preface
"The painting column people are quiet and the wind is light. I remember last year's door alley, the scenery is still faint, the green courtyard, the drizzle wet moss. The carved beam dust is cold and spring like a dream, and the celery mud is tied, and the new nest is rebuilt. Qi Xiang is stable, soft language whispers Xi Hui... The terrace is quiet, the curtains are hanging, the smoke is like weaving, and the moon is like an eyebrow. ...... Du Yu shouted, "Better to return!" ’”
This song "Yan Shuangfei" can be described as a true portrayal of Qian Xuesen and his wife Jiang Ying traveling thousands of miles.
In 1947, the 36-year-old Qian Xuesen returned to China, and soon after met Jiang Ying, a green plum bamboo horse, the two fell in love with each other and held an enviable wedding in Shanghai. One is an epoch-making scientist, and the other is an equally remarkable vocalist, as the world calls it: "the perfect marriage of science and art." ”
Pictured| Qian Xuesen and his wife Jiang Ying
In fact, the fate of the two has long been doomed, according to Qian Xuesen himself recalled: "In 1923, my mother brought back a 4-year-old sister, and I did not expect that she would become my wife 25 years later. "What's going on?
This has to start with their parents. Qian Xuesen's father, Qian Junfu, was a famous scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and early Minchu, who twice served as the principal of Zhejiang Provincial No. 1 Middle School, served in the Ministry of Education for many years, and served as the director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education. Jiang Ying's father, Jiang Baili, was a Xiucai of the Twenty-fourth Year of Qing Guangxu (1898).
The Jiang family lived in Haining, Zhejiang, and was a local famous family; and the Qian family was also a famous scholar in Zhejiang. In that year, Jiang Baili participated in the Tongxiang County "Guan Feng Question" examination and won the first place, and students from Haining and Tongxiang came to visit, including Qian Junfu. The two had similar interests, became friends of Mo Rebellion, and then traveled east to Japan to study together, the friendship became deeper and deeper, and the two families maintained a close relationship for many years, which can be regarded as family friends.
One day in 1923, Qian Junfu and his wife were invited to the home of their friend Jiang Baili as a guest, and as soon as they entered the door, they saw five lively and cute little guys. This made Qian Junfu and his wife, who only had one son under their knees, envious, especially Zhang Lanjuan, who had wanted a daughter for many years, but had not yet achieved her wish.
Looking at his wife who was happily teasing the child, Qian Junfu had a bold idea in his heart. After some thought, Qian Junfu said to Jiang Baili: "Brother Baili, you see that these five children in your family are all so intelligent and lovely, we husband and wife are very fond of each other, can you inherit a child for us?" ”
In fact, Qian Junfu just made this request with the attitude of trying it out, although the situation of "adoption" was very common at that time, but after all, it was a child held in the palm of his hand, and it was normal not to agree. But Jiang Baili actually agreed happily: "It is true that there is only one child under your knees, and if we discuss it with the couple, if ZuoMei agrees, you will take home which child you like." ”
Pictured| Jiang Ying and Qian Xuesen in childhood
Subsequently, Jiang Baili summoned his wife Zuomei and explained to her the requests of Qian Junfu and Zhang Lanjuan, and after learning all this, Zuomei said: "Our two families have always had a close relationship, and I also know the character of your husband and wife. Nowadays, the inheritance thing is also very common, just saw that you and my third sister are very compatible, it is better that you take her away. ”
This result made Qian Junfu and his wife overjoyed, and the two immediately said: "We will treat the child as our own, and we will never treat her badly." Subsequently, the two families also held a succession ceremony, set up several tables of wine and banquets to invite the elders of the family to eat with friends who had made good friends on weekdays. Under the witness of everyone, 4-year-old Jiang Ying changed her name to "Qian Xueying" and became the youngest daughter of the Qian family.
Qian Junfu and his wife did not forget their original promise, and the two of them loved Jiang Ying as if they were their own flesh and blood, and changed the method to make food and fun for this little girl all day long. Everyone in the family likes Jiang Ying, even Qian Xuesen, who has always been calm, is no exception, and Jiang Ying also likes Qian Xuesen. During the days when he lived in the Qian family, Jiang Yingcheng followed Qian Xuesen around.
Jiang Baili's family also often came to visit Jiang Ying, and the relationship between the two families was better than before. One day, Jiang Baili went to Qian's house as a guest, and during the banquet, the adults asked Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying, two little brothers and sisters, to perform a show, and the two sang a song "Yan Shuangfei", which won the applause of the whole hall. At that time, everyone would not have thought that this "Yan Shuangfei" would be a prophecy for the two of them to marry in the future, and it would also become a true portrayal of them.
