On the Mao family tree, in the place of Mao Zedong’s original wife, the words Luo Yixiu are written. In the minds of most people, Chairman Mao's first wife was Yang Kaihui, the daughter of his enlightenment teacher Yang Changji. The relationship between the two went beyond simple love to a comradeship in revolution together.
After Yang Kaihui passed away, Chairman Mao also said with great regret, "I have lost Yang Hua." Many people were moved by the deep feelings between Chairman Mao and Yang Kaihui.
What is surprising is that before Yang Kaihui, Mao Zedong had a wife who refused to admit it, and that was Luo Yixiu. She had been married to Mao Zedong for many years, and she was still intact until her death. However, she was able to be buried next to Mao Zedong's parents in the tomb as the original wife.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao even made an exception for her. So who is Luo Yixiu? What kind of emotional story does she have with Mao Zedong? Why was Mao Zedong always willing to recognize this marriage?
Picture丨Mao Zedong (first from the right) and his family
The young woman grew up
One day in October 1889, in a wealthy family named Luo in Shaoshan, Hunan, they finally welcomed their first daughter.
The family was very happy. The birth of Luo Yixiu filled the whole family with an atmosphere of great joy. The parents saw that the little girl was very delicate and had very smart eyes. Because the girl was the eldest daughter in the family, they named her Yixiu.
's father Luo Helou is a well-known local rich farmer. Unlike many landowners, he does not have the feudal thinking of the old society: a woman's lack of talent is a virtue. On the contrary, is very reasonable and sends Luo Yixiu to school. Read books and know a lot of words.
Growing up in such an environment also played an important role in the development of Luo Yixiu's character, so she had a good tutor, was very gentle and kind, and was loved by her elders. After growing up, Luo Yixiu became slim and graceful, with a curvy figure.
Picture丨Luo Yixiu
Under the influence of her parents, she also learned the skills of housekeeping and took care of the family's property in an orderly manner.
When Mao Zedong's parents saw this girl for the first time, they were impressed by the beautiful, generous and decent girl in front of them, so they often looked for opportunities to get close to Luo Yixiu. Luo Yixiu's parents were also very satisfied with Mao Zedong, who was full of knowledge. Both parents were very eager to settle the marriage between Mao Zedong and Luo Yixiu.
So Mao Zedong's father, Mao Shunsheng, despite his son's strong opposition, arranged a marriage with the Luo family when Mao Zedong was 14 years old. He was eager to make Luo Yixiu the daughter-in-law of the Mao family.
Luo Yixiu received a good upbringing, and faced with the orders of her parents and the words of the matchmaker, Luo Yixiu gradually agreed to the marriage and waited with great expectation to get married with three letters, six etiquettes and eight sedans. Mao family.
Picture丨Luo Yixiu
A well-matched family
At that time, Mao's family was in the Shaoshan area, and his family was relatively well-off. Mao Zedong's father, Mao Shunsheng, was very hardworking and capable. He also went to school and served as a soldier.
It may be related to the broadening of his horizons after joining the army. After Mao Shunsheng followed the army and traveled all over the country, he found that the business of rice stores in various places was very good. As the saying goes, "Food is the first priority for the people." Mao Shunsheng believed that farming and selling grain was a business opportunity, so he returned to his hometown of Shaoshan to try it.
As a result, he made a lot of money through his own small business. Later, his business became bigger and bigger, and his wealth became more and more. not only paid off the debt owed by his family, but also gradually bought many things for his family, becoming a A well-known local wealthy businessman.
According to data, the Mao family had 15 acres of fertile land at that time, with an annual output of more than 60 dans of . In addition to 35 dans consumed by the family, the remaining 25 dans were used for trading to make money.
Picture丨Chairman Mao’s former residence
The country was very poor at that time, but for Hunan Shaoyang area, rice planting yielded more,The Mao family took advantage of this business opportunity to make the originally poor family rich.
Luo Yixiu's family is also very wealthy. His father, Luo Helou, is a local farmer who is well-educated, well-versed in writing, and owns land. The social environment at that time was very harsh. Due to the long-term isolation of the country at that time, our country's economy lagged far behind other countries.
