Life is like a gorgeous cheongsam, covered with lice. ——Zhang Ailing. What kind of woman is Zhang Ailing?

The legend that moved the Shanghai beach and was not tainted by the scorching heat of the world of mortals. "Zhang Ailing was a person who took care of flowers by water in the world of the Republic of China." It is no exaggeration to say that Zhang Ailing is an "anomaly" in the history of Chinese literature. It is in her writing that the words truly come to life and penetrate directly into your heart. People who like Zhang Ailing really like her books. Reading itself can give readers great pleasure. The joy of reading can only be obtained from her, at least for me. You may be able to understand the truth, understand the knowledge, and be shocked by reading other books, but you will be happy only by reading Zhang Ailing's articles. Even the somewhat tragic "Eighteen Spring" is still like this!

Zhang Ailing is worldly, but the worldliness is so exquisite that there is no other person who can compare with her. Reading her works, you will find that her view of the joy of life is truly wonderful! Zhang Ailing’s talent is that she discovered it, wrote it down and told you, so that you can feel it yourself! She tells you, but she doesn’t show off! Zhang Ailing's most famous collection is called "Legend". In fact, legend is the most appropriate way to describe Zhang Ailing's life. Zhang Ailing has a distinguished family background, but her generation is the last to die. Zhang Ailing's childhood was unhappy when her parents divorced. Her father once threatened to kill her, and she escaped from her father's house to go to her mother. Soon after, her mother So she went to England again. She was originally admitted to the University of London, but because of the Pacific War, she had to go to the University of Hong Kong. When she was about to graduate, Hong Kong fell again, so she had to return to Shanghai. Her marriage to Hu Lancheng was also a big misfortune. Originally, it was a good thing to become famous in the literary world, but after liberation, it actually became a crime, and in the end I had to move away!

There are a lot of contradictions in Zhang Ailing’s character: she is a hedonist who is good at turning art into life and turning life into art, and she is also a person full of tragedy in life; she is a queen of a famous family. , a young lady from a noble family, but proudly declares that she is a self-reliant citizen; she is pitiful and pitiful, always seeing the "pity" behind the "ridiculousness" of all living beings, but in real life she appears cold and unfeeling; she is understanding of the world, but she herself No matter how you treat others or dress up, you always go your own way and are unique and aloof. She chatted with readers in her articles, but she always kept a distance, preventing outsiders from peeking into her inner world. She became famous in Shanghai in the 1940s, and was unparalleled for a while. However, decades later, she became deeply popular in the United States. She lives a solitary life, so much so that some people say: "Only Zhang Ailing can withstand the dazzling noise and extreme loneliness at the same time."

There are modern female writers who are known for their wit and intelligence. There are people who are famous for expressing emotions, but there is no other person besides Zhang Ailing who can combine talents and emotions, and be deeply involved in her works while maintaining detachment. Zhang Ailing writes both pure literary works and romantic novels. "The Story of the Golden Lock" and "Yangge" have attracted high-fives from connoisseurs, while "Eighteen Spring" can make the readers intoxicated. In this way, she straddles the two worlds and is both elegant and elegant. She was a secular writer like no other; she was educated in a Western school, but she loved the art of Chinese novels. In her creation, she consciously inherited the tradition of "A Dream of Red Mansions" and "Jin Ping Mei". Among new literature writers, she is the only one who takes this path. There are few and far between.

A famous modern writer who became famous on the isolated island of Shanghai in the 1940s. His novels possess feminine delicacy and classical beauty, and his grasp of the characters' psychology is amazing. The author's unique attitude towards life was also extremely popular at the time. rare. In the early 1950s, she moved to the United States via Hong Kong. During this period, she wrote the novels "Yangko" and "Love in the Red Earth", which were regarded as reactionary works because they involved descriptions of the social conditions in mainland China at that time. There were very few subsequent works, and only the research on Dream of Red Mansions is noteworthy.

