During the Republican period, there were three legendary tycoons in Shanghai, they were Du Yuesheng, Jin Rong and Zhang Xiaolin. In their own way, the three weave amazing legends under the night in Shanghai.
Du Yuesheng, a long-sleeved and dancing figure, is known as the "godfather of Shanghai", and his life is legendary. At first, he was only a member of the lowest level of society, but in the turbulent years, with unwillingness to mediocre life, he experienced a jaw-dropping transformation process.
In just over ten years, step by step, he rose from a nobody, and finally became the leader of a three-hundred-year gang.
On the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, an unusual breath filled the air. On April 27, 1949, Du Yuesheng, who had been a figure in Shanghai, boarded the Dutch passenger ship "Baoshuyun", and with infinite emotion, bid farewell to the glory years when he had been in the storm for 30 years, and set off for Hong Kong.
In the long river of times, the wheel of history is constantly spinning. Du Yuesheng, as a generation of giants in Shanghai, ended his legendary journey in Shanghai. His life experiences, from country boy to gangster boss, seem to be a memory that history has given the city. After that, all that was left was an ordinary old man who enjoyed his old age and his legendary life.
01 The suffering childhood of "Moonborn"
On August 22, 1888, a baby boy named Du Yuesheng came to this world. Coinciding with the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the full moon was high, and Du Yuesheng's father chose an intentional name, pinning on his children's good wishes for the future.
However, the trajectory of fate is often full of jokes, and his name was later changed to Du Yuesheng, only because the meaning of the words was slightly different, but this small change changed his temperament and destiny in his life (Du Yuesheng's real name was "Du Yuesheng", Zhang Taiyan quoted scriptures and changed it to "Du Yuesheng").
At that time, no one would have thought that this village child named Yuesheng would become a stormy figure on Shanghai Beach in the future.
Born into a poor family, Du Yuesheng lost his mother at the age of 2, was separated from his sister at the age of 3, and died of overwork when he was 4 years old.
At the age of 8, he lost his last loved ones and was sent to foster care with relatives, however, there was not the warmth he expected, but cold and abusive.
However, this resilient child was not crushed by adversity, on the contrary, he turned these sufferings into the power to overcome fate.
Under the destruction of his family and the indifference of society, after experiencing the most painful tribulations in his life, the now penniless teenager finally began to feel the imminent doom of suffering, and the claws of fate gradually revealed.
02 Leave your hometown and go to Shanghai
Du Yuesheng, who first arrived in Shanghai, showed different wit and shrewdness from ordinary people.
While he was an apprentice at the Sixteenth Shop Hongyuansheng Fruit Shop, Du Yuesheng keenly discovered a business opportunity: although the broken pears were thrown away, he removed the rotten parts of the not-so-fresh pears and sold them in the casino piecemeal. This kind of moneyless trading not only made a lot of money, but also trained him in the art of peeling pears quickly and skillfully. His "Laiyang Pear" became famous.
Not long after, Du Yuesheng met the first "nobleman" in his life - Chen Shichang. Chen Shichang is a gangster leader in the Xiaodongmen area. By entering Chen Shichang's door, Du Yuesheng not only obtained the background of the Qing Gang, but also got the opportunity to connect through Chen Shichang and enter Huang Jinrong's mansion as an errand.
Huang Jinrong's wife, Lin Guisheng, is in poor health and is recovering from illness. In order to speed up her recovery, she chose to choose a young and strong man in the house to "rush joy" for her, while serving her, delivering potions, and making tea.
Du Yuesheng served diligently by Lin Guisheng's side for half a month, always following her closely. Many times, he didn't have to wait for Lin Guisheng's orders, he already knew what to do and what to give her.
Under Du Yuesheng's wholehearted care, Lin Guisheng's health gradually recovered. It was in this process that Huang Jinrong began to notice Du Yuesheng's existence.
03 Money tests people's hearts
After Lin Guisheng recovered from illness, Du Yuesheng became Lin Guisheng's trusted companion. During this time, whenever Lin Guisheng had affairs at hand, she always handed over the affairs at hand to Du Yuesheng without hesitation. No matter how complicated the situation is, Du Yuesheng is always able to deal with it with ease and solve the problem effortlessly.
In the card game, Du Yuesheng is a master, his card skills are perfect, and he has never tasted defeat. Once, Lin Guisheng left the game in a hurry not long after the start due to a sudden situation, and she did not hesitate to let Du Yuesheng top. For Du Yuesheng, playing cards is a piece of cake, and he has never lost. Sure enough, Du Yuesheng won easily, and also earned more than two thousand oceans.