Coupled with the weakness and incompetence of the Qing government, the entire country's economic development was very slow. Affected by the long-term small-scale peasant economy , farmers could only obtain food through hard work.
At that time, farmers did not have land, and the land was often occupied by landlords. Farmers were severely oppressed and often had little to eat. It was not easy for the Luo family to have land in such a harsh social environment. It was not easy for the Luo family to be well off.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
Luo Yixiu's father was educated and had advanced ideas. At that time when women were prohibited from entering schools, it was very rare for Luo Helou, Luo Yixiu's father, to allow Luo Yixiu to study and become literate in a private school. .
The knowledge learned in private school was also flexibly used by Luo Yixiu, which played an important role in helping Wen Qimei manage the family business in the Mao family.
In fact, the marriage between Luo Yixiu and Mao Zedong can be said to be a combination of relatives, because Luo Yixiu's grandmother and Mao Zedong's grandfather are cousins. In the eyes of everyone, the two are simply a match made in heaven, and they are a perfect match.
But it was the marriage that was favored by everyone, but it was opposed by Mao Zedong.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
The rebellious young man
Although his family often talked about choosing a gentle, generous and virtuous wife for Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong had no intention of marrying a wife and having children.
After meeting Luo Yixiu, although Luo Yixiu was gentle and very generous, like a lady in the book, , Mao Zedong still did not change his mind and did not want to marry Luo Yixiu.
Because he believes that arranged marriages are forced by both parties by their families, and there is no happiness at all.
Mao Zedong grew up in his maternal grandmother's house during his childhood. His mother Wen Qimei's second brother Wen Zhengying, Mao Zedong's eighth uncle, opened a private school in the local area to teach the children of the clan to study.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
The eighth uncle used to be very strict with Mao Zedong. He once said in class that he should "do serious things, follow the right path, and become great." Mao Zedong learned a lot of knowledge in the school and broadened his horizons, which he had never learned at home before. His lofty ideals and ambitions also sprouted at this time.
Mao Zedong understood early on that we should not confine ourselves to home, but should boldly go out and broaden our horizons outside.
At that time, the old feudal order still existed, and the bad habits under the feudal system still did not shake . There were still people wearing braids on the streets, and the arranged marriage system was still a man-eating devil.
Mao Zedong had long wanted to break the old feudal rule, so faced with the pressure of his parents, had long had the idea of resisting when faced with traditional arranged marriages.
Picture丨Mao Zedong (first from the right) and his family
After meeting Luo Yixiu, he always regarded Luo Yixiu as his big sister when facing a girl who was four years older than him. He never thought about living together in the future. He thought This ridiculous marriage should be ended as soon as possible.
So the first resistance was to protest to his father at home. He strongly opposed the marriage to Luo Yixiu.
At a banquet, his father Mao Shunsheng invited his friends to his home. Regarding the marriage, Mao Zedong had a dispute with his father in person. He proposed that he wanted to go out to study and did not want to farm at home.
Due to the different concepts between father and son, Mao Zedong ran out of the house after the quarrel failed. Mao Zedong's parents were very worried and ran out immediately after Mao Zedong. When Mao Zedong ran to the edge of a pond, saw his parents following him closely, and wanted to force his father to fulfill his wish to study.
Picture丨Mao Zedong’s mother
However, Mao Shunsheng was very short-sighted and very stingy. He believed that after studying in school, knowing a lot of words, and being able to calculate accounts, he could return home to run his own shop and property.
Moreover, at this time, the Mao family's property was enough for Mao Zedong to live a stable life, and then add incense to the family and extend his heirs. Faced with Mao Zedong's request to go out to study, Mao Shunsheng was very incomprehensible and ordered Mao Zedong to kneel down and apologize immediately.
In the end, Mao Zedong gave in to his father's majesty and knelt down on one knee to apologize to his father. failed to go out to study, and with the support of his family, he married Luo Yixiu, who was only 18 years old, as his first wife in 1907.
