Love in the Long March

Author: Pan Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Like a Song of Years Follows Close Behind—Ren Bishi and Chen Congying
1. The "childhood betrothal" that was renewed and ultimately became a revolutionary marriage
In the vast Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake, with its unique spiritual mountains and beautiful waters, many outstanding children were nurtured. Ren Bishi was born in Tangjiaqiao, Xiangyin County, Hunan Province. The Ren family was a prominent clan in Xiangyin County, hundreds of miles away, though they had not achieved prominence in official career, they were a true scholarly family. Several of Ren Bishi's uncles were involved in education; Ren Kainan, the first president of Hunan University established in 1926, was one of his uncles. Ren Bishi's father, Ren Sifu, was renowned for his scholarship and was appointed as a teacher at the Xiren School in the Ren family's ancestral hall by the clan. The teachings and example of his father laid a solid foundation in traditional Chinese culture for Ren Bishi from a young age. Unfortunately, the family's financial situation deteriorated, and due to difficulties in paying tuition, he had to transfer schools multiple times. In 1915, Ren Bishi entered Hunan Normal School, where new ideas were fervently spreading across China, but his modest means made him quite hesitant. His one-year-older child-bride, Chen Congying, firmly expressed her opinion to her father-in-law: "No matter how hard it is, Ren Bishi must continue his studies." A pair of innocent young lovers, in a China where thoughts were ablaze, left their mountain village, heading toward the provincial capital and the world. The marriage between the Ren and Chen families traced back to the turbulent years of the Guangxu era. In 1898, Ren Sifu, a 27-year-old impoverished teacher in the Ren family, tragically lost his wife, Chen, who had been married for just over a year. Grief-stricken, Ren Sifu could not bear to part from this happy marriage and solemnly pledged with the Chen family that their children would continue the bond. Later, Ren Sifu remarried and had a son, whom he gave the nickname "Ernan," a homophone for "second son," and named according to the clan's genealogy as "Peiguo," meaning "to cultivate him into a talent who aids the nation." The moment this boy was born, he became, according to the pre-existing betrothal, the husband of Chen Congying, the niece of his father's late wife. Chen Congying was born in Xinqiao Town, Changsha County. Her father, Chen Zixuan, was a modest teacher, and he gave his daughter the elegant name "Yifang." However, Yifang was unfortunate, having lost her mother at a young age. Whenever he thought of the betrothal between the Ren family and his suffering daughter, Mr. Chen would sigh with relief: "The Ren family is both scholarly and reputable, and my poor daughter at last has a good match." In Changsha, Ren Bishi studied in the city, while Chen Congying worked as a sock weaver at the Xiyuan Sock Factory outside the North Gate, often saving some of her wages to give to Ren Bishi for spending money. In Changsha, Ren Bishi met Mao Zedong and thus embarked on the path of revolution. To seek the truth of saving the nation and its people, in 1920, at the age of 16, Ren Bishi left Changsha to study Russian at the Shanghai Foreign Languages Society, preparing to continue his studies in the Soviet Union. That year, Chen Congying was already a grown woman in her late teens. Though she knew Ren Bishi's return was uncertain, she firmly supported his choice. Before his departure, Ren Bishi said sincerely and earnestly to Chen Congying, "You never had the chance to go to school. In the future, you must support yourself in society and learn culture. Otherwise, you won't even be able to read the letters I give you." Chen Congying nodded in agreement, and the two parted with lingering affection. Before leaving, Ren Bishi wrote a letter to his father, specifically urging, "The matter of Yifang's education is a lifelong commitment for my son," deeply expressing his spirit of lifelong responsibility toward Chen Congying. For six years, Ren Bishi and Chen Congying both upheld the promise of their hearts and commitment to each other. It wasn't until 1926, when Ren Bishi served as the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, that with approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, he was able to bring his fiancée from Hunan to reunite with him. They married in a simple balcony room in Shanghai.