In 1917, the ambitious Hu Shi returned from the beautiful country and married Jiang Dongxiu, but deep in his heart, he often missed another possible life, living with Wei Liansi on the other side of the ocean.
Wei Liansi, born in 1885, is 6 years older than Hu Shi. She was born into a prominent family in New England and was the second daughter of a professor of geology at Cornell University.
Born with a talent for painting, Wei Liansi rose to prominence in the New York art scene in 1914. However, after her father's death in 1918, she left her artistic career in New York behind and returned to Ithaca to be with her mother.
During an encounter in 1914, Hu Shi and Wei Liansi both felt like old and had a deep impression of each other.
Wei Liansi even invited Hu Shi to her friend's wedding, which was Hu Shi's first experience of attending a Western wedding.
Since then, Hu Shi and Wei Liansi have exchanged letters frequently, and Hu Shi has often been invited to eat at Wei Liansi's home.
Wei Liansi learned from Hu Shi about the ancient Chinese custom of "folding willows to give farewells", so before returning to New York, she sent Hu Shi a few photos of willows that she had taken.
On Thanksgiving Day that year, Hu Shi was invited to eat at Wei Liansi's home. However, that night, Hu Shi did not see Wei Liansi, and she was still in New York.
After dinner, Hu Shi returned to his residence and wrote a letter full of thoughts and gratitude to Wei Liansi. Hu Shi had thought about what qualities an ideal partner should have, but he knew that Wei Liansi was unique.
Hu Shi wrote in his diary: "She is the most free-spirited and unfettered by worldly clothing. Her outfit has not changed for years. Even if the hat is worn, she still wears it. Because her long hair was difficult to manage, she simply cut it short, and she has been like this for a year or two. Walking on the street often attracts the attention of passers-by. ”
Therefore, Hu Shi regarded Wei Liansi as an "intellectual companion", and he highly praised Wei Liansi in his diary:
"She is extremely thoughtful and well-read, and her purity and steadfastness are almost to the point of madness";
"Her conversations always make me think deeply";
"The excellence of her insight is unmatched by an ordinary woman";
"She is the perfect combination of thought, intellect, boldness and passion".
In less than two years, Hu Shi summed up his dealings with Wei Liansi: "In these two years, most of the changes in my thoughts and emotions are reflected in these more than a hundred letters, which reveal me more truthfully than anywhere else. ”
Wei Liansi, as a friend of Hu Shi, witnessed the evolution of his thought; At the same time, she also played an important role in the evolution of Hu Shi's thought. In their correspondence, Wei Liansi encouraged Hu Shi to try to sort out his thoughts and then express them clearly.
In 1915, Hu Shi took the plunge and sent Wei Liansi one of his controversial books to seek her criticism and opinion.
In his reply, Wei Liansi supported Hu Shi and affirmed his views, but also objectively analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents.
Wei Liansi's reply helped Hu Shi make up for his blind spot to some extent.
However, their closeness aroused the alarm of Wei Liansi's mother.
Once, when Wei Liansi's mother learned that her daughter and Hu Shi were alone in her New York apartment, she immediately asked if anyone else was present.
Hu Shi immediately clarified that he called his classmate Zhang Pengchun and invited him to come over for tea.
Although the culture of freedom of love between men and women had developed in the beautiful society of that period, many middle-class families still insisted that the most appropriate way for young men and women to interact was to meet in the living room of the woman's house, preferably with a third person present.
Hu Shi's explanation did not satisfy Wei Liansi's mother, and she immediately wrote to Wei Liansi criticizing her faux pas.
After receiving his mother's letter, Wei Liansi immediately explained to Hu Shi.
In her letter, she said that if Hu Shi invited Zhang Pengchun because she thought she should not meet alone, then she should apologize to him. Given their understanding and adherence to freedom, she believes that Hu Shi will not stick to stereotypes, which is why she decided to date Hu Shi alone.
As for herself, Wei Liansi said that she follows the standard of "people on people", that is, truth, goodness and beauty, which is the only "upbringing" that "people on people" will follow.
This should be true for both the same and opposite sex. If you don't let men and women produce brilliant sparks from the collision of ideas just because they may have problems in their interactions, it is putting the cart before the horse.
Hu Shi did not expect such a misunderstanding, and he wrote back earnestly to explain: "We should respect everyone and elevate this respect to a kind of respect." I believe that this kind of respect is the best way to avoid obscene language, impure thought, and inappropriate behavior. In general, this prevents the so-called 'impoliteness' in general ... Your point of view, especially on the friendship between men and women, is much more detailed than mine. You make me ashamed of the overly cautious attitude I mentioned on the other hand. ”
Compared to Wei Liansi's open attitude, Hu Shi's behavior is obviously more cautious.
