Recently, the 86-year-old painter Fan Zeng was ridiculed by everyone for remarrying a wife, and the most important reason was that the age difference between the couple was too large, reaching 50 years old. In fact, what many people don't know is that there is a logic implied in this, or Chinese logic, that is, the children born to old husbands and young wives are often very smart and can become great things. The most famous example is that Confucius's parents had an age difference of 52 years, his father was 70 years old when he was born, and his mother was only 18 years old (some say the age difference is 54 years).
In fact, there is another figure in history whose parents have a big age difference, and he is Li Shutong. His father was 68 years old when he was born, his mother was 19 years old, and the age difference between his parents was 49 years. Therefore, Li Shutong is a person with a particularly high IQ, who has outstanding achievements in many fields, and is known as a famous musician, calligrapher and painter, art educator, poet, personality drama actor, drama activist, etc.
As for how talented Li Shutong is, everyone also knows that just one song "Outside the Long Pavilion, by the Ancient Road, the Grass is Green and the Sky ......" has made countless people intoxicated and heartbroken. However, it is this heartbreaking "infatuated" man, in fact, he is an out-and-out amorous - he went against his mother's wishes, and did not want to get married, but his second brother said, as long as you agree to get married, I will give you 300,000! He immediately gave in and agreed to get married, but in the end it was an unexpected different ending······
1: First love
Li Shutong was born on October 23, 1880 in Hebei District, Tianjin. He is also from a wealthy family. His father Li Shizhen (who dares to use this name must be unusual) was born as a jinshi, and the official is the head of the Qing Dynasty, which is not a small official, at least higher than the county order, six grades, and has a great chance of promotion. But Li Shizhen didn't look down on this official position at all, and resigned soon after, because the Li family has a huge family business. The "Tongda" money village and salt business run by the Li family are both very profitable industries. Li Shizhen is a good hand in running a business, making the enterprise prosperous, making the Li family a huge rich man in Tianjin.
Therefore, Li Shutong can be said to have come to the world with a golden key. He was born to his father Li Shizhen's concubine Wang, and his mother was only 19 years old when he gave birth to him, and his father was 68 years old at that time. When he is old, Uncle Li has become the pearl of his father's palm. And it is rumored that on the day of Uncle Li's birth, a magpie pine branch was sent to the delivery room, which was considered to be a blessing from the Buddha, and the Li family valued this late baby even more.
Li Shutong is really unusual, he has been extremely smart and clever since he was a child, and he is deeply loved by his father. However, the disadvantages of old husbands and young wives still appeared prematurely, and when Li Shutong was 5 years old, his 73-year-old father left the West. The Li family has a big face, and Li Hongzhang, an important minister of the court, also personally attended the funeral.
At that time, there was a very "peculiar" scene. At the funeral, everyone was crying, but Li Shutong did not cry. Later, people asked him why he didn't cry when his father was gone? He said that since there were monks who had gone over for his father and the soul of the dead had ascended to heaven, he should rejoice. When a 5-year-old naughty boy said this, is there any hint other than being smart?
Yes, Uncle Li has been a Buddha since he was a child. His eldest mother, his father's eldest wife, Guo Shi, was a devout Buddhist, and Li Shutong learned to recite the "Great Compassion Mantra" and "Death Mantra" with her at an early age, and his eldest sister-in-law also believed in Buddhism and taught him to recite Buddhist scriptures......
After the death of his father, Li Shutong mainly studied with his brother Wenxi, who was 12 years older than him, and at the age of six or seven he read the "Selected Writings of Zhaoming", and at the age of 13, his writings, calligraphy and seal carving were very level, showing outstanding talent for literature and art.
At the age of 16, Li Shutong was admitted to the famous Fu Jen College, and he was very talented, and he soon came into contact with Xinxue, with rebellious and reformist ideas, and disdained the traditional Bagu Wen. But after all, he is also a "gentleman", his family is rich, he likes to eat, drink and have fun, especially likes to go to the theater to watch the play, he has become a hardcore ticket holder, and sometimes he has to make a cameo on stage or something.
