Shanghai in the twenties and thirties of the last century, ten miles of ocean field, full of traffic.
Paramount was born in this drunken gold fan Shanghai Beach, every night falls, countless celebrities here to stagger, squander money, for a while people forget that the founder of this Paramount is not a traditional gang person, but the famous Miss Sheng Qi - Sheng Aiyi.
Many people may not know Sheng Aiyi's real name, but if you talk about the "Paramount" she created, whether you are a Shanghainese or not, it is almost familiar.
In 1900, Sheng Aiyi was born in the family of Sheng Xuanhuai, the "richest man in the late Qing Dynasty", because she ranked seventh in the family, so people called her Miss Sheng Qi.
Sheng Xuanhuai, as a powerful minister among the representative figures of the Western affairs school in the late Qing Dynasty, single-handedly created the first civilian joint-stock enterprise, the first telegraph office, the first bank and other 11 legends in China, known as the "father of Chinese business", his family property is also rich and rival the country, it can be said that Sheng Aiyi was born with a golden spoon.
Maybe it's an old woman, Sheng Xuanhuai has an abnormal love for Sheng Aiyi. When she was a child, Sheng Aiyi was clever and clever, and under the influence of her mother, Mrs. Zhuang, she began to help her mother take care of family affairs early. And her mother, as the head of the Sheng family, provoked the pillars of the Sheng family after the death of her husband Sheng Xuanhuai, and struggled to maintain the status of the Sheng family as a famous family in the chaotic times.
Therefore, Sheng Aiyi did not worry about her livelihood because she was in a troubled world when she was young, but she got more opportunities to see the world than girls of the same age, not only studied at St. John's University in Shanghai as a high-achieving student, but also proficient in English, good at calligraphy and painting, embroidery, etc., and was a rare talent in the new era at that time.
Unfortunately, Sheng Aiyi's carefree growth in her father's love is only 16 short years. In 1916, Sheng Xuanhuai died, Sheng Aiyi had to grow up overnight to help her mother take charge of the family business, and this experience of managing family affairs also made Sheng Aiyi meet the man who made her heart - Song Ziwen.
01. Love but not
In 1917, after receiving his doctorate from Columbia University, Song Ziwen returned to the embrace of the motherland with his sister Song Meiling.
Song Ziwen, who first arrived in Shanghai, was hired by the office of Hanyeping Company founded by Sheng Xuanhuai at the office of Hanyeping Company founded by Sheng Xuanhuai on the recommendation of his sister Song Ailing, and served as the English secretary of Sheng Aiyi's brother Sheng Enyi.
Because Sheng Enyi sang night and night, he was always making up for sleep during the day, and often slept until noon, so Song Ziwen had to wait for the boss to get up in the living room of the Sheng family every day. After a long time, Sheng Aiyi couldn't look past it, and took the initiative to greet Song Ziwen, who knew that this unintentional move actually brought the two a love that had been entangled for seven years.
At that time, Song Ziwen was 23 years old, and he was a young man with ambitions and ideas; Sheng Ai Yi Nian Fang 17, fancy years, dignified and beautiful, satisfying all people's beautiful imagination of their partner.
In the Sheng family, servants often saw this talented and courteous young man waiting in the living room early in the morning, but it was often almost noon before meeting with the boss of the grand grand to report the relevant work. Sometimes, Song Ziwen stayed in the living room and would also go to the Sheng family's garden.
It was such an unintentional act that made him meet the goddess who was difficult to give up in his life. On that day, the wind was clear, and Song Ziwen, who had nothing to do, paced casually along the garden corridor. In a trance, a string of silver bell-like laughter passed by the ears, and when he raised his eyes, the goddess quietly came into view, floating by like a fairy in the sky.
Since this chance encounter, Song Ziwen has often come and gone here intentionally or unintentionally, and inquired about the identity of this fairy from the servants in the house. It turns out that this beautiful fairy is Sheng Aiyi, the seventh miss of the Sheng family, and at the age of 17, she has long been out of the pavilion, like a hibiscus out of the water, exuding the vitality and vitality that belongs to this age.
