A Woman Struggling Between Modernity and Tradition - Zhang Youyi, the First Wife of Xu Zhimo

Author: Ding Yanzhao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Briefly records the life of Zhang Youyi, the first wife of the famous poet Xu Zhimo, who was kind, gentle, and lived a lonely life. The author conducted interviews with Zhang Youyi's relatives and friends on the mainland, disclosing some previously unknown first-hand materials. Zhang Youyi came from a prestigious family, with both beauty and wisdom. In 1915, she married Xu Zhimo at her hometown in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, as arranged by her parents. The following year after their marriage, Xu Zhimo went abroad to study. The Xu family was a wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, and the well-educated Zhang Youyi dutifully served her in-laws and helped her father manage the household. From before to after the marriage, Xu Zhimo despised Zhang Youyi so much. The first time he saw a photo of her, he lowered his lips in disdain and said in a disdainful tone, "A rustic country bumpkin!" After their marriage, he never looked at Zhang Youyi directly even once. In winter 1920, Zhang Youyi went abroad to reunite with her husband. Soon after, she became pregnant, but at that time, Xu Zhimo was obsessively chasing Lin Huiyin and had no time for her. Upon hearing the news, he said, "Abort the child." Xu demanded an immediate divorce, but when Zhang refused, he simply left. In desperation, Zhang Youyi wrote to her second brother, Zhang Junli, for help. She came to Paris and later moved to Berlin, where she gave birth to her child. Only when processing the divorce papers did she find herself in Berlin. After giving birth, Zhang Youyi quickly recovered from her grief and enrolled in Pestalozzi College, specializing in early childhood education. Upon returning to China, she founded Yun Chang Company and led the Women's Savings Bank, both of which were successful. She eventually became a prominent new woman. There is a kind of woman like this—she is not particularly beautiful, and she has passed away, but people have not forgotten her because she was so strong, brave, and forgiving. She was self-respecting, independent, and self-reliant, and she created a wonderful career. Also, because she was once the wife of a celebrity, she received extensive media and public attention. Zhang Youyi was such a woman.