In this way, Li Shutong got acquainted with Yang Cuixi, who was very famous in Jinmen at that time, and went to the "Tianxian Garden" every night to cheer for her; Li Shutong is very talented in acting, he often learns acting skills with Yang Cuixi, and even instructs her singing voice and figure. So the two fought hotly, like a pair of lovers.
In short, the young Li Shutong is also a proper merry and talented man.
Two: First marriage
After all, he was a child of a rich family, and Li Shutong's mother couldn't let her marry an actor, so she set a marriage for him early. The other party is the daughter of a wealthy tea merchant. The Yu family is dignified and virtuous, but Uncle Li thinks about Yang Cuixi in his heart, and he is unwilling to live or die for the Yu family.
At this time, Yang Cuixi, who was famous in Tianjin Pear Garden, was favored by Prince Qing in the capital and was soon bought with a lot of money. Uncle Li lost his beloved, was very disappointed, and was depressed all day long. So my mother took the opportunity to strike.
It's pitiful. Li Shutong's biological mother is his father's third aunt's wife, and she has a low status in the family, so she hopes that her son will get married early, be independent, live his own small life, and not be bullied by everyone. However, Uncle Li doesn't care about this, anyway, he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it, and he still doesn't agree to get married.
At this time, his second brother (half-brother) came out. The second brother said, as long as you promise to get married, I will give you 300,000 yuan to help you start a family!
As soon as he heard about the money, Li Shutong immediately stopped insisting and agreed to marry Yu. He was 18 years old at the time.
There are benefits to getting married, and Li Shutong finally understood. Because as soon as he became a family, he became independent, walked out of that feudal family, and felt much freer. So he began to make a big splash. He bought an expensive piano and began to study music and composition. On the other hand, in pursuit of liberal thought, he began to support the reform ideas of Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, and openly condemned the corruption and incompetence of the Qing government in the imperial examinations, and strongly supported the reform of the law.
But soon, the Wuxu Reform failed, and Li Shutong took his wife and mother from Tianjin to Shanghai to avoid trouble. In Shanghai, Uncle Li is like a fish in water, and he is thriving. He enrolled in the economics special course of Nanyang College, became a student of Cai Yuanpei, and got acquainted with many later celebrities in the academic world, such as Huang Yanpei and Shao Lizi.
The Li family also has a money bank in Shanghai, which is their own bank, and Li Shutong can withdraw his living expenses at will as a young owner. Therefore, he immediately entered the upper class society in Shanghai, made friends with many literati, celebrities and celebrities, and soon became famous on the beach. He also joined the "Chengnan Literary Society", and once ranked first in the monthly meeting of the Literary Society with "Imitation of Song Yu Xiaoyan Fu". At that time, he also had a close relationship with Xu Huanyuan, Yuan Xilian, Cai Xiaoxiang, and Zhang Xiaolou, and was called "the five friends of the end of the world".
At this time, the five friends of the end of the world drink and write poems together every day, sing and harmonize with each other, talk about life, and talk about the world, so unhappy!
In Shanghai, this merry and talented man got acquainted with Li Pingxiang, a famous prostitute with excellent color and art, and the talented and beautiful woman created another good story. It's just that Li Shutong didn't take it too seriously, as he said: "There is nothing to do when you run to the end of the world, how can you send your feelings, stop scolding angrily, and play." "There is a good wife and mother in the family, and there is a confidante outside, and this gentleman is also very chic.
It's just that his wife Yu, after marrying Uncle Li, he was very filial to his mother-in-law and worked very hard to manage the housework. And Li Shutong just shook his hands and didn't care about anything at home, even if his wife was pregnant, he didn't care, which made his wife feel cold. Helplessly, the husband and wife have no common language, and Li Gongzi's excuse is also high-sounding.
But fortunately, his mother is still there, and Li Shutong didn't dare to make a mistake. But the poor mother died young at the age of 45, and Li Shutong completely let go after the funeral for his mother. He didn't even say hello to Yu, and left his wife and three sons to study in Japan.
III: Remarriage
Uncle Li, who went to Japan, was like putting Manan Mountain, which was even more romantic.