He knew that he had to do his best to meet the expectations of his mother, who expected him to return to China and marry Jiang Dongxiu. To illustrate this, Hu Shi told Wei Liansi a little lie - his purpose was only to keep a certain distance from Wei Liansi.
Some researchers have pointed out that even if Hu Shi and Wei Liansi had feelings for each other, they might not have been able to cross the racial discrimination that was prevalent in the beautiful country at that time.
Although New York State, where Ms. Wees lived, did not prohibit intermarriage between whites and Chinese, that did not mean that the locals accepted the phenomenon.
After this misunderstanding, Hu Shi and Wei Liansi made their responsibilities clearer, on the one hand, they each devoted themselves to their own cause, and on the other hand, they still maintained frequent communication. Wei Liansi returned to Qiseijia after the death of his father. Hu Shi lived in Wei Liansi's apartment for nearly a year until he returned to China.
Choosing between Wei Liansi and Jiang Dongxiu, Hu Shi experienced a period of painful thinking. However, Wei Liansi also understood Hu Shi's predicament, and from the moment she returned to Qiseijia, she chose to quit.
However, it was not until the spring of 1917, when Hu Shi stayed in Qisejia for a few days before returning to China, that Wei Liansi painfully realized that she was deeply in love with Hu Shi and could not extricate herself.
However, Hu Shi firmly told Wei Liansi: "In terms of family relations, I stick to the position of Orientals, mainly because I have a very, very good mother, and her kindness to me cannot be reciprocated." My long absence from her has made me feel deeply guilty, and I can't betray her anymore. ”
After Hu Shi returned to China, communication with Wei Liansi was not interrupted.
In 1927, when Hu Shi went to beautiful country, he went to Qiseijia to visit Wei Liansi and her mother. In 1933, when Hu Shi came to the beautiful country again as ambassador, Wei Liansi boldly said: "Your visit, to me, is like food for the hungry, and it may leave some quiet memories for you." It's worth it. ”
This time, Wei Liansi and Hu Shi overturned all obstacles between them and established each other as lovers.
However, Wei Liansi, a woman who persevered all her life in order to protect her true love, finally had doubts about what she had always thought was her only "true love".
In October 1936, Wei Liansi finally learned that Cao Chengying, who Hu Shi had asked her to take care of, who went to Cornell University to study genetics, was not just Hu Shi's "cousin", Cao Chengying was also Hu Shi's lover.
After learning the truth of the matter, Wei Liansi took many days to calm his emotions, and then wrote a letter to Hu Shi.
In this letter, she describes her findings to Hu Shi both humorously and painfully, implicitly and bluntly, revealing them and his complex relationship with them.
Although he was not interested in Hu Shi's childish justification and apology, in the end, Wei Liansi chose to forgive him generously.
Wei Liansi, who loved Hu Shi deeply, took care of Cao Chengying to a higher level since then.
In 1937, someone proposed to Wei Liansi, who was more than half a hundred years old and wrote to Hu Shi to ask for his opinion.
Although Hu Shi told her that she should quickly accept the marriage proposal, in order to stick to the rules she had always had for her lover, after some psychological struggle, she felt that Hu Shi was the only person she was willing to marry, so she refused the proposal of that person.
From beginning to end, except for Hu Shi, Wei Liansi has never been affectionate to anyone else.
From the available information, we can see that Wei Liansi's feelings for Hu Shi are undoubtedly deep and firm. She not only helped Hu Shi when he needed spiritual support and guidance, but also understood and supported Hu Shi when he faced life choices.
What's more worth mentioning is that even after learning about Hu Shi's relationship with Cao Chengying, she still chose to treat her with generosity and understanding, and continued to provide care for Cao Chengying.
To a large extent, this relationship has gone beyond the usual sense of love and is more like a deep friendship and a partnership of mutual respect and love. Wei Liansi's concept of love is obviously very open and avant-garde, she believes that there can be a deep exchange of ideas and emotional integration between men and women, and it does not necessarily have to end in marriage.
Even in the face of other people's marriage proposals, she sticks to her principles and deep affection for Hu Shi, which is enough to prove how deep and persistent her feelings for Hu Shi are.
At the same time, Wei Liansi is also a very strong and independent woman. Instead of feeling sad and lost because Hu Shi couldn't respond to her affection, she chose to love him in a higher way, even if it was a hopeless love.
This adherence to love and understanding of human nature make Wei Liansi's emotions undoubtedly a valuable support and companionship for Hu Shi.
In general, Wei Liansi's feelings for Hu Shi are a deep love, a deep friendship and mutual respect and love that transcends the relationship between lovers, and at the same time, it is also a kind of adherence to his feelings and the pursuit of love ideals. This feeling undoubtedly had a profound impact on Hu Shi's life.