Text/Pan Caixia
In April 1977, Bai Yang was finally released and returned to Taipei from Green Island. He has been in jail for 9 years because of his words.
However, after his release from prison, he became a loner with nothing. As early as shortly after entering prison, his wife Ni Minghua filed for divorce. Even though he had been on hunger strike in prison for many days, he had not saved her heart.
In a friend's underground garage, a modified and dilapidated car became his home, and food and clothing were all dependent on the help of friends. When the mountains and rivers were exhausted, fate sent Zhang Xianghua for him.
Bai Yang and Zhang Xianghua
In the spring of 1949, When Bai Yang moved to Taiwan, he had two wives and two daughters on the mainland. After arriving in Taiwan, he worked as an errand boy under Chiang Ching-kuo, and was very dissatisfied with the darkness of society, and after being distressed, he began to create literature.
A shallow strait cut off cross-strait relations, and in 1953, he married Qi Yongpei, a teacher at National Taiwan University.
In 1958, at an annual meeting, Bai Yang met Ni Minghua, a student of Jingyi English College, despite the fact that Qi Yongpei already had two sons, he frantically pursued Ni Minghua, preferring to give up his future and marry her.
An unblessed relationship laid the groundwork for the later wife and child scattering.
Bai Yang and his eldest son Guo Bencheng (Bai Yang's original name was Guo Dingsheng)
Because of his admiration for Lu Xun, Bai Yang began to write essays and opened a column in the "Zili Evening News", attacking the dark side of society, and his writing was both sharp and witty. Several times, Chiang Ching-kuo looked furious and yelled at him: "You are acting reactionary, and you must bear the consequences!" ”
Despite being warned many times, Bai Yang was still not unhappy.
In June 1965, a new book was published that made Chiang Kai-shek very angry. In his diary, he said the book left him "wandering all day long, without end"; at the meeting, he was "heartbroken, tearful, right-handed tapping on the lectern, and his voice was loud."
This book, "Speaking of the Southern Song Dynasty", is published and distributed by Bai Yang.
The Southern Song Dynasty was often used in conjunction with "partial security", and it is no wonder that Chiang Kai-shek was extremely sensitive.
Unsurprisingly, the book was banned and destroyed, and since then, Bai Yang has become a thorn in the eyes of the spies.
In 1967, Bai Yang helped his wife Ni Minghua translate the American comic book Popeye. In one issue, popeye father and son established a state on the island and ran for president, the word "fellows" appeared in the speech, and in order to highlight the humorous effect, Bai Yang translated it as "national military and civilian compatriots".
"Compatriots of the military and the people of the whole country" was a common phrase used by Chiang Kai-shek when he spoke. The secret agent was immediately alert, but Bai Yang was completely unaware, and took his wife back after watching the snow scene, and what awaited him was shackles. The charges were "insulting the Fuehrer" and "banditry".
Bai Yang's fourth wife, Ni Minghua
Soon, Ni Minghua filed for divorce. Feeling frustrated and enduring inhuman torture, Bai Yang was once disheartened by being imprisoned on Green Island, a special prison for political prisoners.
Later, he was transferred to the prison library as a hard laborer, accompanied by books, he discovered the "dreamy world" and picked up the pen again.
In the cell, reading the "Zizhi Tongjian" and "Twenty-Four Histories", Bai Yang decided to write a history book that ordinary people could understand. He smeared the porridge on the newspaper, glued it one by one, and dried it as a piece of cardboard. On this piece of cardboard, he began to create.
The cell became a study, and by the end of his nine-year prison term, Bai Yang had completed the first drafts of three historical books: the Chronology of Chinese History, the Genealogy of The Emperors, Empresses, Princes, princesses, and Princesses of China, and the Outline of the History of the Chinese.
He was 57 years old.
After his release from prison, the Taiwan authorities still imposed restrictions on Bai Yang: they were not allowed to mention the past; they were not allowed to repeat old tunes; and they were not allowed to expose the darkness of Taiwanese society.