On September 29, 1906, Li Shutong was admitted to the oil painting department of the Tokyo Art School in Japan. Together with his classmate Zeng Yannian and others, he organized the "Chunliu Society", which became the first drama group in China and made Li Shutong one of the founders of the Chinese drama movement.
In February of the following year, "Chunliu Society" premiered "Lady of the Camellias", and the 27-year-old Uncle Li played the role of Margaret, the Lady of the Camellias.
At this time, Li Shutong not only made outstanding achievements in music, but also led the group in art (later known as the founder of Chinese oil painting). It was also at this time that he got acquainted with the beautiful Japanese girl Seiko, some versions say that it is called Yukiko, or Yezi, and there is also a name called Fuji, in short, this girl does not have an accurate name, which shows that Li Shutong attaches great importance to her, hehe.
Seiko was originally the daughter of Uncle Li's landlord, and when he painted oil paintings, Seiko used him as a model when he painted nudes. Li Shutong quickly fell in love with her, so the two became husband and wife directly. As for the opinions of the original wife in China, it is not within the scope of his consideration at all. I just like it myself.
Soon after the marriage, Li Shutong returned to China for treatment due to illness. This time he didn't bring his newlywed wife with him, and he went back alone. During his treatment in his hometown, he was carefully cared for by his wife Yu. Li Shutong did not tell his wife that he was married again in a foreign country, so during this period, Yu was proud to take care of her husband and felt very happy.
After his body recovered, Li Shutong threw Yu and his son home, returned to Japan again, and continued his romance with Chengzi......
Four: Monkhood
In March 1911, Li Shutong graduated from the Tokyo Art School and returned to China with Chengzi. In Shanghai, Uncle Li worked as a painting instructor at the Zhili Higher Industrial School.
Since then, Li Shutong has become popular in the Chinese literary and art circles. He has taught in many colleges and universities, and has trained cartoonist Feng Zikai, Chinese painting master Pan Tianshou, musicians Liu Zhiping, Wu Mengfei, etc.; he also joined the "Southern Society" and was hired as the chief writer of the "Pacific Daily"; he founded the Wenmei Society with Liu Yazi and edited the "Wenmei Magazine"; he also joined the Xiling Seal Society, where he had occasional exchanges with Wu Changshuo, a master of calligraphy and painting in gold and stone; and organized the "Leshi Society" to engage in the research and creation of gold and stone.
At this time, Li Shutong could be said to be in full bloom, and became a top talent in China at that time in music, art, poetry, drama and education. Even Mr. Lu Xun admired him a lot, and was proud to get a pair of his calligraphy works, calling his calligraphy "simple and perfect, as if it were natural." I got Master Li's handwriting, fortunately!"
However, just when Li Shutong was in full glory, he was only 38 years old, but he suddenly came to a sudden brake and chose to become a monk.
In 1918, Li Shutong's ordination was undoubtedly an earthquake in the Chinese literary and artistic circles, and its sensational effect was no less than Lu Xun's publication of "Diary of a Madman" in that year.
In fact, Li Shutong's ordination is by no means a hot-headed choice. As mentioned earlier, he has a Buddhist relationship, and when he was very young, he followed his aunt and sister-in-law who believed in Buddhism to come into contact with Buddhism. When he was 5 years old, his father died, and instead of crying, he said the unbelievable words: Since his father's soul has ascended to heaven, he should be happy.
Just three years before Li Shutong became a monk, his friend Xia Yazun once recommended an article about fasting, in which he talked about the many advantages of fasting. In 1916, Li Shutong went to Hangzhou Hupao Temple for a 20-day fasting experiment. As a result, he felt that he had been "reborn". After that, he began to prepare for ordination.
There is probably another reason that prompted him to become a monk, that is, the Li family's business collapsed in a financial crisis, and the family's fortune began to decline.
As you know, Uncle Li's most famous "Farewell" was written for his bankrupt friend Xu Huanyuan:
In the winter of 1915, the snow was falling, and the old Shanghai was desolate. On this day, Li Shutong's friend, Xu Huanyuan, one of the "Five Friends of the World", came to say goodbye to him. Xu Huanyuan didn't even enter the door of his house, but just stood outside the door and said, "Uncle and brother, my family is bankrupt, and we will have a meeting later." After saying that, he said goodbye with tears......