Coincidentally, this Miss Seven happened to be studying English at the time and urgently needed the guidance of a senior teacher. After Song Ziwen learned the news, he was overjoyed, so he volunteered himself and took the initiative to serve as Sheng Aiyi's tutor in his spare time, and the two naturally became a "teacher-student relationship".
As Sheng Aiyi's teacher, in addition to telling her the most basic English knowledge, Song Ziwen often told her some of her experiences abroad and the new things she came into contact with. In this way, Sheng Aiyi was unconsciously attracted by this erudite talent, and secretly agreed.
Lang has a concubine intention, and Sheng Aiyi and Song Ziwen soon fall in love. Sheng Aiyi often pulls Song Ziwen to go shopping, drink coffee, and enjoy the world of the two like all ordinary couples, and Song Ziwen, who is deeply in love, also wrote in her diary: "The first time I saw her (Sheng Aiyi), it was like seeing a fairy under the ordinary!" ”
As the relationship between the two continued to heat up, Song Ziwen began to seriously consider the future of the two. He asked Jiang Weixian, the chief secretary of Hanyeping Company, to propose to the Sheng family for him, planning to marry Sheng Aiyi with a grand wedding.
This delicate relationship between the two naturally can't escape Mrs. Zhuang's eyes, although Mrs. Zhuang also appreciates Song Ziwen's talent, but after all, this is a major event related to her daughter's lifelong happiness, so she sent someone to quietly investigate Song Ziwen's life.
Who knows if you don't know, you are shocked when you check. It turned out that Song Ziwen's father, Song Jiashu, was just a missionary in Guangdong. On weekdays, in order to attract passers-by, Song Jiashu always plays the accordion in the public.
When Li Puchen brought Song Ziwen's family background information back to the Sheng family, the third miss of the Sheng family first asked: "Hmph, it's a big joke that Taibao's daughter marries the son of a drummer." ”
After listening to the words of the third young lady, Mrs. Zhuang also felt that whether it was family, wealth, or political background, Song Ziwen and Miss Sheng Qi were not right. In order to prevent this relationship from developing in an uncontrollable direction, cut off this evil relationship as soon as possible, and strangle it in the cradle, Mrs. Zhuang found a way to transfer Song Ziwen to Wuhan. When Song Ziwen received the order, he naturally understood the reason in his heart, and although he had the intention to disobey, he was ultimately unable to resist.
After staying in Wuhan for a few days, Song Ziwen, who was unwilling, was determined to fight for his happiness, so he quit his current job and returned to Shanghai.
In order to meet Sheng Aiyi, he often traveled with his beloved girl's car at the gate of Shengfu, and sometimes even stopped the car on the street in order to be able to say two words to the person in the car.
Sheng Aiyi looks at it in her eyes, and she can't bear it, and always creates various opportunities to meet her sweetheart.
Just when Song Ziwen was frantically pursuing Sheng Aiyi, the world was changing. In February 1923, after the Chen Jiongming Mutiny in Guangzhou was put down, Dr. Sun Yat-sen reorganized the Guangzhou government and established a revolutionary regime, which urgently needed talents from all walks of life. On the recommendation of his sister Soong Ching-ling, Sun Yat-sen decided to use Song Ziwen to dedicate his strength to the revolutionary cause
Song Ziwen, who received the telegram, was very entangled in his heart, and on the one hand, he was his beloved, and on the other hand, the call of the revolutionary cause made him dilemma.
After a fierce ideological struggle, Song Ziwen decided to persuade Sheng Aiyi to go south with him to Guangzhou, believing that with his talents, he would be able to carve out his own world in Guangzhou and that the revolutionary cause would succeed.
Coming to the Sheng family again, Song Ziwen said to Sheng Aiyi affectionately: "Aiyi, go south to Guangzhou with me, there is a vast world for you and me to wander to your heart's content." You are like sticky candy to me, my cheeks will be taken away by you, and when I think of you, it will be full of sweet taste. ”
But when Sheng Aiyi heard this, her heart was wavering, no matter how heartwarming the words she heard, she could not resist the unknown prospects.
Growing up in a purdah compound, she finally retreated when she faced all this, and at that time, this practice was no different from elopement, if she really walked away like this, how could the people in her family be embarrassed.
