During the Republican period, there was a famous lady Sun Yongfan, she was the seventh daughter of the premier of the Republic of China Sun Baoqi, and was known as "Miss Sun Qi". However, her life has experienced many ups and downs and tribulations. He once committed suicide for his first love boyfriend, but ended up marrying a divorced man with two children. She was criticized for a slap and was regarded as "the most vicious stepmother of the Republic of China". Sun Yongfan's identity is controversial, some people call her a true nobleman, others think she is the most downtrodden celebrity. However, what kind of truth is hidden behind her story? Sun Yongbo was born in 1905, and his father was Sun Baoqi, the governor of Shandong in the late Qing Dynasty and the premier of the Republic of China.
As the seventh daughter of the Prime Minister, she was loved and pampered in the family. However, her love experience put her in trouble. At the age of 17, she fell in love with her cousin, and after the two had a relationship, she hoped to stay with her cousin for life. However, the family objected to the relationship because the cousin's family was poor. Faced with a helpless situation, she decided to commit suicide by taking poison with her cousin. However, her cousin regretted before and after her death, and informed Sun Yongfan's family to quickly rescue her and leave. This peachy news spread throughout society, making Sun Baoqi feel humiliated and his attitude towards Sun Yongbo became extremely bad. She was grounded at home and indulged in opium to relieve her boredom.
Sun Yongfan's bad image and her love history became the criteria for people's evaluation of her. Her reputation and social circle were badly affected. However, fate gave her a chance to start over. At the age of 26, she met Zhang Tingzhong, the only son of Zhang Peilun, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, and Li Juju, the eldest daughter of Li Hongzhang. Although the Zhang family has declined, Sun Yongbo believes that such a marriage is better than her current situation. She decided to cater to Zhang Tingzhong in order to completely drive away his ex-wife Huang Yifan. They smoked opium together and had many happy hours together. This kind of companionship made their feelings deeper and deeper, and they became each other's confidants.
However, for stepdaughters like Zhang Ailing and Zhang Zijing, Sun Yongbo is unpleasant. The contradictions and conflicts between Sun Yongbo and her stepdaughter became a major problem for her as a stepmother. Although Sun Yongbo had tried to curry favor with Zhang Ailing, her efforts did not pay off as expected. Sun wore old clothes for Zhang Ailing, but she regarded it as a shame. And in an argument, she even slapped Zhang Ailing. In Zhang Ailing's eyes, Sun Yongbo is the enemy in her heart, and she can't stand such a stepmother. Sun Yongfan, on the other hand, blamed his actions on Zhang Ailing's unfilial piety. Sun Yongbo's marriage was not as happy as she thought. Zhang Tingzhong was unemployed and his family was struggling financially.
In order to make ends meet, Sun Yongbo began to rectify the maids in the house, making the maids more in awe of her. However, this did not change the attitude of Zhang Tingzhong and his children towards her. Zhang Ailing experienced her father's abuse and developed a great resentment towards Sun Yongfan. She felt that Sun Yongbo was a substitute for her mother Huang Yifan and could not accept her existence. This made Sun Yongbo feel very troubled, and she felt helpless and aggrieved by her bad reputation. In general, Sun Yongbo's life was full of setbacks and tribulations. She was desperate for love, but ended up marrying a man with an ex-wife and children.
She was known as the "most vicious stepmother of the Republic of China" and suffered resentment and snubs from her stepdaughter. However, she is also a sentient person, and she tries to improve the relationship between herself and her stepdaughter. Although her approach is not perfect, her hard work and indomitable spirit are admirable. Finally, we can't help but ask, is Sun Yongfan's experience and people's evaluation of her fair? Is she really the most vicious stepmother of the Republic of China? Perhaps, we should understand her situation better, put ourselves in her shoes, and try to understand her motives and decisions. Everyone has their own story, and these stories are often more complex and confusing than we think.
Saddened by the suffering of Zhang Ailing and the cruelty of Zhang Tingzhong, Zhang Ailing, a talented writer whose novels are known for their unique brushstrokes and keen insight. However, behind her creative career lies a harrowing story, that is, the contradictory relationship between her and her stepmother, Sun Yongbo. This relationship not only influenced Zhang Ailing's life and creation, but also reflected the oppression and injustice of women in society at that time. All contradictions stem from the marriage of Zhang Ailing and Zhang Tingzhong. Zhang Tingzhong was a wealthy businessman, but his cruelty and cruelty were also well known. After being beaten once, Zhang Ailing decided to go to the patrol house to examine her injuries, hoping to expose Zhang Tingzhong's evil deeds.
However, Zhang Tingzhong put her in a confinement room, not only locked the door, but also nailed the window with a wooden plank. During this period, Zhang Ailing's aunt Zhang Maoyuan came to intercede, but was also beaten by Zhang Tingzhong. In order to fight for freedom, Zhang Ailing began a hunger strike to protest. However, Zhang Tingzhong was unmoved, and even refused to provide medical help if she had severe dysentery. Fortunately, the faithful servant He Gan successfully coaxed Zhang Tingzhong in the name of the old lady Tuomeng to get him to agree to inject Zhang Ailing with drugs. Without this strategy, it is really difficult to say whether Zhang Ailing's life can continue that spring.
However, in this whole incident, only she and Zhang Tingzhong know what role Sun Yongbo played, and we can't guess. Years later, Sun Yongbo appeared in Zhang Ailing's novels, and without exception was portrayed as a disgusting stepmother. The once noble and elegant celebrity "Miss Sun Qi" has now become known as the "vicious stepmother". In his later years, Sun Yongbo could only live alone in a small house of 14 square meters, without any relatives around him. Zhang Tingzhong has died, Zhang Ailing has completely cut off contact with her, and Zhang Zijing is unable to enter the city for various reasons.
Neighbors didn't know her identity at first, until they saw the signature on an email and learned that the old lady was the vicious stepmother written by Zhang Ailing. However, in the eyes of the neighbors, Sun Yongbo at this time was a kind-hearted old lady, and children often ran to her to get sugar and snacks, and affectionately called her aunt. In 1986, Sun died quietly in a dilapidated old house at the age of 81. From the prime minister's daughter to the stepmother of others, Sun Yongbo has endured accusations all her life, but has never explained or refuted them.
In her later years, she once said in an interview with reporters: "Zhang Ailing has become a famous writer, if she is stimulated by me, it is not a bad thing." Bad words don't matter to me, a person in my eighties. These words seem to be full of grievances. Perhaps it was the grind of time that made Sun Yongbo's anger slowly disappear, or perhaps Zhang Ailing's novel made people misunderstand her. As for the truth, we have no way of knowing. The contradictory relationship between Zhang Ailing and Sun Yongbo reflects the oppression and injustice of women in society at that time. In that feudal conservative era, women had no power and status, and often became victims of patriarchal society.
Zhang Ailing's experience makes us reflect on society's attitude towards women, and also calls for attention and protection of women's rights and interests. In short, the story between Zhang Ailing and Sun Yongbo is full of pain and injustice. Some fragments of this relationship are revealed in Eileen Chang's work, but the truth remains a mystery. We should look at this history with fairness, while also giving Zhang Ailing and Sun Yongbo the respect and understanding they deserve. The story also raises a question worth pondering: How do women respond to oppression and injustice in a patriarchal society? Please leave your comments and ideas.