicheng did not forget the motherland, and after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, she donated money and materials to domestic disaster relief agencies many times to help displaced refugees and children.
A few years later, Lü Bicheng chose to return to her homeland, washed away her lead, and began to live the most simple and simple life, and focused on studying Buddhism, and the red dust and disturbances had nothing to do with her.
In January 1943, the legendary woman died in Kowloon, Hong Kong, at the age of 60. Her arrangements for the affairs after her death are still free and unconventional, and according to her wishes, people will throw her ashes and pills into the South China Sea of the motherland.
This strange woman, who has been free all her life, finally merges with the sea, which is also the best destination.
Although Lü Bicheng never married in his life, he lived a colorful and colorful life.
She uses her life experience to illustrate that whether it is an independent woman or any group, if you want to spend your life, you must have your own career, and you must also see the world as much as possible and broaden your horizons.
If you can do the above points, whether married or unmarried, most of them can have a happy life.
The author | Nora
Editor-in-charge | Muyang
Typography | Li Yike