Song Ziwen couldn't let go of Sheng Aiyi, and he didn't want to live up to his sister's introduction, so he was embarrassed for a while. At this time, Sun Yat-sen saw that Song Ziwen was delayed, and sent several telegrams urging, and finally forced Song Ziwen to make a bold decision - to elope with Miss Sheng Qi.
Song Ziwen bought the tickets for the two, and then found Sheng Aiyi with the tickets, and put out his plans and plans. Sheng Aiyi was shocked, in her opinion, elopement would not only ruin her reputation, but also bring shame to the entire family, and then where would her mother, Mrs. Zhuang, still be able to gain a foothold in the family?
Thinking of the trouble her mother might encounter in the future, Sheng Aiyi could only tearfully send a handful of gold leaves to Song Ziwen, and then hardened her heart and said: "I am here, waiting for the day you return, all the way well." The light in Song Ziwen's eyes gradually dimmed down, and he finally realized how small and powerless he was in front of reality.
At that time, some wealthy families liked to use "gold leaves" as a bride price, and they loved to give Song Ziwen gold leaves, which was originally a promise. Unfortunately, Song Ziwen did not understand Sheng Aiyi's tenderness, but when Sheng Aiyi sent himself with his belongings, he couldn't help but be greatly disappointed.
But the reality is there, you can't choose half a point, Song Ziwen looked at the gold leaf in his hand, and muttered: "These money will be counted as I borrowed from you, and I will definitely return it in the future." Saying that, he helplessly turned around and slowly disappeared into the crowd.
02. Strive for equal rights
It is said that Sheng Aiyi wielded the sword of wisdom to cut off the love silk is also a last resort, and when Song Ziwen became famous, the Sheng family was slowly declining.
When Sheng Xuanhuai died, he made a will and divided his huge inheritance into two parts, one part was inherited by several sons, and the other part was used to establish the Yuzhai public property, and 40% of the money from the Yuzhai public property was used for social welfare undertakings, and the remaining 60% was used as the Sheng family public fund, which was specially used to help the descendants of the Sheng family who encountered difficulties.
According to Sheng Xuanhuai's idea, if the descendants of the descendants have incomplete weapons, then the foolish public property, which is equivalent to the family fund, can allocate relief to the descendants, so as to ensure that the children of the Sheng family have no worries about food and clothing.
But Sheng Xuanhuai's idea is beautiful, but the reality is very skinny. In 1927, Sheng Enyi suddenly proposed to the Shanghai Provisional Court that the money that had long been part of Yuzhai's public property should be divided between Sheng Xuanhuai's three sons and two grandsons.
When the news came, Miss Sheng Qi immediately objected fiercely. She believed that according to the laws of the Republic of China, unmarried women also had the right to participate in the distribution of the family inheritance, so she requested that the property be divided into seven parts, which would be jointly inherited by the five male relatives of the Sheng family and Miss Sheng Qi and Miss Sheng Ba.
Of course, Sheng Enyi did not want her sister to divide up property, and bluntly said that women have not had the right to inherit property since ancient times. Miss Sheng Qi was furious when she heard this, and took her three brothers and two nephews to court together, demanding equal rights for men and women, and jointly inheriting property, with the courage of setting a precedent in the world, she started the first women's rights lawsuit in the Republic of China.
Although according to Chinese tradition, women do not enjoy inheritance rights, the laws promulgated by the government during the Republic of China clearly stipulate that "unmarried women enjoy the same inheritance rights as men", and it is based on this provision that Miss Seven resolutely decided to defend her dignity as a woman through legal means.
As soon as the news came out, it immediately caused an uproar in the society, and people from all walks of life quickly gathered their attention here.
The victory or loss of this lawsuit is not only related to the benefits that individuals can obtain, but also has far-reaching social significance, and even touches on the reform of the traditional social system, which Sheng Lao and others did not expect.
Although public opinion was not biased towards Sheng Aiyi at the beginning, and even some criticism and insults, with the continuous fermentation of the incident and the awakening of public consciousness, Miss Seven's rights protection behavior slowly gained the support and help of all walks of life, and the balance of morality also tilted towards Sheng Aiyi's side.
