Text/Pan Caixia
At the end of April 2005, after a 60-year absence, Lien Chan, then chairman of taiwan's Kuomintang, returned to his alma mater, Xi'an Houzaimen Primary School.
In his speech, he said: "After my grandmother came to Shaanxi, she died within a few years. She rested in peace next to the Qingliang Temple, and for more than 60 years, no one in the family could come to worship her..."
Offstage, Mrs. Lian Fangyu couldn't help but shed tears of sentimentality. When Lien Chan said, "Husband and wife are generations," she immediately responded: "I am glad that I will be married to you in this life, and I hope that in the next life we will also be husband and wife." ”
This year, it happened to be the 40th anniversary of their marriage.
At Lien Chan's alma mater, Lian Fangyu wept with sentimentality
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > exotic reunion</h1>
At that time, Lian Fangyu was still called Fang Yu. She was born in Xiangmendi, and when she was two years old, her parents moved from the mainland to Taiwan. It was 1946, and Chinese mainland was still at war.
After arriving in Taiwan, his father worked as a professor in the Department of Physics at National Taiwan University, and his mother was a middle school teacher. Under the guidance of her parents, Fang Yu read poetry and books, and had already published articles in magazines in junior high school, and after graduating from high school, she was admitted to the Department of Plant Diseases and Insects of National Taiwan University according to her father's wishes.
Coinciding with the beauty contest held in Taiwan, Fang Yu signed up to participate, and with her good looks and outstanding temperament, she won the "Miss China" championship in one fell swoop and was sent to the United States to participate in international competitions.
Fang Yu won the "Miss China" championship
When attending an event in Washington, a gentleman taught Fang Yu to look at him: "Men should have cheekbones, which are the representation of their careers; their voices should be calm and represent responsible; their eyebrows should be thick and neat, and the lord is noble..."
The young Fang Yu smiled and ignored it until that day, when a calm magnetic voice came from behind him: "The consul wants me to take you to the hotel, and my car is outside." ”
Inexplicably, his heart moved, and when he looked back, the young man standing in front of him, with a long stature, obvious cheekbones, thick eyebrows, a pair of big eyes, wearing glasses, Sven and elegant.
For an instant, déjà vu. Neither of them recognized each other, in fact, the two were counted as green plum bamboo horses.
The young man, Lien Chan, studied for a doctorate in political science at the University of Chicago and volunteered at the consulate during his summers.
He is a Taiwanese, and his grandfather is "Taiwan Taishi Gong" Lian Heng. After Taiwan was occupied by Japan, the whole family went to the mainland, and he was born and attended primary school in Xi'an. After the restoration of Taiwan, he moved back to Taiwan with his family.
At that time, his father, Lian Zhendong, was the secretary of the Taiwan Provincial Senate.
Because of the interaction between her parents, Fang Yu often went to Lian's house to play when she was a child. Lien Chan is 8 years older than Fang Yu, and in his eyes, Fang Yu is a cute little sister. Unexpectedly, he went to the United States to study for six years, and she was already a lady.
Lien Chan and Fang Yu
The reunion surprised and excited each other, and many years later, Fang Yu recalled:
"He drives in a very dashing posture, maneuvering freely, attentive and not nervous, the steering wheel in his hands is surprisingly dexterous and safe, and no one drives as beautifully as he does. I watched him drive intently all the way, enjoyed his low, deep voice, and had a vague feeling that it would be quite safe to hand myself over to him. ”
Lian Zhan's heart also made waves, and the 19-year-old Fang Yu captured him with wisdom and beauty. After she returned to Taiwan, his letter immediately chased after her, and Hongyan's biography became more and more entangled and attached to each other.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="69" > love each other</h1>
With the aura of "Miss China" on her head, Fang Yu was also tracked by the media. Soon, the news of her association with Lien Chan was revealed, and the opposition was endless.