All in all, Jiang Ying lived a very happy life in the Qian family, but such a happy day did not last long, and Jiang Ying left after only four months. What's going on?
According to Jiang Ying's recollection in his later years: "After a while, my parents woke up and were very reluctant to me in their hearts, so they consulted with the Qian family and said that they wanted to take the third sister home. And I have been living in the pile of children since I was a child, and I am accustomed to being lively, and I always feel stuffy and panicked when I stay in the Qian family, and I am also homesick. ”
Everyone's parents have opened their mouths, and the Qian family can't refuse it, can't they? Even though Zhang Lanjuan had ten thousand reluctances in her heart, she still endured the pain of sending Jiang Ying back to the Jiang family. After these four months of living together, Zhang Lanjuan has long regarded Jiang Ying as her own daughter and has strong feelings for her, and at the moment of separation, Zhang Lanjuan half-jokingly and half-seriously said: "Although your third sister has returned home, she has always been my dry daughter in the future, and she will have to be my daughter-in-law when she grows up." "Unexpectedly, a word came true.
I thought that this incident would cause a gap between the two families, but I didn't expect that the feelings of the two families were getting better and better. Qian Junfu and his wife, who were reluctant to jiang Ying, brought some food that Jiang Ying liked to visit the Jiang family as soon as they had time, just as the Jiang family and his wife went to the Qian family to visit Jiang Ying.
As Jiang Ying grew up, the feelings of the two children also changed slightly, and when Jiang Ying was in middle school, Qian Xuesen would occasionally visit her at school. Every time he came, Jiang Ying would introduce himself to his classmates: "This is my brother. At first she didn't feel anything, and then she became more and more embarrassed. When he grew up, Jiang Ying realized that he would be shy, and Qian Xuesen knew nothing about it.
In 1935, Qian Xuesen decided to go to the United States to study. A few days before leaving, Jiang Baili and his wife took Jiang Ying to Qian's house to visit him, after all, they did not know when they would return. Jiang Ying was very reluctant to Qian Xuesen in her heart, and that day she specially played a Sonata of Mozart in D major for Qian Xuesen. Later, he also gave a book of Tang poems to Qian Xuesen, and later this Tang poem was brought to the United States by Qian Xuesen and properly treasured throughout his life. With Qian Xuesen going abroad, the two slowly lost contact.
The only time she learned about Jiang Ying was through her father, Jiang Baili. On that day, Jiang Baili went to the United States for examinations and took the time to meet with Qian Xuesen, during which Jiang Baili also showed Qian Xuesen a photo of Jiang Ying in Europe. Jiang Ying in the photo smiled very sweetly, adding a little gentler than when he was a child, although Qian Xuesen did not say anything, but his heart set off a slight wave, and a secret joy filled his mind. Of course, this is all an afterthought.
Jiang Ying has been extremely talented in music since childhood. In 1936, Jiang Baili visited Europe and the United States to investigate the military, accompanied by Jiang Ying, his fifth sister and his mother. After that, Jiang Ying stayed in a girls' high school in Berlin, Germany, and was later admitted to the vocal department of the Berlin University of Music with excellent results, during which time Jiang Ying has been chasing her musical dreams in Europe.
Berlin was not at peace at the end of World War II, and Jiang Ying fled to southern Germany, which was close to the Swiss border, so Jiang Ying transferred to the lucerne Conservatory of Music in Switzerland for postgraduate studies. Here, she appreciates the unique musical charm of European countries, has a deeper understanding of musical art, and strives to absorb the nutrition of it.
It is worth mentioning that Jiang Ying won the first place in the soprano competition at the 1943 Swiss "Luchen" International Music Annual Conference, becoming the first East Asian to receive this award. Since Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study in 1935, he has devoted himself to academic research. After obtaining his doctorate, Qian Xuesen and his supervisor von Carmen jointly created the world-renowned "Carmen-Qian Xuesen Formula", which is a well-deserved scientific research wizard.
One soars in europe in the skies of vocal art; one struggles with aeronautical mechanical theory in the United States. For more than 10 years, Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying did not have any contact, but fate would always come to the right time.