On the day of the trial, people from all walks of life in the audience filled the courtroom, and the grandeur was unprecedented. Lawyers from all parties fought around the facts and the law of the case, and worked hard to fight for the rights and interests of their clients. A month later, as the verdict was read, the dust of the sensational lawsuit was finally settled.
Although Seventh Miss Sheng Aiyi paid expensive legal fees, she eventually won the case. She not only received her own inheritance of 500,000 oceans, but also improved the social status of women with practical actions and set an example for the majority of female compatriots.
03. The ups and downs of the sea of business
After receiving a huge sum of 500,000 yuan, Sheng Aiyi took this money as capital and began to get involved in the commercial field. Born in a family of giant businessmen, she has been familiar with business since she was a child, and she has achieved extraordinary results in the business world since she first entered the business world, and quickly established herself in the business world.
In 1933, Sheng Aiyi saw the development prospects of Shanghai's entertainment industry, invested 600,000 taels of silver, and together with several partners, he founded Shanghai Paramount, known as the "First Happy House in the Far East".
According to documents, Paramount has a 500-square-meter dance floor, and on the roof stands a cylindrical glass light tower several meters high, which reflects the entire Paramount under the light.
The big investment made Paramount a celebrity as soon as it opened, and Paramount guests once described the entertainment venue as "rare moon stars, bright lights; Where to send enough, high-rise buildings are cold; I dare not dream of wandering, I love this heaven and earth. ”
Like a Paramount in heaven and on earth, it witnessed the prosperity of Shanghai Beach in the hands of Miss Sheng Qi. In the bright lights and green, the guests in Paramount may not think that Shanghai Beach is mixed, gangs are rampant, and the entertainment industry and dance industry are the "hardest hit areas" controlled by gangs, but Miss Sheng Qi can think that the predecessors dare not think that in the context of the era when most women are idle at home in the same era, with a lonely and courageous career, the action proves that the value of women is not just a husband and a godson.
This boldness and courage is the background of Miss Sheng Qi's legendary career. Because of Miss Sheng Qi, the Republic of China era when women's self-awareness was weak also had a different color of women's self-love and self-improvement.
04. Ye Jinzi returns
Moreover, Song Ziwen left for Guangzhou, and after arriving in Guangzhou, Song Ziwen successively served as the governor of the Central Bank and the minister of finance of the Guangzhou National Government, and by the time Song Ziwen returned to Shanghai, he had already ranked among the top rich people in the Republic of China, and his family reputation was comparable to that of the Sheng family.
Song Ziwen, who went south to Guangzhou, successfully entered the political arena with the support of Sun Yat-sen. In August 1924, Sun Yat-sen appointed Song Ziwen as governor of the central bank; In July 1925, the National Government was established in Guangzhou, and Song Ziwen was appointed Minister of Finance of the National Government and Director of the Department of Finance of Guangdong Province, and the audit manager of the two Guangzhou salt affairs.
In 1927, Song Ziwen, the new Minister of Finance of the Nanjing government, felt that the scenery was beautiful and cool and livable while visiting Lushan, so he had the idea of building a villa for his mother.
Later, on the recommendation of local officials, he met with Zhang Mozhi, the owner of the construction factory, and asked him to design and construct the villa. After the two sides negotiated everything, under the kind invitation of Boss Zhang, Song Ziwen participated in Boss Zhang's family banquet.
On the banquet, Song Ziwen met his wife Zhang Leyi, who later accompanied him all his life, and quickly developed a lover relationship with him.
In 1930, Song Ziwen, who returned to Shanghai again, held financial power and was accompanied by his wife, and was already a successful person that everyone admired.
When Sheng Aiyi learned that Song Ziwen returned to Shanghai, years of waiting finally ushered in the dawn, and she was happy and happy. But as the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Before the joy on his face faded, bad news followed. It turned out that Song Ziwen married Zhang Leyi as early as 1928, and after returning this time, he and his wife frequently haunted public places.
Sheng Aiyi, who had been waiting for seven years, was overjoyed when she heard that Song Ziwen returned to Shanghai, she thought that Song Ziwen had come back to marry her, who knew that at this time, Song Ziwen was already a "wife of the king" and married Zhang Leyi, a lady.