The bystander said: "How can a foreigner marry a Taiwanese 'Lang'?" ”
Parents said: "You can't associate with people who study politics, this line climbs high and falls heavily!" ”
In the face of criticism and criticism, Fang Yu could only shed tears silently. At the advice of her parents, she deliberately reduced the number of letters she wrote. On the other side of the ocean, Lien Chan could not receive the letter, and in a hurry, he lost his studies, regardless of whether he flew back and reported to Fang Yu's house every day.
For the sake of their son's future and marriage, Lien Chan's parents went to Fang's house to plead that Lien Chan and Fang Yu be engaged first, so that he could continue his studies with peace of mind.
Impressed by Lien Chan's affection, Fang Yu repeatedly assured her parents that her engagement would not affect her studies, and they finally agreed.
Fang Yu
In 1964, Fang Yu graduated from National Taiwan University and applied for scholarships to seven schools in the United States, and she chose the school closest to Lien Chan.
A year later, Lien Chan received his doctorate. One was 29 years old, the other was 21 years old, and in September of that year, they had a wedding ceremony at the church. When she was walked to the red carpet by her father's arm, Fang Yu had tears in her eyes. Through the veil, she saw that at the end of the red carpet, her "war brother" was waiting for her.
The sun shone through the stained glass, and the priest solemnly read: "Whether sick or healthy..." At that moment, Fang Yu made up his mind: "Brother Zhan and I, from now on, will live together with love and love." ”
Wedding
After marriage, according to Taiwanese rules, Fang Yu crowned her husband's surname and became Lian Fang Yu. Wherever Lien Chan went, it was her home. When he went to teach at the University of Wisconsin, she went with her with a small suitcase; he transferred to the University of Connecticut to teach, and she also transferred to the University of Wisconsin to continue her studies.
In 1967, the eldest daughter Huixin was born. As a parent, it is hard and sweet. Because Fang Yu is still studying, Lien Chan takes on the heavy responsibility of taking care of his daughter, Zhang Luo eats, feeds and changes diapers, and Fang Yu trusts and depends on him.
With the support of Lien Chan, Fang Yu successfully obtained a master's degree in plant physiology from Kang university. In their spare time, they took their daughters to Canada and Boston to find a secret visit, and in Fang Yu's heart, it was the most ideal life.
However, Lien Chan, who came from a political family, was destined to go to a bigger stage.
In 1969, at the invitation of President Qian Siliang of National Taiwan University, Lien Chan returned to Taiwan as a professor and head of the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University. Despite not giving up the beautiful Kangda, Fang Yu still returned with her daughter.
Compared with teaching in the United States, the income of the NTU professor is only enough to live frugally, living in a dormitory with cold winter and hot summer, and Fang Yu takes care of her daughter while burying her head in writing to subsidize the family. Soon after, she published her first book, Miscellaneous Travels in Europe.
The light of "Miss China" was put away, and Fang Yu devoted all her energy to the family, and she became busier and busier as the children were born.
Lien Chan couple with children
Lien Chan is the only son in the family, and serving his elderly in-laws is also Fang Yu's heavy responsibility. After the mother-in-law suddenly suffered a stroke, the father-in-law personally handed her various stamps, let her take charge of the family finances, and more than once took her hand and said: "Thank you, I have given birth to four grandchildren for our family!" ”
Without any worries, Lien Chan rose all the way to Taiwan University and was favored by Chiang Ching-kuo. In 1975, he bid farewell to NTU and officially embarked on his career.
It was also that year that Fang Yu published a collection of essays, the Elaine Collection. "Elaine" is the pen name that Lien Chan gave her, and Lian and Lianyin are evident in their love.
Fang Yu's efforts, Lien Chan has always been in mind, when traveling to Colombia, he saved money and bought a local famous product "emerald" for her. Later, Fang Yu recalled:
"I'm not a jeweller, and I haven't bought any emerald jewelry since then, and even 'big, green, can't touch my heart."
Over the years, she has studied literature on her own, indifferent to fame and fortune, no matter how prominent Lien Zhan's achievements in the outside world, in her eyes, he is just her "war brother".
As the children grew older, Fang Yu went to Soochow University as a teacher, teaching modern Chinese literature. Every night after dinner, the whole family sat around the round table, the children wrote homework, she prepared the teaching materials, and Lien Chan read the newspaper on the side, and the happiness was indescribable.
