Subtitle of this chapter: The Marriage of Yuan Sanduo

Friday, January 21, 1921. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, New York.

"I didn't expect them to get married so soon!"

"yes, they've only known each other for a long time, it seems like it's been less than two months."

"Shhh The priest is about to start taking the oath. ”

"Julian Herman Chandler, would you like to marry Julie Rogers as your wife? Would you like to love her unreservedly and be faithful to her forever, whether in good times or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sorrowful? ”

"I do."

"Julie Rogers, would you like to be legally married to this man in front of you, whether healthy or sick. Poor or rich, whether you are young and beautiful or old, you are always willing to love him, rely on each other, accompany each other, and never abandon each other, do you want to? ”

"I do."

"Under the witness of God and us, Julian and Julie held hands and made solemn vos to be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. In God's name, I declare them to be legally husband and wife. This is a marriage blessed by God, and may they never be separated. ”

"You can exchange rings."

The bridesmaid Yuan Yanqian and the bridesmaid Lillian Jixu stepped forward and handed them the wedding rings.

When they had put on the rings, the priest said in a loud voice, "Then the bridegroom can kiss your bride." ”

"Papa......"

Taking advantage of everyone's applause, the bridesmaids glanced at the best man very resentfully, leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Yuan, when are you going to get married?" ”

Yuan Yanqian smiled bitterly and said, "Lilian, don't joke with me. If I'm unlucky, I won't get married until at least three years later......"

Even in the eyes of his contemporaries in the Republic of China, Mr. Yuan Yanqian was a very controversial figure, not only did he spare no effort to seek innovation and change in literature, but also in academic development, and he was even more maverick in his private life, treating secular legislation as if it were nothing. He has a nickname called, Yuan Sanduo. It's about how many friends he has, many enemies, and many women......"

"Someone once joked that Mr. Yuan is best at three things, the first is to have a boyfriend, the second is to make enemies, and the third is to have a girlfriend."

"In today's words, Mr. Yuan Yanqi's emotional intelligence is very high, and his eloquence is unmatched in the world, as long as he is willing to say a few words, people can cite him as a confidant, and the people of the time said, 'Talking with Xiao Yuan is like a spring breeze.'"

In addition, he is generous, never cares about things, and his temperament is very lively. Whether in China or abroad, as long as he settles down, the mansion is often full of banquets. Mr. Yuan often said that wherever there are people in the world, there are his friends, and he boasted that 'Meng Wei has 3,000 guests under his seat, and there are five divisions on the throne.' ’。 (Author's note: Qian Xuesen is a man who claims to be able to top five divisions.) ）

But at the same time, he has a wild temperament and is unscrupulous, and when he offends people, he sins to death. For example, when he returned to China, it was just in time for the third polemic between Chinese and Western cultures, which was in full swing. ”

"The first positive theoretical confrontation between Chinese and Western cultures began in 1915 when New Youth was launched. The focus of the first debate was on the evaluation and understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures. The second large-scale controversy that followed was after the May Fourth Movement in 1919, and the spread of new culture was unstoppable, and the argument of completely rejecting foreign culture was completely untenable. As a result, the cultural front has produced the 'harmony theory' of Chinese and Western cultures represented by Zhang Shizhao. ”

"The third polemic between Chinese and Western cultures took place in the early 1920s. Its theme is the question of the status and value of Chinese culture in world culture. Liang Qichao returned from Europe and published "The Journey of Europe" in 1918 and published a large number of impressions, while Liang Shuming published "Eastern and Western Culture and Its Philosophy" in 1921. ’”

Hu Shi and others immediately rose up to fight. Mr. Hu believes that there is no doubt about the scientific and democratization of China and India in the future, that is, Westernization. In addition, Mr. Li Dazhao and Mr. Qu Qiubai began to use the theoretical weapon of Marxism to participate in this polemic. ”

At this time, Mr. Yuan returned to China, when a reporter interviewed him about his views on the "Erliang" theory, Mr. Yuan actually said that, Liang Rengong was like Lu Fengxian, and he was afraid of polluting his ears when he heard his words. Liang Shoumin looks like Pang Shiyuan, and he is afraid of blinding himself after reading his book, ......" (Author's note: Liang Qichao is known for his political and academic fickleness, so there is no need to talk about it.) Can you look at the photos of Liang Shuming, a friend of the Heavenly Demon Heir? In fact, that's how Xiong Shili commented on Erliang. ）

"It is conceivable that these two sentences offended 'Erliang' and their protégés, relatives and friends at once, and created a large group of enemies out of thin air."