Zhang Ailing also wrote six scripts for the Hong Kong Film and Television Company, including "The North and the South", and later engaged in translation and textual research. Eileen Chang has a close relationship with Song Qi and Kuang Wenmei. Her works were introduced to Mr. Xia Zhiqing through Song Qi, affirming Eileen Chang's unique talents and becoming internationally renowned. The heirs to Zhang Ailing's estate are Song Qi and his wife, most of which were handed over to Crown Publishing House for collection.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1995, Eileen Chang, a talented woman who once attracted attention in the Chinese literary world, died suddenly in an apartment in Los Angeles at the age of seventy-five.

Her death revived her name in the literary world. This writer who had been sinking for many years resurfaced overnight, and he was as beautiful as ever. The beauty of that moment is eternal, because Zhang Ailing's lonely life has ended, and the desolation and endless sighs left behind turned into a glass coffin, guarding her past splendor. Looking back across the glass wall of space and time, the more glorious the achievements, the more bleak they are.

Zhang Ailing came from a famous family, and her grandmother Li Ju was the daughter of Cixi’s confidant Li Hongzhang. However, her childhood was dark. Her biological mother wandered in Europe, leaving her and her younger brother to grow up under the supervision of their father and stepmother (see "Whispers" for details). Perhaps this is the main reason why Zhang's later works are full of pessimism and snobbery. The women she writes about are real: selfish, coquettish, and able to stand the test of time. It is the eternity of these near-human characters that adds to the desolate flavor of her writing, reminding us repeatedly that all present-day civilization will eventually disappear, and only the weaknesses of human nature will last forever in the world. As for herself, she is also a little woman who cares about everything: material things that can be touched and grasped are far more important than abstract ideals.

Zhang Ailing left her father and fled to her mother. Her mother gave her two ways to choose: "Either get married and use money to dress yourself up; or use money to study." Zhang Ailing resolutely chose the future. However, the mother's financial situation has been poor, and the conflict between mother and daughter has gradually intensified day by day in an imperceptible way. Zhang Ailing said: "At this time, my mother's home is no longer gentle."

In middle school, Zhang Ailing was regarded as a genius and passed the entrance examination to the University of London. Later, the war forced her to give up the opportunity to go to London and choose the University of Hong Kong. She was always among the best there, but Hong Kong fell on the eve of graduation. All documents and records about her were burned. Regarding this matter, she said a few words softly: "That kind of effort, even if it achieves success, is destined to be overthrown?... I should know better." There was a kind of helpless regret. .

After that, Zhang Ailing returned to Shanghai. Due to financial problems, she used her only survival tool-writing to tide over the difficulties. "The First Incense" and "The Second Incense" became her famous works, announcing the arrival of a dazzling new star to the Shanghai literary world for Zhang Ailing. These two articles by Zhang Ailing were published in the "Purple" magazine hosted by Mr. Zhou Shoujuan. The subsequent "Red Rose and White Rose", "Love in a Fallen City", "The Story of the Golden Lock", etc. further established her important position in modern Chinese literature. Just when she was recognized as Shanghai's leading female writer and her career was booming, she fell in love. What fascinated her was Hu Lancheng, who worked for the Ministry of Culture of the traitor Wang Jingwei's government.

Zhang Ailing worked hard for this relationship. She doesn't mind that Hu Lancheng is married, regardless of his status as a traitor. After the war, people's anti-Japanese sentiment was as high as ever, and they made every effort to capture the traitors. Hu Lancheng fled to Wenzhou and met his new love Fan Xiumei. When Zhang Ailing learned about Hu Lancheng's hiding place and traveled thousands of miles to find him, his love for her had already burned out. Zhang Ailing had no ability to change anything. She told Hu Lancheng that she would wither. However, it was not just Zhang Ailing's heart that withered, her astonishing writing talent also died with it. Even though the days were long, she never wrote another article as poignant as "The Story of the Golden Lock". In the "History of the Crimes of Cultural Traitors" published in 1945, Zhang Ailing was listed, more or less thanks to Hu Lancheng. Zhang Ailing and Hu Lancheng met in 1944 and broke up in 1947. It was only a short three years, but it was an important event in Zhang Ailing's life. After that, Zhang Ailing had another marriage in the United States. She met her second husband Lai Ya in 1956. The other party was a leftist writer, and the two got married in the same year. Until Laiya's death in 1967.