Du Yuesheng had never seen such a huge amount of money since he was a child. So, he returned to the sixteenth shop with this money, first paying off the debt with part of it, and leaving the rest with nothing, giving all part to his brothers who had worked with him.
Lin Guisheng and Jin Rong knew these actions of Du Yuesheng very well, and sincerely admired: "Du Yuesheng is really a person who values righteousness, and with a little cultivation, he will definitely have a great future." ”
Du Yuesheng is intelligent, responsive, resourceful, good at observing words and deeds, and good at insight into people's hearts. Soon, he won the admiration of Inspector Hua of the French Concession and the leader of the Qing Gang, Jin Rong. He not only squandered wealth with righteousness, but also attached great importance to righteousness, and had the infinite trust of Lin Guisheng, the wife of Huang Jinrong.
During this period, Du Yuesheng formed a gang under the name of the "Little Eight Strands Party", which made it their mission to protect the opium trade underground. In return, Huang Jin Rong and Lin Guisheng decided to hand over the operation of the Gongxing Club, one of the three major casinos in the French Concession, to Du Yuesheng.
Du Yuesheng finally ushered in her own opportunity and began to make a name for herself in the ever-changing Shanghai.
04 Du Yuesheng's victory is not doing things, but being people
In his later years, Zhang Xueliang recalled that for Du Yuesheng: "I admire Du Yuesheng very much, he is my good friend and a character. ”
After the "918" incident, the northeast was lost, and Zhang Xueliang, his wife Yu Fengzhi and Miss Zhao Si went south sadly, planning to live in Shanghai. However, when the news came out, Wang Yaqiao threatened to get rid of Zhang Xueliang, and after Du Yuesheng learned of this, he said to Zhang Xueliang without hesitation: "Please come to my house and stay at ease!" ”
This move deeply touched the troubled Zhang Xueliang. So, his family moved into Du Mansion, and Zhang Xueliang even successfully quit smoking.
Du Yuesheng's interaction with Dai Li highlights his unique attitude towards people and discernment. At the beginning, Dai Li was just a small unnamed character on the beach. Once, he won consecutive victories in Du Yuesheng's casino, and when the news came, Du Yuesheng became deeply interested in this outstanding boy, and he did not get angry or annoyed, but personally met Dai Li.
After a long conversation, Dai Li left a deep impression on Du Yuesheng, and the two became brothers. As Dai Li became the number one agent of the military system and Chiang Kai-shek's most trusted confidant, Du Yuesheng also took advantage of this past friendship to prosper his career and business.
That year, Li Yuanhong stepped down, his reputation was ruined, and he went into exile in Shanghai. Both Huang Huangrong and Zhang Xiaolin thought that it was unnecessary to associate with Li Yuanhong, but Du Yuesheng had always advocated making friends with celebrities, so he treated Li Yuanhong politely and with great affection.
When Li Yuanhong was down, Du Yuesheng still treated him with courtesy, and he gave his villa to Li Yuanhong free of charge and sent special personnel to protect it. Whenever Li Yuanhong went out, Du Yuesheng would arrange a grand formation to show his respect.
Li Yuanhong felt Du Yuesheng's kindness and specially sent a gift of "3,000 guests under the Chunshen Gate, five feet south of Xiaodu City". Du Yuesheng's reputation for honor and sages spread in the north and south.
This history is evocative, and Du Yuesheng's attitude and character in his dealings with many celebrities have become more and more prominent, not doing things, but being a person.
05 Those who know and righteousness, who have grace and retribution, and who cannot fall into the well
In Du Yuesheng's personality, there is not only the decisive and ruthless side, but also the other side of sticking to chivalry and tenderness.
Chen Shichang was Du Yuesheng's guide to join the Qing Gang and formed a deep friendship. Even after Chen Shichang retired, Du Yuesheng still took good care of him. Chen Shichang's son is a troublemaker, and Du Yuesheng has solved it more than once. Afterwards, he said to Chen Shichang: "Money is just something outside the body, and it is good that the child is safe." In Du Yuesheng's eyes, what exists is human favor and kindness, not the accumulation of money.
Huang Jinrong and his wife have the grace of knowing and promoting Du Yuesheng. When Huang Jinrong was imprisoned for abandoning his wife and marrying a concubine, angering the son of Lu Yongxiang, the powerful overseer of Zhejiang, Du Yuesheng did not hesitate to save him, not hesitating to use his share as a ransom and desperately went to relieve the siege.