His wife turned away from him, and it was his friends who accepted him.
Soon, a professor at Taiwan's Chinese Culture University arranged a meal for him, and invited Zhang Xianghua, a Taiwanese poet and teacher at a school. To put it bluntly, it is a blind date for the two of them.
Bai Yang gladly agreed, Zhang Xianghua's name, he is not unfamiliar. She published poems at the age of 19 and is a famous female poet in Taiwan, who has long admired her talent.
However, this meeting, for Zhang Xianghua, was a little hesitant. Although Bai Yang is famous, will this "political prisoner" who has just been released from prison be a cynical bad old man?
By Bai Yang's spicy article, she thought of himself, "He is so sharp teeth I can not say him."
When he hesitated, a student next to him said: "It is not necessary for you to marry him, people may not look up to you!" ”
Thinking about it too, I went with trepidation. Unexpectedly, the impression was surprisingly good. At the dinner table, Bai Yang was gentle and elegant, witty and humorous, and the whole person looked full of enthusiasm, which was not at all the imaginary King Kong's angry eyes.
Bo Yang
The next morning, as soon as Zhang Xianghua entered the office, he saw a letter lying on the table, without stamps. She thought, maybe it was written by a parent, opened it to see, but it was solid and frightened. On the letter, the first sentence was: "Thank God for giving us a meeting..."
The letter was Bai Yang's handwriting, and apparently, he had sent someone specially.
Zhang Xianghua was "completely confused by him" and had only known him for a few hours. But Bai Yang did not care, and launched a love offensive. Every day, Zhang Xianghua saw him waiting at the school gate.
In the face of enthusiastic pursuit, Zhang Xianghua is sober. Bai Yang was 19 years older than her, had experienced a failed marriage, had been in prison for 9 years, and was completely unsure whether she could spend her life with him.
At one meeting, she said to him euphemistically: "I am not necessarily suitable for you, you have just come out of prison, and you can no longer be hit by any blows..."
Unexpectedly, Bai Yang immediately interrupted her: "I am never afraid of any blows!" ”
In a word, Zhang Xianghua was calmed, and she saw his bravery and charm.
Bai Yang is writing
So I started dating. Half a year later, one winter dusk, the two sat opposite each other in the café, without any bedding, Bai Yang suddenly said: "Is it good to become a family?" ”
The marriage proposal was not romantic at all, but Zhang Xianghua still agreed. Although at that time, she knew nothing about his two marriages on the mainland.
I heard that they were preparing to get married, their relatives opposed, their friends were puzzled, and what was even more fatal was that the Taiwan authorities were no longer doing it! Zhang Xianghua was investigated and threatened, and this shameless act aroused her anger, and she publicly declared: "I fully accept a political prisoner who is old, ugly, poor, and has absolutely no future!" ”
On February 4, 1978, Zhang Xianghua married Bai Yang. He had no status, no savings, no house, and she lived with him in a dilapidated car. Implicated by him, when South Korea invited them to attend the poets' conference, the Taiwan authorities refused on the grounds that political prisoners could not leave the country.
Someone asserted that their marriage would not last more than three years.
Wedding
"I was still so confused when I got married, I didn't know what would happen to him at that time, maybe ignorance would be particularly brave." 」 For this brave love, Zhang Xianghua cherishes it very much.
In order to commemorate Bai Yang's imprisonment on The Burning Island (Green Island is also called The Burning Island), she specially wrote the poem "My Beloved person on the Burning Island". At the end, she wrote emotionally: "We bend our arms into a haven, we light the hope of the flame with warm eyes, and we will sing magnificent poems." ”
After marriage, they promoted each other, and with the encouragement of Bai Yang, Zhang Xianghua published his first collection of poems, "Sleepless Green Grass". In the poetry world, she is known as the "silky female poet". She is also a television presenter, magazine editor-in-chief, and translator, where she excels in a variety of fields.
However, after becoming Mrs. Bai Yang, Zhang Xianghua found that the capable man who said that he would sew clothes and drill wood for fire in prison was actually a "big idiot" except for writing things, and he would not do anything.
