It is undeniable that the Chinese literary circles in the Republic of China era were star-studded and a hundred schools of thought contended, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it was a golden age for the development of modern Chinese culture. The turbulent political situation and the influx of various ideological trends have given Unlimited creativity to Chinese cultural scholars, among which Lu Xun, Hu Shi, Qian Mu and a large number of literary giants have used their own pens or attacked the old Chinese culture of conservative feudalism, or were determined to reform to inject new tonic agents into Chinese literature.
During this period, a large number of female literary creators also emerged, and a group of talented women of the Republic of China, such as Zhang Ailing, Bing Xin, and Lin Huiyin, added a touch of tenderness to the previous male-dominated Chinese literary scene with a unique female perspective. But what few people know is that these talented women mentioned above all have a common teacher, and she is Chen Hengzhe, who is known as the "godmother of talented women".
<h1>A rebellious talented woman who fights against fate</h1>
Chen Hengzhe was born in Zhejiang in a traditional sense of the intellectual family, the father is a landlord gentry, but the chinese culture is deep, poetry and song are proficient, the mother is also from a famous family, and also has a very high degree of achievement in painting.
Chen Hengzhe's parents may not have imagined how in a family like them, which has been infiltrated into the bones by traditional Chinese culture, there can be such a "rebellious and out-of-character" figure as their daughter.
When Chen Hengzhe was 7 years old, according to tradition, his mother wrapped her daughter's feet early, but the little girl who was lively and active in nature always secretly untied the foot binding. Father Chen, who loves his daughter, did not strictly reprimand his daughter's "little clever" behavior, and acquiesced to his daughter's "out-of-line behavior". At the age of 9, Chen Hengzhe met the person who influenced his life's fate- his uncle Zhuang Yunkuan. Zhuang Yunkuan was a famous military figure in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, who together with Cai Yi established the first modern army officer school in Guangxi, and served as the overseer of Jiangsu after the Republic of China, and knew a lot about various Western ideas. During the time spent with his uncle, Chen Hengzhe, who has always been educated in traditional Chinese culture, seems to have opened a door to the world. His uncle's words and deeds sowed a seed of longing for independence and freedom in Chen Hengzhe's young heart, and at the age of 13, Chen Hengzhe ignored the opposition of his family and went to Guangzhou alone to study.
When he was 17 years old, Chen Hengzhe suddenly received a telegram from his father asking him to leave home immediately, and Chen Hengzhe, who did not know it, thought that something big had happened in the family and rushed home, in fact, Chen Hengzhe was looking for a "Ruyi Langjun" for his daughter in his hometown. What Chen Hengzhe, who hurried home, did not expect to get such a news, this kind of arranged marriage of the nature of "parents' order" is absolutely unacceptable to Chen Hengzhe, who has received modern education for a long time.
Although Father Chen usually doted on his daughter and tolerated her maverick behavior, his attitude towards his children's marriage was particularly resolute. Faced with his daughter's refusal, Father Chen was furious and threatened to sever his father-daughter relationship with Chen Hengzhe and drive him out of the house. Fortunately, Chen Father, who loves his daughter, is not a pedantic person, and in the face of his daughter's fierce resistance, Chen Father finally softened his heart and took great pains to cancel the marriage.
<h1>Tsinghua talented women get to know Hu Shi</h1>
In 1914, Tsinghua University conducted the first recruitment examination for women, Chen Hengzhe successfully passed the examination, and two years later became the first batch of female students to study abroad at public expense. During his study in the United States, Chen Hengzhe who wandered in the sea of books not only greatly improved his knowledge, but also learned to think independently in the free academic atmosphere of the West. Coinciding with the "New Culture Movement" in China, Hu Shi's "vernacular" proposal made Chen Hengzhe, who was abroad, deeply impressed, and he also published his first vernacular novel "One Day" in the student journal studying in the United States, supporting Hu Shi with his own practical actions.
Ren Hongjun, the editor-in-chief of the journal for students studying in the United States, was greatly amazed by the girl's academic ability after reading Chen Hengzhe's novel. Later, because Chen Hengzhe often submitted articles, the contact between the two people became more, and Ren Hongjun's feelings for Chen Hengzhe changed from simple appreciation to admiration, but Chen Hengzhe refused Ren Hongjun's courtship on the grounds that he was an unmarried person.
Hu Shi, who is in China, under the recommendation of Ren Hongjun, knows that there is such a talented woman chen Hengzhe who supports him in the United States. The two men, who admired each other's talents, began to correspond frequently, sometimes reaching forty or fifty letters a month. Although the content of the letters was basically based on academic exchanges and had no words of love, Hu Shi later said in his recollection that the two people regarded each other as confidants who had nothing to talk about.
However, Hu Shi, who set off the "vernacular literature movement", was extremely traditional and conservative in marriage. Hu Shi was raised by his mother alone at an early age, and when he was a child, he was engaged in a family affair by his mother, and although Hu Shi, who had been running away for many years, was exposed to many new ideas, he could not make up his mind about repentance. In 1917, fearing that he would break the heart of his mother and his fiancée, whom he had never met, At the urging of his family, Hu Shi returned to his hometown to get married. In this way, the unbroken feelings of Hu Shi and Chen Hengzhe disappeared with Hu Shi's marriage, but the two people did not break off contact, but became friends for life.
<h1>Happy marriage And successful career</h1>
After being rejected by the courtship, Ren Hongjun did not give up the pursuit of Chen Hengzhe, after Hu Shi became married, Ren Hongjun also went to the United States twice to visit her, just before Chen Hengzhe finished his studies in the United States and was about to return to China, Ren Hongjun, who knew Chen Hengzhe's personality, said his courtship vow "I know that you are not easy to compromise with the world, but I am willing to make a screen, separated between you and the world."
The deep love and thorough understanding touched Chen Hengzhe's heart that was originally ready to be closed, and she finally determined that the man who said this love sentence could become a partner that she could rely on for life. In 1920, after returning to China, Chen Hengzhe and Ren Hongjun held a wedding, and the two people who were deeply in love with each other supported each other and completed their lives.
Chen Hengzhe, who returned from his studies, was hired by Peking University and became one of the first female professors in the Republic of China. As a benchmark for the new women of the times, Chen Hengzhe's experience has inspired many Chinese women to dare to fight against fate and pursue freedom.
Chen Hengzhe during the teaching period, while completing the teaching tasks at the same time actively carried out some academic research, even after later resigning from Peking University due to the need to take care of children, but became a full-time wife, she still insisted on academic activities, and the "History of the West" that was later included in the textbooks of the Republic of China Middle School was Chen Hengzhe's creation during this period.
<h1>epilogue</h1>
As a woman living in the Republic of China era, Chen Hengzhe constantly fought against the shackles given to her by the times with her unique personality, and was never obliterated by the whirlpool of the times.
Through his unremitting efforts, Chen Hengzhe has achieved satisfactory results in marriage and career, and the relationship with Hu Shi that has not been expressed is only the epitome of the helpless choice of countless people in that era. Not bowing to fate, not complaining, and not worrying about life is perhaps the most valuable enlightenment given to our generation by this talented woman of the Republic of China!