In December 1958, the film "Leofoo Inn", starring Hollywood actress Ingrid Bergman, was released in the United States and was awarded the 16th Golden Globe Awards for "the most international understanding of the film".
The blockbuster film is widely circulated in Western countries, but few people know that the story began with a British woman's love affair with a small city in Shanxi, China. Today, 60 years later, this reporter has visited this small city.
Original map of "Leofoo Inn". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Hao
In Dongguan Village, Yangcheng County, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, in a small courtyard in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a photograph of a British lady wearing a cheongsam hangs on the wall. Her name was Gladys Everde. In 1930, the 28-year-old Ai Weide traveled a long distance from England to China, lived in this small courtyard, and opened a carriage and horse shop called "Beatitude Inn "Babo Inn" (the film renamed 'Luk Foo Inn').
"At that time, China was in the midst of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and Ai Weide took in poor people and orphans in extremely difficult circumstances. Later, in order to escape the war, she led more than 100 orphans from Yangcheng, Shanxi to Xi'an, Shaanxi, and suffered hardships but was unwilling to give up a child. Yang Quanwang, manager of Yangcheng County Lufu Inn Tourism Development Company, said.
The small courtyard where Ewell lived. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Hao
It is understood that during the 9 years that Ai Weide lived in Yangcheng, she not only learned the Yangcheng dialect, but also was appointed by the county government at the time as the "Supervision Commissioner for Forbidden Foot Binding", helping local women change the bad habits of foot binding, and carried out a lot of life-saving work. Avaide's kindness was trusted by local officials and loved by the people.
In 1941, after returning to England, Ayvaid wrote his autobiography "My Heart in China", which recorded the bits and pieces in China. After the famous British writer Alan Birsch saw it, he wrote a biographical novel "Little Women" based on the story of Gladys Everde, which became a bestseller at the time. Inspired by Ewelld's deeds, some Young Europeans and Americans voluntarily came to China to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japan, including the pilots of the American Flying Tigers at that time.
In 1958, after an American writer adapted "Little Women" into a screenplay, the film "Leofoo Inn" was filmed by the famous Hollywood director Mark Robson and Ingrid Bergman, which was all the rage. In the same year, Avaide returned to China. In 1970, Ai Weide died of illness in Taiwan.
"In recent years, many scholars and friends from home and abroad have come to Yangcheng to visit the Leofoo Inn, but unfortunately, only one wall remains left at the ruins of the inn." Yang Quanwang said that people would stop by the site to carefully observe and inquire.
In 2012, with the efforts of the local government, Yangcheng County established the Luk Fook Inn Tourism Development Company, preparing to build Ayvaid Plaza and screening hall, and strive to recreate the appearance of the "Leofoo Inn". Yang Quanwang told reporters that the Leofoo Inn is not only a cultural heritage of Shanxi, China, but also a world-class cultural symbol, which is a symbol of great love and peace.
Source: Youran Yangcheng wxb
Reporters: Wang Hao, Chen Hao