For those around him, such a move may seem too risky, but Du Yuesheng firmly said: "I dare not forget the favor of others; Zhi'en Tu will never forget it. ”
After Jin Rong abandoned his original partner Lin Guisheng, Du Yuesheng did not hesitate to buy a house for her, appointed someone to take care of her life, and every festival, Du Yuesheng would personally visit.
When Du Yuesheng left Shanghai, the last person he saw was Lin Guisheng, and he never forgot this person who had been very kind to him.
06 Hard-to-define black and white students
In 1925, Du Yuesheng became more and more vigorous and founded his first company, Shanghai Sanxin Company, specializing in illegal activities such as tobacco trafficking and arms resale.
With his courage and skill, Du Yuesheng paved the way with extensive connections with the support of a gangster background. In this intricate environment, he gradually became a famous political and business figure from a country man who had nothing, with his unique techniques and decisions, he stepped into black and white, with a dual identity of politics and business, full of friends and friends, rich wealth, and his every move made the entire Shanghai Beach tremble, becoming a veritable "underworld emperor" in Shanghai.
In old China at that time, Shanghai was a stage for the division of great powers, warlords and warlords, politicians, speculators, and hooligans of all kinds, this challenging "adventurer's paradise".
Du Yuesheng is also a contradictory existence. As the leader of the Youth Gang in Shanghai, his relationship with Chiang Kai-shek cannot be ignored. He acted as Chiang Kai-shek's executioner and massacred revolutionaries in the counter-revolutionary coup, but at the time of national crisis, he actively devoted himself to the cause of resisting Japan and saving the dead, selflessly dedicated, and became a national hero.
Some admire his benevolence, while others see it as hypocrisy; Some admired his methods, while others despised his cruelty. In the end, we found that a character like Du Yuesheng, who is comfortable in the chaotic world, left and right, is difficult to simply define by right and wrong, good and bad.
He started out as a meagre and lived a life of absurdity, but he gradually rose to prominence with the support of gangsters, running casinos and drugs, and achieving a fortune comparable to that of a gangster.
In the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup, he was Chiang Kai-shek's sharp weapon, participating in the assassination of the workers' leader Wang Shouhua, smeared with the blood of countless revolutionaries, showing his reactionary nature.
However, there is another side to him. No matter what the purpose, once Du Yuesheng became famous, not only did he not turn his back on the underworld, but he was also more enthusiastic about helping disaster victims and participating in social welfare.
At the severe moment of the Japanese invasion of China, he faced coercion and temptation, as an important figure in Shanghai, he not only did not choose to become a traitor, but also contributed money to the War of Resistance, faced with the major choice of the country's survival, did not hesitate to plunge into it, showing a true national heroic style.
Therefore, simple black and white, good and bad, cannot accurately portray Du Yuesheng. His story is full of twists and turns, and his life is not only the life of a character, but also the epitome of the multiple contradictions of that era.
07 The love between the underworld emperor and the Beijing Opera empress
Du Yuesheng had five wives in her life, but the most famous and fascinating story is the love legend with Peking Opera star Meng Xiaodong.
The first wife - originally Shen Yueying
Shen Yueying was originally a subordinate in the Golden Rong Mansion, and experienced poverty and ups and downs with Du Yuesheng. However, she never had children in her life, but raised an adopted son, Du Weifan, who Du Yuesheng regarded as her own. Strangely, since this adopted son entered the house, Du Yuesheng's career has been smooth sailing, and this adopted son has almost become the "lucky star" of the Du family.
Second wife - socialite Chen Weiying
Chen Weiying is tall, fair-skinned, and beautiful, although her family is not rich. In her early years, she dropped out of school and danced with Paramount to earn living expenses, support family expenses, and become the number one courtesan in Shanghai's social scene.
Chen Yingyu had three sons: Wei Huan, Wei Han, and Wei Ning. She had the opportunity to go to Taiwan, but due to discord with Du Yuesheng in Hong Kong, she eventually returned to Shanghai angrily, and her later life was quite bleak.
The third wife - the outstanding Hua Dan Sun Peihao
Sun Peihao is the niece of the famous Peking Opera horn Xiao Guisun, who has excellent singing skills and performed on stage at a young age. Her temperament is dignified, gentle and charming, and after some pursuit, Du Yuesheng finally won her heart.
Sun Peihao gave birth to two sons: Du Weiping and Du Weiqin. A famous "palace fight" drama began between her and the fourth wife Yao Yulan.
The fourth wife - Peking Opera celebrity Liang Yulan
Yao Yulan had a light temperament and beautiful face when she was young, and later married Du Yuesheng under the mediation of Lin Guisheng. In their married life, Yao Yulan gave birth to two sons and two daughters. It is worth mentioning that Yao Yulan and Meng Xiaodong are close best friends, and the reason why Meng Xiaodong can become Du Yuesheng's wife is that Yao Yulan is indispensable.