In 1946, Jiang Ying returned to his homeland and held a concert at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai on May 31, 1947. The concert, accompanied by the famous pianist Professor Magosky, caused a sensation throughout Shanghai Beach. Major newspapers rushed to report: "Her outstanding 'singing art' makes people see that China has superior artistic genius, good qualifications and intelligent brains." ”
Suddenly, Jiang Ying became a celebrity in Shanghai. It was also during this period that Jiang Ying met Qian Xuesen, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who also returned from his studies. Qian Xuesen, who was 36 years old and still unmarried, made his mother very anxious, and there were not many people who were not married at such an old age.
At that time, Zhang Lanjuan was bent on finding a suitable marriage partner for her son, thinking that there were many young friends around Jiang Ying's sisters, so she entrusted this matter to them. Since he accepted the task, he seriously carried it out, and later Jiang Ying really found a suitable blind date for Qian Xuesen, but Qian Xuesen did not seem to care about this matter.
Picture | Qian Xuesen
That blind date was very awkward, and Qian Xuesen sat there, unable to say a word for half a day. Jiang Ying understood that he had never been a lively person, and thought that he was embarrassed and persuaded him with everyone, but Qian Xuesen still did not react. There is no doubt that this blind date ended in failure.
After this incident, everyone thought that Qian Xuesen would not talk about feelings for a long time in the future, but he did not expect that he, who had always been introverted, actually took the initiative to attack for love in the near future. It was the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh month of the old calendar in 1947, and it was said that this was still a good day and an auspicious day deliberately chosen by Qian Xuesen. (Don't say that the science and engineering man doesn't understand romance in the future)
On this day, Qian Xuesen packed himself up early in the morning and then came to The Jiang family. Because Qian Xuesen did not give advance notice and the time was very early, everyone was very confused about Qian Xuesen's arrival. Without waiting for the Jiang family to ask questions, Qian Xuesen went straight to Jiang Ying.
Confused, Jiang Ying heard such a passage: "Ying Mei, we have been separated for 12 years, and we are also in a foreign country, and we have experienced too much. We are a great fit together! During this time abroad, I have become more and more aware of my feelings for you, and this time I came back to take you to the United States, are you willing? ”
Jiang Ying was confused by Qian Xuesen's words, for so many years he and Qian Xuesen did not communicate, the impression of each other is still stuck in childhood, in the face of this sudden marriage proposal, Jiang Ying's heart is both happy and panicked. A few days ago, he and his sister introduced him to him, but now why did he propose to me? So Jiang Yingwan said: "We haven't seen each other for so many years, and we don't know each other very well, so how can I go to the United States with you?" Let's get to know each other first. ”
But Qian Xuesen didn't care about this, it was the same sentence from beginning to end: "No, you have to go to the United States with me." That sounds really infuriating and funny. In the face of such a sincere Qian Xuesen, Jiang Ying's heart was moved, she carefully recalled the past of the two over the years, and found that she did have a special feeling for him, and determined that it was not family affection but love.
After some thought, Jiang Ying finally agreed to him. Qian Xuesen, who has always been resolute and introverted, had tears in the corners of his eyes at this time, which was enough to see his deep affection for Jiang Ying. In fact, the Jiang and Qian families were shocked by this situation, they did not expect that the two children would come together, and everyone was very happy about this result. In this way, in a wave of blessings, Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying concluded a good relationship in Shanghai.
Pictured| Jiang Ying
After marriage, Jiang Ying and Qian Xuesen returned to the United States, and the two had their own small family in Boston. In the living room, there was a large black grand piano, which was a gift from Qian Xuesen to Jiang Ying, who knew how much his wife loved music. Because Jiang Ying has been studying music in Germany for a long time, he is not very proficient in English.
In order to help his wife better adapt to life in the United States, Qian Xuesen, who is busy with work, often gives Jiang Ying english tuition. When Jiang Yingxue was tired, Qian Xuesen would also tell some jokes in English to make her happy. Not only that, Qian Xuesen often cooks food for Jiang Ying personally, and her good cooking skills have won Jiang Ying's heart, and she often says to her friends: "Our family learns Sen's cooking skills well, and I can only give him a hand on weekdays." "Three thousand weak waters, take only one scoop to drink." In this world, the only person who can make Qian Xuesen so gentle is probably Jiang Ying.
In 1950, Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying decided to return to China to live, and the two bought tickets and completed all the procedures for checking in luggage and returning to China. At this moment, the US authorities stopped Qian Xuesen. This is all because the US Deputy Secretary of the Navy issued an order: "No matter what, Qian Xuesen cannot be allowed to return to China!" ”
Over the years, Qian Xuesen has devoted himself to scientific research and made great contributions to the development of AMERICAN aviation and rocket technology, but now he will not let go. I am afraid that it is because Qian Xuesen has the "treasure" of aerospace scientific research in his brain!
