A Real Lin Huiyin

Author: Tian Shiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: A prominent female architect of the May Fourth era, a brilliant and influential woman in the history of modern Chinese literature, the main designer of the national emblem and the Monument to the People's Heroes—Lin Huiyin. Her life was like a poetic stream thousands of feet long, and her world was like the eternal April of humanity. A peerless beauty, she embodied passionate years; a secret history, she chronicled the beauty and sorrow.
Lin Huiyin's beauty lay in her appearance. Two small braids, bright and spirited eyes, exquisite features meticulously carved, a smile on her left cheek, a light-colored half-sleeve short dress, and a black silk skirt reaching only to her knees—she was like a floating immortal. Yet, her beauty was not confined to her appearance. She read extensively, possessed a lively and, clear and fresh insights, and an understanding and intuition for literary works that surpassed her age. This was her beauty of wisdom. She cherished friendship, and with friends around, her mind opened wide, her words were like pearls on a string, and her artistic and intellectual inspiration flashed like lightning, carving exquisite details, intricate doorways and windows, and beautiful railings. This was her beauty of character—she had an endless array of beauty.
In people's memories, Lin Huiyin was often not just an "individual" but a "clean and clear" one. She seemed merely the one whom Xu Zhimo longed for, loved, made weep, and disappointed; or the daughter-in-law of Liang Zhenggong and the wife of Liang Sicheng. Her identity as an outstanding female architect and a unique female poet faded away. She became an old photograph, a blurred symbol, a mere accessory to the many famous figures around her—she had an endless array of sorrow.