Uncle Li looked at the back of his former friend and stood in the snow for a whole hour, not even hearing the many cries of the leaves. Then, Uncle Li turned back to the house, closed the door, and wrote this heartbreaking song for the ages with tears.
Unexpectedly, two years later, he also went bankrupt. Then Li Shutong is also leaving. However, he is not like Xu Huanyuan, who said that he would come back. He was resolute and he would never come back......
So, 38-year-old Li Shutong resolutely gave up the red dust world and stepped into Buddhism. He walked very decisively, or very ruthlessly, without telling his wife Yu and son, nor about his new love Seiko.
But when Uncle Li became a monk, no one did not notify him. In July 1918, after Li Shutong handed over his resignation to the school, he told his protégés Feng Zikai and Liu Zhiping. Both students had difficulty accepting the teacher's choice.
The student asks the teacher, "Why did the teacher become a monk?"
Uncle Li replied: "Do nothing." ”
The student asked, "Bear with your flesh and bones?"
The teacher replied: "The world is impermanent, like dying of a violent illness, if you want to throw it away, you can get it?"
The next day, Li Shutong left and never looked back. After that, he cut his hair and became a monk in Hupao Dinghui Temple, and changed his name to Master Hongyi, and there was no Li Shutong in the world.
After that, he devoted himself to the Buddha and lived an extremely hard life, as if the wealth and wealth of the past never existed. He skips lunch and uses only one meal a day: a bowl of rice, a plate of pickles, and a glass of boiled water.
Uncle Li lived a very hard life in the temple, but he also suffered from his two wives. In fact, after Li Shutong returned to China, he has been living with Chengzi, and he has never seen Yu and his sons again. Of course, he doesn't need to inform the Yu family when he becomes a monk, how old are you? Even the new love Chengzi has never told him.
Later, after Chengzi learned that Li Shutong became a monk, she went to the monastery to see Li Shutong, but she knelt at the gate of the monastery for a few days and did not pull him back to the world. Legend has it that the two met like this.
Seiko knelt for a few days, and the door finally "creaked" and the door opened a crack.
Seiko: "Shutong—"
Master Hongyi: "Please call me Hongyi." ”
Seiko: "Please tell me what love is?"
Venerable Hongyi: "Love is compassion. ”
……
Perhaps, in Master Hongyi's heart, he was originally a person of great compassion.
Before becoming a monk, Uncle Li went to the house of his student Feng Zikai, and every time he sat on the wooden rattan chair, he always had to shake it before sitting down. Feng Zikai didn't understand what he meant, so he asked the teacher why he did this. Uncle Li replied, "This wooden rattan chair may have small insects, and after shaking it like this, these little creatures will run away, and they will not kill after sitting down." ”
Being in Buddhism, Li Shutong did not even forget to be patriotic. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he heard about the wars in various places, and was extremely indignant at the Japanese invasion of China: "I eat the millet of China and drink the water of Wenling.
Every time he gave a lecture on Buddhism, he would hang a banner with the words "Reciting the Buddha and not forgetting to save the country, and reciting the Buddha to save the country" and adding the words: "Buddha, Jueye." When you feel the truth, you can sacrifice your life, sacrifice everything, and be brave and diligent to save your country. Therefore, to save the country, we must recite the Buddha. ”
On the evening of October 13, 1942, Master Hongyi, who knew that the deadline was approaching, wrote down the four words "intersection of sorrow and joy" as a masterpiece.
In the face of death, Master Hongyi calmly and calmly arranged every detail of the aftermath very thoughtfully. He repeatedly explained to his disciples: "After I go, you remember that when the body was put into the shrine, a bowl was placed at each of the four feet of the shrine, and the bowl was filled with water, so that ants and insects would not be innocently burned to death during cremation after climbing on the body. ”
Until his death, Master Hongyi did not forget to be compassionate, to purify all sentient beings, and to worry about the country and the people.
(Text/The Woman Who Told History, Mi Xue)