She is a prostitute who everyone is not ashamed of, but also a national hero who saves the people from water and fire, she is talented, ice and snow smart, but she is still unable to escape the shackles of fate, she is the first prostitute in the late Qing Dynasty - Sai Jinhua.
Sai Jinhua' original name was Zhao Yunfei, a native of Yixian County, Anhui Province, who was forced to sell flower boats as prostitutes due to his family's poverty when he was young.
Selling the flower boat is the beginning of Sai Jinhua's tragic fate and the beginning of her legendary life.
01 A life of ups and downs
The 15-year-old Sai Jinhua met the 49-year-old former Keyuan Hongjun, who fell in love with her at first sight and redeemed her as a concubine, but was despised by the Hong family because of her birth.
It was also at this time that something happened that changed the fate of Sai Jinhua's life - to accompany Hong Jun on an envoy to Germany.
Although Hong Jun already had two wives in his family, they were both conservative in their thinking and did not want to cross the ocean, so the burden of accompanying the envoy fell on Sai Jinhua.
The four years that accompanied Hong Jun on his mission to Germany were probably the most comfortable and happy four years of Sai Jinhua's life, she learned some common German, and also got to know many German celebrities, including the commander of the Eight-Power Alliance who invaded China, Wadsi, and also went to Geneva, St. Petersburg and other places, and received the honors of Bismarck Prime Minister, German kings and queens to meet and take photos.
However, many gifts of fate have long been clearly marked, and at this time, Sai Jinhua is proud of the spring breeze and has a happy life, but with the death of Hong Jun a year later, this beautiful thing has also vanished.
She was first expelled from the Hong family, and then she lost her beloved son, and even the money left for her before Hong Jun's death was embezzled by Hong Jun's brother, and she was forced to return to her old business.
02 Heroism in the face of the great righteousness of the family
In August 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the city of Beijing, but the 80,000 Qing soldiers who were supposed to defend the country fled without a fight, and even Cixi, the mother of a country that should have taken the lead in resisting the enemy, fled to Xi'an overnight in coordination with the Guangxu Emperor, leaving only the Boxers to resist bravely.
The Eight-Nation Alliance burned and plundered in the city, no evil was done, and the capital became a purgatory on earth for a time, and some people described the scene at that time: "Four hundred thousand people bowed down in unison, and none of Beijing was a man!" "
However, at this moment, Sai Jinhua stepped forward and used her wit to successfully persuade the commander of the Eight-Nation Alliance, Wadesi, to take down the atrocities.
Later, the German minister Klinder was killed by the Boxers, and it was also Sai Jinhua who used his outstanding eloquence to persuade Mrs. Klinder that the Xinugu Treaty could be signed and Cixi saved his life.
03 Miserable old age
Although she has made such a great contribution to the country, Sai Jinhua's old age is poor and miserable, except for an old mother who depends on each other for her life, no one cares about it, and none of the dignitaries who compete to worship her as a dry lady and a sister when she is beautiful have come to ask for help.
But the Tao is "poor and downtown no one asks, rich in the mountains have distant relatives." "
In the end, the 65-year-old Sai Jinhua fell ill and died of poverty, and the legendary woman finally walked her life in loneliness.
summary
Throughout Sai Jinhua's life, it is undeniable that she is intelligent, wise, talented, and responsible, if she was born in modern times, she will certainly be able to achieve a career, but unfortunately she was born in the old society of son preference, even if she is wise and courageous, she still cannot escape the shackles of feudal women, and still cannot get rid of the fate of the "lower nine streams" of the lower class society.
But she never compromised with fate, was not discouraged in the face of difficulties, and firmly seized every opportunity in life, although in the end she could not rewrite her fate, but she could leave her name in history and become a legend.
The injustice of fate we cannot change, but we can try to change, and the ending may still be cruel, but as long as we can face the end with more courage and less timidity, it is enough.
Unfortunate fate determines our whole life, and our whole life can also determine our unfortunate fate.