With the successive officers of The Army, from the Minister of Communications to the Vice President of the Executive Yuan, and later as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in order to cooperate with his work, Fang Yu resigned from his teaching position for more than ten years, accompanied him to attend events, and traveled abroad.
Lien Chan couple
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In 2000, Lien Chan was nominated as a "presidential" candidate, and the election was particularly difficult due to the split of the Kuomintang. At the last large-scale campaign party before the election, Lee Teng-hui was "anti-guest-oriented" at the scene, and Lien Chan, as a candidate, became a "guest" with a very embarrassed expression.
Unsurprisingly, the elections ended in defeat. After the defeat, Lien Chan formally broke with Lee Teng-hui.
On that day, at the "Election Headquarters", Lien Chan thanked his friends who had contributed money and efforts, and mentioned that when his wife Fang Yu was busy campaigning for him and his feet were limp, his apologies and sadness overflowed into words.
Standing next to Lien Chan, Fang Yu's tears fell. Everyone cares about whether he can be president or not, only her, whether he is tired or not.
When his friends were frustrated and leaderless, they elected him as chairman of the Kuomintang party and encouraged him to run for president in 2004.
Unfortunately, in Fang Yu's worries, the election failed again. It was an unfair election, the opponent did whatever he wanted, all kinds of smears, slanders, fatigue, insults, and the heart of Lien Chan was bleeding.
Happily, in the wind and rain, Fang Yu always stood with him, giving him encouragement and comfort. Accompanying him in the political arena, especially after experiencing two general elections, social chaos and no future, she inevitably felt depressed, and her writing cells became stiff, so that it was difficult to pick up the pen.
The political environment is full of twists and turns, and for the sake of the people's interests, Lien Chan is more willing to engage in cross-strait exchanges. In 2005, despite the fierce protests, he was invited to visit the mainland, realizing his first "peace trip" in more than 50 years.
8 days of travel, Fang Yu followed all the way, she sometimes sorted out clothes for Lien Chan, sometimes arm in arm and whispered intimately, he finished his speech at Peking University, she couldn't help but send a deep kiss. Generous and easy-going, she added a lot to his mainland trip.
Peking University ended the speech with a kiss
After returning to Taiwan, Fang Yu's pen woke up, and after many years, she picked up her pen again and wrote the book "Half a Century of Encounter".
In the book, Lien Chan himself wrote the preface, recalling the scene of reading with him when he was young, and he felt a lot of guilt about his wife for having to give up her career in order to take care of her family and support him in politics.
Fang Yu said, "He is the center of gravity and source of strength of this family, I just do my duty to take care of everyone's life and living, without him, there would be no home." ”
With the support of Fang Yu, Lien Chan stepped down from the post of party chairman and became the link between the two sides of the strait as honorary chairman.
Although he has been out of office for many years, there are still rumors in Taiwan's political circles that Lee Teng-hui resigned as party chairman because Lien Chan "forced the palace."
In order to help Lien Chan clarify the facts, in 2012, Fang Yu deliberately wrote an article and published "The Last Night" in the media. In the article, she recalled the general election 12 years ago, openly criticized Lee Teng-hui's "two-state theory," and pointed out that the premise of Taiwan's development is that the two sides of the strait need a peaceful and stable environment.
Peace is the dream that she and Lien Chan share.
"A man and a woman, a monogamous wife, a lifetime." The vows they took when they got married, they always remembered. Holding hands for decades, the first thing Lien Chan did when he returned home must be to call Fang Yu's name; the phone calls at least once a day when he went out have never changed.
And every time, when he was hospitalized for surgery, the first time he woke up, he could always see her holding his hand and gently comforting: "It's all right, it's all right." ”
After 56 years together, Lien Chan is grateful to Fang Yu for bringing his children and grandchildren to the hall, happy and sweet, and in Fang Yu's heart, "Brother Zhan" will always be the most important person in her heart.
The warmth of holding hands, the love of the spirit, meeting each other, three lifetimes are lucky.