The most exaggerated thing is that Bai Yang will wear socks of different colors to go out; use the key to open the door of other people's homes; and even, for contracts that declare that they are not paid, he does not look at it, and he makes a big stroke.
"He needs a helper." Zhang Xianghua resolutely gave up his career and was willing to fade all his aura and assist Bai Yang.
With her as his backing, Bai Yang began to translate the Zizhi Tongjian. Due to the difficulty of the ancient text and the huge length, this became a huge project, and during that time, the home became a printing factory, and Zhang Xianghua and his assistant did not stop.
As an "agent", I have to deal with many things, but Zhang Xianghua is indifferent to fame and fortune, not good at communication, and is especially afraid of numbers.
With a hard scalp, she forced herself to move around, to learn to deal with publishers, in order to publish a work, once, for 30 hours without closing her eyes; she always carried a notepad with her, which was densely written with all kinds of time and data.
In 1985, "The Ugly Chinese" was published, and it was rated as the annual bestseller in Taiwan that year; in 1993, after ten years, the 72-volume "Bai Yang Vernacular Edition zizhi Tongjian" was finally completed, and after publication, it was called Taiwan's "most influential book", and the identity of Bai Yang's popular historian rose to a new height.
Works by Bo Yang
Standing behind Bai Yang, Zhang Xianghua worked hard to take care of those trivialities and happiness. Of course, Bai Yang also spoiled her, sweetly calling her "cat". He was "spoiled without principle" and she was deeply moved.
At one point, she asked, "How could I marry you?" ”
Bai Yang was unceremonious: "You have wisdom, but you are stupid." ”
In his eyes, she was indeed silly and cute. After many years of marriage, she stumbled upon several letters on the table, called "Dear Father" and "Father Lord", which she could not understand at first, but later understood that he had two wives and two daughters on the mainland.
She had always thought she was his third wife, and who knew it was the fifth!
Those letters were actually deliberately placed there by Bai Yang for her to see, but she was not angry, and her first reaction was to feel sorry for his suffering.
In 1987, Bai Yang finally had a brief reunion in Hong Kong with two daughters from the mainland, and on the day they left, he fell on the railing and cried bitterly.
Suffering can not be forgotten, his study door, always hung prisoner number "297".
In front of the study door
In 1995, Zhang Xianghua accompanied Bai Yang back to Huoyang Island, and later, thanks to their efforts, a "human rights monument" was finally erected on the island. On the stele, Bai Yang's words are engraved: "In that era, how many mothers, for their children trapped on Green Island, wept for a long night!" ”
With Zhang Xianghua, Bai Yang no longer cries, and she gave him a beautiful and quiet home. In his later years, he could not walk, and in a wheelchair, listening to her read the newspaper, tell the news, and "be with his dear wife" was his greatest joy.
In their co-authored collection of essays, "Our Chords", Bai Yang has a deep affection for his wife. He said: "Xianghua and I are not only husband and wife, but also friends, and we encourage, warn, rebuke and advise each other. ”
She said: "Being with Bai Yang makes me feel safe, warm, determined and reliable. ”
Love can fill all gaps. 30 years of companionship has given a powerful response to the voices that questioned it at the beginning.
Our Chords
On April 29, 2008, the 89-year-old Bai Yang passed away, and he took Zhang Xianghua's hand and walked quite calmly and peacefully. For his death, Ma Ying-jeou said, "symbolizes the end of an era."
One day soon after, Zhang Xianghua was taken to the hospital by a friend due to an overdose of sleeping pills, and when she woke up, she did not explain anything. Perhaps, the answer lies in the song "One Way Ticket" that she wrote for him when she was newly married:
If you can make a reservation for the next life Please pre-purchase two one-way tickets Fly over the Three Rivers and Five Lakes with me early Across the seven seas To the heights of the blue sky To the netherworld of the Yellow Springs Please don't leave me out...
Mr. and Mrs. Bai Yang