Old Shou Illustrated Biography

Author: Guan Jixin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Lao She (at this time still known as Qing Chun) was a widow, like many widows from poor families, who had to endure long years of hardship and grit her teeth to raise her children. Qing Chun's mother was different from many other widows; she was a Manchu woman whose livelihood was tied to the "Eight Banners livelihood." Her life always reflected the unique demeanor of Manchu women. When Yongshou was alive, the family of five relied on the 3 taels of silver he received each month and some old rice to get by. At that time, the imperial treasury was already in dire straits, and with deductions from the office, the silver received was often short in purity and weight, while the old rice was often given out only occasionally. Qing Chun's mother had to deal with the family's hunger and cold in constant hardship. After giving birth to Qing Chun, she had no milk and could only boil some paste in a small clay pot, mix in some cake dry powder, and feed it to his small mouth to keep his frail life from dying. The severely malnourished young Qing Chun was still unable to walk at the age of two or three. When Yongshou died, it was a double blow to Qing Chun's mother, who had already endured half her life in hardship. However, as the wife of a banner soldier, this was almost predestined—she had likely long been accustomed to stories of widows of banner soldiers enduring such setbacks; moreover, how many new widows would join her ranks in the capital at this moment! Old Beijing people often loved to say that women from banner families were not easy to deal with, but in fact, this folk custom was indeed mixed with generations of blood and tears. Manchu women were known for their strength, dignity, and arrogance, which was understandable, as they were always the wives of warriors. The harsh reality of their fate had taught them how to toughen themselves. According to the Eight Banners system, widows of deceased banner soldiers were entitled to half of their original "money and grain" as a pension for support. After her husband's death, Ma's mother could still receive one and a half taels of silver each month from the office. Raising soldiers was one measure at the time to address the "Eight Banners livelihood" issue, where some male banner members from difficult circumstances were selected as supplementary soldiers to be supported, receiving half the "money and grain" of regular banner soldiers. In the year Yongshou died, their eldest son Qing Rui was just nine years old and still one year short of the deadline to be selected as a raising soldier. Later, Qing Rui also filled a spot as a raising soldier and could receive one and a half taels of silver each month. Although the four mother and children (including Qing Chun and his older sister) now had an additional three taels of silver each month, their lives were still uncertain. First, the court had to pay huge "Boxer Indemnity" to Western powers, causing the treasury to empty, and the "money and grain" issued by the banner offices became intermittent. Second, the Qing court was already showing signs of collapse, and officials in the offices were corrupt, openly embezzling from poor banner families, so a salary of three taels that should have been issued often ended up being less than two taels in the hands of the recipients. Third, whenever it was time to distribute "money and grain," if the amount was insufficient, regular banner soldiers were always prioritized, while raising soldiers and widows were often neglected. Ma's mother, though from the Zhenghuang Banner, had grown up in the countryside outside the city since childhood. Her family lived near "Jimen Yanshu" outside Deshengmen. Her parents passed away early, and she had been trained since childhood to have a strong physique and a diligent nature. Her mother