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introduction
What is it like to be the wife of Lu Xun, the top literary circle in the Republic of China? Can you feel the romance brought by the literati? Immersed in the gentle countryside of happiness and unable to extricate yourself? Facing literary giants every day, showing inner adoration and satisfaction? In fact, none of these are Zhu An's use of his miserable white life to interpret what is the great misfortune of life.
When a woman in the feudal era faced a writer with progressive ideas, such a love was destined to be full of misfortune. Who is to blame for Juan's unfortunate life? Is it an old feudal custom? Or Lu Xun himself?
(Lu Xun photo)
1. Tracing the beginning of white from the last wishes
In the early morning of June 29, 1947, there were still tears in Zhu An's eyes, and she left this world alone, looking so pale. In the days before she died, she cried almost every day, and in her tears was the longing for the old people and the accusation of loneliness.
In the last stage of her life, she left her last wish: her longevity after death should be better, and when she passed the "May Seven", she arranged for someone to recite the scriptures to herself, hoping that she could be buried with Mr. Lu Xun in one place. The first two were done, but the last one was not achieved.
Lu Xun's true lover Xu Guangping, and finally her ashes were placed next to Lu Xun's mother's ashes.
(Photo by Juan)
There are no tombstone markings, and it looks mundane and scribbled. Her life is full of white despair, a tragic story typical of old-time women. The source of all these tragedies has to start with Zhu An's life experience and that marriage.
2. Marriage under the dividing line between the times and ideas
The marriage between Lu Xun and Zhu An is an arranged marriage in a typical feudal era, which Lu Xun cannot accept, but in the face of his mother's expectations, he seems to have to accept it. July 6, 1906, this is the day when Lu Xun and Zhu An got married, and it is also the day when Lu Xun and the Zhu family felt slightly frightened.
(Newspaper report on Zhu An during the Republic of China)
They knew Lu Xun's rejection of feudal arranged marriages, but Lu Xun was extraordinarily calm, wearing a gown and a braided hair hanging from the top of his head, obeying his family's arrangements. The reason why he returned home was because his mother told him that he was seriously ill, but when he rushed back, he found that he was forced to get married.
In the filial piety in his heart, Lu Xun agreed, he thought that this was a catastrophe that he could not survive. As the bride walked down and revealed her three-inch golden lotus, Lu Xun's heart was in pain. But at this time, Zhu An actually had expectations in her heart, originally 5 years ago, in fact, she should have gotten married. At this time, she was 23 years old, and according to the concept at that time, she was already a big girl.
(Lu Xun photo)
It's just that Lu Xun won a scholarship to study in Japan at that time, so he was delayed for so long. The Zhu family thinks that if the future son-in-law comes back, he is also an international student, and it sounds better to say it, so let's wait. It's just that this wait is 5 years, the Zhu family has lost patience, and Lu Xun's mother can't help it.
For Zhu An, Lu Xun's mother is very satisfied. This girl was considered a beautiful lady at that time, it doesn't matter if she can't read, virtuousness is what Lu Xun's mother values the most, which is in line with the imagination of the perfect image of women in the old era. On the night of the wedding, Zhu Anxin was broken, and he felt the coldness of Lu Xun's attitude towards him.
(Lu Xun's mother, Lu Rui)
One is a lady in the old era, and the other is a literary youth with advanced thoughts, and the thoughts of the two people are completely in two different worlds. In the days to come, Lu Xun's attitude towards herself has not changed, even if she takes good care of Lu Xun's mother, arranges everything in the family properly, and shows the appearance of an absolutely virtuous wife.
The only thing that can make Zhu An feel comforted is Lu Xun's mother's affirmation of him. It seems that he is accompanying Lu Xun's mother, but in fact, it is Zhu An who really needs emotional companionship. After getting married, she looked forward to the days when she could get along with Lu Xun every day, but the company seemed so cold, there were not many words, there was not much true feelings, she was too lonely, lonely and afraid.
(Lu Xun when he was studying in Japan)
3. The Fault of the Times? Personal fault?
In 1923, Lu Xun decided to move out of Badaowan, and this time he asked Zhu An if he would like to follow him or return to his hometown of Shaoxing. Juan is a traditional woman who wants to keep her home and doesn't want too many changes in her life. But in the face of Lu Xun not leaving without saying a word, but asking herself, a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart.
She decisively said that she was willing to accompany Lu Xun to a new place, where he was, she would go to take care of him. The fact is also true, no matter where Lu Xun appears, she is a solid backing, but Lu Xun's cold attitude towards herself will still make her feel lonely. She became even more lonely, a loneliness that eroded her heart without completely defeating it.
(Lu Xun and his lover Xu Guangping and their child Zhou Haiying)
Until Xu Guangping appeared, she knew that the heart of the man in front of her would never be on her in this life. Zhu An did not complain, but calmly accepted the result. Arranged marriages, progressive writers, and low self-esteem make all this much easier to accept.
She does not reject Xu Guangping, in order to make Lu Xun happy, she once put forward the suggestion of taking a concubine, which is also in line with her behavior as a woman in the feudal era. It's just that Lu Xun didn't agree, but was even more disappointed in her. She has never put on any wife's face to Xu Guangping, maybe she doesn't dare, maybe she has low self-esteem, maybe she longs for companionship.
(Lu Xun and Xu Guangping)
Facing Lu Xun's death later, how could she not be sad, she knew that she had to face more bitter loneliness. The mother's family didn't care about herself, her husband left, and Lu Xun's mother also passed away early. The world seems to be disconnected from herself, everything is lonely, and Xu Guangping's short-term companionship at this time is also a desire and luxury for her.
Her life is like a white tragedy, full of despair, but this despair is like warm water that is constantly heating, eroding her reason and inner desire little by little. Whose fault is all this? It is the fault of the old feudal customs, the fault of Lu Xun, the fault of his own incompetence, or the fault of the transition node of the times.
(Lu Xun's lover Xu Guangping)
Lu Xun couldn't get out of the relationship, since he had advanced ideas, he should reject all this, and resolutely refused. His filial piety ruined a woman's life. Zhu An is a woman stuck in the window of the transition of times, how could she not know the pain of binding her little feet, but what can she change? This is a pain that women in this old era cannot escape.
For them, their lives are white, in line with the color characteristics of tragedy. It is in strong contrast with the abyssal black, which is quick to cut through the mess. Zhu An is a poor woman who has been slowly eroded by the times, a virtuous wife who runs through Lu Xun's body, and a microcosm of the tragedy of women in the old era. She deserves to be respected, and she deserves to have a life that she deserves to be happy.
(The first from the left is Zhu An)
Resources:
Lu Xun's two wives, Zhu An and Xu Guangping: have the same identity and different fates. China Culture Daily, 2011-12-18
Wang dan. On Lu Xun's marriage and creation[D].Yanbian University,2008.