Extraordinary origins
In 1900, in a poor family in Jiangsu, a smart boy was born, he was Liu Bannong. Liu Bannong's father once won a show, and his life was still passable.
However, the good times did not last long, and the family was backward and reduced to a commoner. This cast a shadow on Liu Bannong's bumpy youth.
When he was 11 years old, Liu Bannong went to the temple with his parents to burn incense, and a noblewoman surnamed Zhu admired the little boy's intelligent eyes and demeanor and took the initiative to propose marriage. Mrs. Zhu's status is noble, and Liu's father readily agreed, but soon this marriage encountered variables.
Miss Zhu died of a violent illness, and Mrs. Zhu had no choice but to choose her eldest daughter Zhu Huixu to marry the Liu family. On the day the marriage was finalized, Liu Bannong sneaked to the door of Zhu Hui's house to take a peek and bumped into her carrying a heavy bucket and staggering.
Only then did he suddenly realize that the pain of a woman's foot binding was no different from that of an ordinary man.
Be brave against arranged marriages
After Zhu Hui married into the Liu family, her feet were finally released, and she was grateful. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and her father-in-law asked her to take on the tasks of housework and taking care of the elderly. Although Zhu Hui was hardworking, she had two miscarriages due to overwork.
The father-in-law didn't want to lose this free labor, so he forced Liu Bannong to take a concubine and have children. Zhu Hui sat helplessly and waited to die.
Surprisingly, Liu Bannong actually stood up against his father's arranged marriage. He firmly stated that he would love Zhu Hui for the rest of his life. In order to protect his wife, Liu Bannong resolutely decided to leave his hometown and take Zhu Hui to live in Shanghai.
Leaving those tongues and dirty eyes, Zhu Hui finally became pregnant and gave birth with peace of mind. But when Liu Bannong learned that he had given birth to a daughter, those patriarchal remarks appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but worry about his wife and children.
Eventually, he decided to announce that he had a son.
Female status in dispute
With his own efforts, Liu Bannong got the opportunity to study abroad at public expense and successfully became a professor at Peking University. With his wife and daughter, he came abroad to study Xi life. At the beginning, Liu Bannong was still immersed in the joy of achievement.
However, when he translated foreign books, he gradually discovered a problem - in English, there are he and she to distinguish between men and women, while in Chinese there is only "he" with an unknown personality.
This made him deeply feel that the status of women is low, and if it is not remedied in time, it will only become more and more marginalized.
Therefore, Liu Bannong is determined to fight for women's due rights. He pondered it and finally coined the word "she" to refer specifically to women. He hopes that through this small word, the status of women can be improved and real equality can be obtained.
However, this move was initially misunderstood and resisted by some traditional women. Liu Bannong was not discouraged, but wrote poems and actively promoted the connotation of the word. With the joint efforts of him and his friends, the word "she" was finally recognized and accepted by the society, which has also become the proudest achievement of Liu Bannong's life.
Inherit the essence of life
Looking back at Liu Bannong's extraordinary 43 years of life, the spiritual wealth he left behind for future generations is admirable.
It can be said that it is Liu Bannong's keen observation and brutal action that have achieved his great cause. His invention of the character "she" has become an indispensable part of modern Chinese; The female perspective of many of his works has also contributed to the progress of Chinese society.
Whether it is Liu Bannong's spirit or his achievements, it will inspire more followers to pursue truth and seek change. This is the precious essence he left us.