Subsequently, shameless Americans imprisoned Qian Xuesen in a detention center on Termina Island, where Qian Xuesen was tortured. Later, the U.S. authorities offered to hand over $15,000 and Qian Xuesen was released on bail, but only if he could not leave Los Angeles.
Compared with Qian Xuesen's life, what is this $15,000? Jiang Ying resolutely took out the money and bailed Qian Xuesen out. However, the US authorities still refused to give up, and every three or five minutes they sent people to Qian Xuesen's house to make trouble, either rummaging around or reprimanding them for no reason, and every time they came, they would stir up the family.
Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying never argued with them, because they understood that advice was often ineffective and a kind of suffering for themselves. After they left, the couple silently cleaned up the house again, no matter what kind of adversity they were in, they always faced it with an optimistic attitude.
Picture | Qian Xuesen's family
In this darkest hour of five years, Qian Xuesen's family had a very difficult life. The U.S. authorities took control of their letters and later even tapped their phones, and their family's every move was monitored, with great care. The tortured Qian Xuesen was losing weight day by day, and his physical condition was much worse than before, and Jiang Ying was very distressed.
She no longer cared about studying music, but instead cared for her family, washing and mopping the floor, cleaning the windows and washing dishes. Jiang Ying, who used to have ten fingers that did not stick to the spring water of the yang, has now begun to make soup for her husband, hoping to alleviate her husband's bitterness a little. And Qian Xuesen also understands his wife's painstaking heart, maybe the taste is not so good, but he will always eat all the food.
With the company and support of his wife, Qian Xuesen even completed the writing of his personal book. In the most conspicuous position of this work, the three words "dedicated to Ying" are impressively marked, which is the romance of Qian Xuesen alone.
And the dawn of hope has finally arrived. On October 8, 1955, with the help of Premier Zhou, Mr. and Mrs. Qian Xuesen and their sons and daughters finally returned to the motherland, a moment they had waited too long. Before they could take a good rest, the two plunged into their respective fields of expertise, contributing to society and the country.
Jiang Ying initially worked as an art director and soloist at the Central Experimental Opera House, and later as the head of the opera department and professor at the Central Conservatory of Music. Her life is full of peach and plum, and her students have won many international awards. Qian Xuesen devoted himself to China's aerospace science and technology undertakings, and was later known as the "father of China's aerospace".
From the mid-1950s to the entire 1970s, Qian Xuesen's work was very busy, and later it developed into ten days and half a month without seeing people. His wife was very worried about this, but Qian Xuesen said every time that it was the reason for his work, in fact, he was on a business trip to the base, and the state required confidentiality, and he could not tell his wife the truth.
Once, Jiang Ying did not hear from her husband at home for more than a month, which aggravated Jiang Ying's worries, and she had to ask qian Xuesen everywhere for news. In order to reassure her, the Fifth Court of the Ministry of National Defense specially replied to her: "President Qian is on a business trip in other places, he is safe and sound, but his work is too busy to come back for the time being, please rest assured." After hearing these words, the big stone in Jiang Ying's heart finally landed. She was fully supportive of her husband's career and never asked about it again.
Pictured| Qian Xuesen and Jiang Ying in their later years
It is precisely because of Jiang Ying's understanding and support that Qian Xuesen can delve into science without distraction. If a country wants to develop, it must first ensure national defense and security. It is two bombs and one star that have forged the nuclear shield of the mainland, and no country hopes for war, but having such a weapon means that we have the right to speak in the world, and it also makes Chinese more confident.
On October 16, 1991, the State Council and the Central Military Commission awarded Qian Xuesen the title of "National Outstanding Contribution Scientist". At the conference, Qian Xuesen expressed his gratitude to his wife with deep affection. He showed that although his wife's field was far from the direction of his career, the spiritual worlds of the two were connected. He thanked his wife for his artistic influence over the years, so that his understanding of the world became less simple than before, and he learned to look at problems from multiple angles and avoid mechanical materialism, which was of great help to his scientific research career.
If Qian Xuesen is a shining scientific superstar, then there must be Jiang Ying's figure under this brilliance; if Jiang Ying is a high mountain of music and art, then Qian Xuesen is the babbling water on the mountain. The marriage of the two can be described as art married to science, and together they composed a wonderful song of life!