The fifth wife - Meng Xiaodong, a famous Peking Opera actress during the Republic of China
Among Du Yuesheng's five wives, his favorite is Meng Xiaodong. Meng Xiaodong was born into a family of pear gardens and became a veteran on the Peking Opera stage, and her eyebrows are a blend of heroism and charm.
When she was young, Meng Xiaodong had a relationship with the famous Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, and although she eventually broke up, she had the idea of giving up her career to join Buddhism. However, Du Yuesheng conveyed a sentence to Meng Xiaodong through people: "Isn't it a pity if you waste your talent?" That phrase changed the course of her life.
Meng Xiaodong is the apprentice of Peking Opera master Yu Shuyan and is known as the first female veteran in history, she became popular in Shanghai early, and went north to Beijing at the age of 17, and her reputation was even greater. In 1927, she married Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, and although the two were in a household, because of Mei Lanfang's main office opposition, Meng Xiaodong finally left sadly and returned to Shanghai.
At the same time, although Du Yuesheng already has four aunts, he has always been fond of the "Winter Emperor" Meng Xiaodong for a long time. After Meng Xiaodong went south to Shanghai, he not only arranged for her to live in the Du family's mansion, but also helped resolve the dispute between her and Mei Lanfang.
He gradually won Meng Xiaodong's heart. It is worth mentioning that Du's fourth wife Yao Yulan and Meng Xiaodong are close friends, and she contributed to the situation behind the scenes, which eventually led to a beautiful marriage between the king of gangsters and the queen of Peking Opera.
Du Yuesheng's son Du Weishan once recalled: "My father has always admired Meng Xiaodong, and she is also full of admiration for my father. She married her father not out of repayment for kindness, let alone helplessness. ”
08 The "first person in the 300-year gang" died in a foreign land
In 1950, Du Yuesheng took refuge in Hong Kong. In order to give Meng Xiaodong a name, he insisted on marrying her during his illness. From that moment on, Meng Xiaodong legally became Mrs. Du.
Until his death in August 1951, when Du Yuesheng died in a small residence in Hong Kong, Meng Xiaodong was always by his side to take care of him, accompanying the former youth tycoon on the last journey of his life.
In the past, although the cost was huge, it was supported by huge wealth. However, once he left Shanghai, Du Yuesheng immediately lost his financial resources.
The once rich gang tycoon only has $450,000 on his body at this time. This is already a huge amount of money for ordinary people, but for Du Yuesheng, who is accustomed to a luxurious life, it has become tight. He also has several wives and many children to support.
In Hong Kong, they lived in an ordinary two-story building. Compared with the previous golden and splendid Du Mansion, this is just a place where you can barely live. It can be said that in all aspects, whether it is life, food and clothing or expenses, for the elderly Du Yuesheng, there is an unimaginable gap.
Although Du Yuesheng had considered returning to Shanghai, on the one hand, he was worried about being liquidated because of the April 12 incident, and on the other hand, as a person who was also a youth gangster, his experience of sweeping the streets in Shanghai made him worried about the prospects.
The dragon, which once soared in the rivers and lakes, is in trouble at this time. Although he did not fall into a bleak old age, his health gradually deteriorated over time.
In the last moments of Du Yuesheng's life, he was still worried about his birthplace. On his deathbed, he left a sentence: "Well, I have no hope, there is hope in Shanghai, and there is hope in China!" ”
In this way, this "underworld emperor" who once surged on the beach in Shanghai completed his legendary life.
On August 16, 1951, Du Yuesheng died in Hong Kong at the age of 63. A generation of heroic legends finally came to an end.
On August 19, 1951, Du Yuesheng's funeral ceremony was held. Chiang Kai-shek wrote a four-character elegance for him, "Righteous Festival, Yu Zhao."
After Du Yuesheng's death, the situation was not calm. At that time, Hong Kong's "News World" published an article saying that Taiwan must fight for Du Yuesheng's body. Some believe that even if he died, he would still be able to play an important role there once the Kuomintang counterattacked the mainland and carried his body back to Shanghai.
The situation in Hong Kong at the time was very complicated, and the Kuomintang feared that the "return to the homeland" plan of the remains would be obstructed. As a result, plans to transport the remains were kept closely guarded, and even the Hong Kong police were asked to assist in covert protection. The whole process was extremely secretive and designed to ensure that Du Yuesheng's body could be safely transported to Taiwan.