Sheng Aiyi was hit hard and fell ill. People say that Sheng Aiyi is only afraid of martyrdom for love, who knows that after Miss Sheng Qi recovered from illness, she quickly fell in love with Song Ziwen and turned into a career coffee, only when people asked about her relationship, Sheng Aiyi would be silent for a long time, and then said lightly: "The gold leaf he owes me has not been returned to me!" ”
In 1932, 32-year-old Sheng Aiyi married Mrs. Zhuang's nephew Zhuang Zhujiu under the mediation of others, and her empty heart finally belonged.
After that, Sheng Lao Wu once called one day to invite his sister to come to the garden to taste tea, but he didn't think that as soon as he entered the living room, he collided with Song Ziwen who was sitting in the hall, his eyes were facing each other, Song Ziwen just squirmed his throat and wanted to say something, but Sheng Aiyi turned his head and was about to leave.
How could she not know that this "coincidence" was arranged by her brother and sister-in-law, and the purpose was naturally to hope that she could "reconcile" with Song Ziwen again, but she herself could not accept this arrangement in any way.
When faced with the "enthusiastic" persuasion of her brother and sister-in-law to leave a light meal, she said with a frosty face: "My husband is still waiting for me to eat at home, and I am out of company." He flicked his sleeves and left.
After this incident, whenever someone mentioned it, Sheng Aiyi always said with a bit of melancholy in her tone: "He is a high-ranking official and proud, why should I bother him?" But then again, his gold leaf hasn't paid me back yet! After that, he stared into the distance for a long time.
The peaceful days passed like flowing water, until one day his nephew Sheng Yudu was imprisoned.
At a critical moment, Ye Yuanchan, the nephew's original wife, came to Sheng Aiyi's home, half pleading, half forcing Miss Seven to call Song Ziwen, who was already the president of the Executive Yuan of the National Government at the time, to see if she could release her husband. The helpless Miss Seven had to agree to help, but she didn't have much hope and said to Ye Yuanchan: "The phone call is only made once, the achievement is achieved, and the achievement is not achieved."
Unexpectedly, Song Ziwen agreed surprisingly neatly. Even when Sheng Aiyi proposed "I hope to have dinner with my nephew at noon tomorrow", the other end of the phone did not hesitate at all, and said yes.
While everyone was ecstatic about this, Sheng Aiyi, who put down the phone, had a hint of imperceptible tears flickering in the corners of her eyes.
05. There are many tribulations in old age
In 1949, on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, many wealthy businessmen and dignitaries in China always had a skeptical attitude towards the new regime and went abroad to wait and see, but Sheng Aiyi chose to continue to live in Shanghai out of this love for her homeland.
At first, although the social system was reformed and the assets were nationalized, with the fixed interest obtained from it on time, he usually smoked a cigar, wrote and had a full son and daughter, and his life was comfortable.
However, the weather is unpredictable, and with the arrival of the special period, such a calm and simple day has been broken at once. Houses were encroached upon, and everything of value in the house was smashed; The husband died of illness during a rural labor reform; his son Zhuang Yuanduan was also sent to Anhui Rural Labor Reform; Her daughter Zhuang Yuanzhen was assigned to Fujian to work as a rural teacher because of her poor family background.
Sheng Aiyi was driven to live in a simple car garage on Wuyuan Road. And this garage is close to the mouth of the septic tank, and every once in a while, a pipe sticks into her house and pumping manure. Across the road, there is also a vegetable market, which is bustling and crowded every day. Sheng Aiyi, who has been pampered all her life, suddenly lived such a bad life, but she never bowed to life and was at the mercy of fate.
Although she had to do heavy work during the day, as long as she was idle, the seventh young lady worked hard to live, carefully decorated her small room, put wildflowers in bottles and placed them in front of the window, enjoying this peace that belonged to herself.
Sometimes, the seventh young lady would take advantage of the afternoon sun, drag a small chair, lean gracefully and calmly in front of the door, smoke a cigar in her mouth, and spit out a faint smoke ring, through which she would gazing thoughtfully at the rushing beings on the road.
In 1983, Sheng Aiyi went through her long life, and before she died, she still cleaned herself up, and her face still maintained the grace and calmness she deserved.