"When it comes to women, most people have more women because they have more money, but Mr. Yuan is the opposite, he has more money because there are more women. He agreed before marriage with his wife, Ms. Wei Mingzhu, the daughter of a wealthy Nanyang family, that he would not take a concubine for the rest of his life, but there are few Chinese and foreign women who have had a dewy marriage with him. In addition, Mr. Yuan Yanqian also 'raised' more than double-digit outer rooms. ”

And these outsiders are worth a lot of money, either the owner of a food company or the chairman of a film and television company, or a leader in the clothing industry or a shareholder of a shipping group. At that time, some people laughed at him for drinking foreign ink and eating soft rice. Yuan Yanqian himself was not ashamed but proud, and he was ashamed to say, why didn't Lao Tzu eat the soft rice he ate with his ability? If you have the ability, you can eat it too! ”

It is said that his father was very angry when he saw Mr. Yuan's statement and demanded that he retract his words or break off the father-son relationship with him. And Mr. Yuan Yanqian replied to his father, if he detached, he would break away, and after he broke away from the father-son relationship, the big hole in the Yuan Exchange had nothing to do with him. ”

In fact, his wife Wei Mingzhu brought him a lot of wealth, and it is said that the dowry given by the Wei family alone was worth three million guilders, equivalent to 1.2 million US dollars, and 2.4 million silver yuan! This caused a sensation throughout China at that time, and the people of the time said: The Wei family married a daughter, and the Yuan family was full. ”

In fact, the Wei family was one of the wealthy Peranakan families in Java, and Chinese immigrants in Java at that time were divided into Perana Kan society and Totak. According to statistics, before the Opium War, the Min people in Java accounted for more than 80% of the total number of overseas Chinese, and the Qing government at that time forbade the Chinese to leave the country, believing that the overseas Chinese "abandoned themselves and became kings" and adopted a hostile attitude towards the overseas Chinese, so the phenomenon of a large number of Chinese emigrating to Java had not yet appeared. After the Opium War, a large number of indentured Chinese laborers with Cantonese origin as the main body entered Indonesia, and they became the main body of Cantonese overseas Chinese. The descendants of the Min people who originally moved here are Peranakans, who account for a minority. The majority of the "new customers" with "indentured Chinese workers" as the main body are in the majority. Perana Kan has an absolute political and economic advantage over Totak. ”

”

"Nanyang Wei came from Chaozhou, and the middle of the Ming Dynasty was the most glorious period of Chaoshan Wei. At that time, foreign trade had begun to take shape. The people surnamed Wei made full use of this advantage and formed an influential maritime family. Only the Wei Xizhai family, who lived in Chenghai and rich sand, had 18 large ships that could sail directly to the countries of the South Seas, and his descendants called him "Navigation Gong". Wei, who settled in Anbu, built his own wharf and warehouse. The Wei family in Jieyang, Chenghai and Chaozhou all became the richest people in the local area because of their engagement in navigation. ”

In 1470, the sixth year of Chenghua of Ming Xianzong, the imperial court sent ministers to Chaozhou to investigate the prohibition matters. The Chaoshan shipping family, whose business is in the ascendant, has been dealt a heavy blow. People were caught, detained, and beheaded. Ships were burned, cargo confiscated. Several villages were scattered as a result. People surnamed Wei called the incident a "navigation case". At the end of the Ming Dynasty, after the fall of Wei Zhongxian, the Donglin Party members were naturally in the dynasty, and the Chaoshan Wei family was inexplicably 'involved' by the nine-thousand-year-old Wei Zhongxian case with the same surname, and actually became a eunuch. Several villages inhabited by people surnamed Wei were scattered during this incident. After these two groups of Wei people came to Nanyang, they became prominent families among the Peranakans. ”

But in fact, in addition to a small part of the 3 million guilders, which was a real dowry, the other was the 'gift money' of Huang Zhonghan, the richest man in Nanyang at that time. Otherwise, it would not be possible to have so much, you must know that after his death, Ms. Huang Huilan's inheritance was only 500,000 US dollars. And a large part of them were bribes sent to certain important people in Europe through Mr. Yuan's hands. ”

"The Dutch colonists coveted the Huang family's vast wealth early on. In 1921, the Dutch and Indian governments demanded that Huang Zhonghan pay a tax of 35 million guilders on the grounds of imposing a "war tax" and a "double income tax", and at the same time attempted to buy his company for 70 million guilders. Unwilling to be blackmailed, Wong refused and moved to Singapore in anger. ”

"After Mr. Yuan Yanqi, who was in Europe at the time, learned of this incident, he used his own strength to exert great pressure on the Dutch government, and also met with Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands through Wilhelm II to 'advise', which made this matter finally closed. So just like he himself said, this big bowl of soft rice is really what he eats by his ability. ”

The marriage between the Yuan and Wei families was also a sensation at that time, especially in the Chinese circles around the world. The two of them were Shi Zhaoji and Gu Weijun, the two ministers of the Republic of China to Britain and the United States. They first held a Najib ceremony in New York. (Author's note: Var Ke Yi axe, take a wife and a matchmaker.) ）

Compared with the grand wedding and wedding later, what is more interesting is the Najib gift for the two of them. Mrs. Yuan originally refused the marriage because of faith reasons, but she didn't expect to fall in love with Mr. Yuan Yanqi at first sight. Carried away by love, she not only boldly proposed to Mr. Yuan in public, but also asked for the wedding to be held on the spot. ”

This was an absolutely shocking move at the time, let alone in the notoriously conservative Chinese community. However, the wonderful thing is that after the incident, these Chinese, whether old or young, were full of praise for Wei Mingzhu's bold actions, calling her a strange woman who knows heroes and values heroes. ”

If it weren't for the fact that her niece, Ms. Huang Huilan, who accompanied her on the blind date, stopped their rash move, the wedding of the two might have really taken place on Christmas Eve in 1920. Ms. Huang said that she finally dispelled her little aunt's impulsive approach. In the end, the two held a simple and solemn Najib ceremony in the presence of the Chinese community in New York. ”

"If it is in accordance with the rules of the "Zhou Li", then there are six rites in marriage, such as Nacai, asking for names, Najib, Nazheng, inviting dates, and welcoming in person. Among them, the third step is that the man has combined the names of both parties, and he feels that Geely sends the matchmaker to take Bo Li to the woman to make a decision, also known as Xiaoding and Wending. ”、

"By the time of the Republic of China, the marriage ceremony naturally did not need to be so cumbersome. Ms. Huang Huilan did this because she felt that under the conditions at the time, it seemed shabby to hold an engagement ceremony, let alone a wedding, and in addition, the parents and friends of both parties were not present, and there was not even a suitable witness, which was really inconsistent with the identity of the two parties. So after discussing with others, I made a Najib gift, which was actually an engagement ceremony. ”

The overseas Chinese present donated one after another, and received four or five thousand US dollars in gift money alone. Moreover, in the next few days, Hongmen in New York held a three-day running water banquet in Chinatown for the two to get engaged. ”

According to the original plan, they would have a wedding in New York after the parents were identified. In 1921, just after the New Year, Wei Mingzhu received a telegram that his father was seriously ill and critically ill, and she had to board a ship back to Java. ”

Fortunately, Mr. Wei Jiren Tianxiang finally recovered his health, but the marriage between the two was still delayed. It was not until 1922 that Mr. Yuan Yanqian went to Semarang to welcome his relatives, and the wedding of the two was finally held in Shanghai, China. It is a lot of good things and twists and turns. ”

When the two got married in Shanghai, important figures from all walks of life in Europe and the United States, such as US President Harding, Secretary of State Hughes, Wall Street tycoon Mr. Morgan Jr. and Mr. Rockefeller Jr., Russell, Keynes, Einstein, etc., all sent congratulatory messages. Not only the Shanghai police, but also Lu Yongxiang, the aftermath supervisor of Zhejiang, and He Fenglin, the military envoy of Songhu, plus the marines of the United States and Japan all sent troops to maintain the order of the wedding. Even the marriage between Jiang and Song after this is not comparable, it is said that Song Meiling thought that she was the first hateful in her life, which also caused a rift between Mr. Yuan Yanqian and the four major families. ”

Newspapers in the north and south of China, as well as the New York Times, The Times and other major newspapers around the world, have published the news of their marriage in large pages. These media outlets called the wedding of the two 'China's wedding of the century'. ”

"After that, there was a proverb in Shanghai, marrying a wife should marry Wei Mingzhu, and marrying a man should marry Yuan Hongji."

——Excerpt from "Anecdotes of the Masters of the Republic of China"

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