This time, the rebellious boy ushered in his arranged marriage at the age of 14, and his first resistance ended in failure.
Picture丨Mao Zedong’s father
is alone in the empty house
In 1936, Mao Zedong was already very prestigious in our country. once led the peasant army uprising and established the Jinggangshan base area. He used the strategy of surrounding the cities in the countryside to seize power with armed forces and won the support of the people.
Chairman Mao, who has reached middle age, mentioned in an interview with American reporter Snow: When I was a teenager, my parents married me to a woman four years older than me, but I never considered it. She becomes my wife.
From the sentence "My father married me", it can be seen that Mao Zedong believed that his father only sacrificed the happiness of his children for the benefit of the family, brought misfortune to two people.
When Mao Zedong was young, faced with the arranged marriage imposed by his parents, all could do was compromise, and finally married Luo Yixiu into the Mao family.
Picture丨Mao Zedong and Snow
This marriage was painful for both Mao Zedong and Luo Yixiu. Mao Zedong agreed to the marriage and made a compromise with his parents. But on another level, he hated this bad habit very much, and he also used practical actions to raise his own resistance to Mao Zedong's parents.
Mao Zedong has always maintained a superficial relationship with Luo Yixiu as husband and wife, but they have not consummated their marriage. There is no substantive marital relationship.
This made Mao Zedong's father Mao Shunsheng very angry, but he also knew his son very well. Being able to marry Luo Yixiu was the biggest concession Mao Zedong could make.
This marriage also brought disappointment and sadness to Luo Yixiu. During the three years before she died of illness, Luo Yixiu stayed alone in the Mao family.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
The joyful heart when he first married into the Mao family has long been dimmed by Mao Zedong's indifference, and only has feelings for the relatives of the Mao family.
This unfortunate marriage was due to the fact that the feudal system had not been overthrown at that time, the bad custom of arranged marriage was still not abandoned, and young men and women in many families lost the right to choose their own marriage.. Some men and women have even been engaged by their parents before they even have a chance to meet each other.
At that time, most marriages were unhappy. There was no emotional foundation between men and women. . Marriages were so unstable that they could only wear away in a long time.
This also inspired many young people to bravely resist the old feudal system after being influenced by new ideas. After the end of the New Culture Movement , the bad habits of the old system have also been abolished.
Picture丨Arranged marriage
But the marriage of Mao Zedong and Luo Yixiu did not wait until that day. Their marriage was resisted but did not succeed.
During the three-year short marriage, Luo Yixiu bore the title of Mao Zedong's wife and took good care of her diet and daily life. However, Mao Zedong did not like Luo Yixiu, and their lives were always bleak.
During the three years that Luo Yixiu stayed in Mao's family, he helped Mao Zedong's mother Wen Qimei manage the family business every day, and was filial to his parents. He was very caring and caring for Mao Zedong's parents. In order to reduce Wen Qimei's burden, she often handles some trivial matters until late at night.
Moreover, Luo Yixiu's hard work and hard work made the Mao family very satisfied with this daughter-in-law. Not only that, Luo Yixiu is gentle, virtuous, and generous, and the relationship with her sister-in-law is handled very well.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
Luo Yixiu's selfless dedication without asking for anything in return has infected everyone in the Mao family, and the Mao family likes Luo Yixiu very much.
Luo Yixiu's unreserved devotion to the Mao family also made Mao Zedong feel guilty . Although there was no relationship between husband and wife towards Luo Yixiu, Mao Zedong was very grateful to Luo Yixiu, so after Luo Yixiu's death, he felt guilty towards the Luo family Also very caring and caring.
Luo Yixiu originally thought that the rest of his life would be like the three years he spent in Mao's family. , he would go to work in the fields with Mao Zedong during the busy farming season, and take care of the daily life of the whole family at home.
is like a top with no end, living the same life day after day, and polishing his feelings for Mao Zedong in this repetitive life, and spends his life like this.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
Unfortunately, on February 11, 1910, which was the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Mao family was celebrating the Spring Festival with lights and colorful decorations. But in an inconspicuous house, Luo Yixiu Due to infection with bacillary dysentery .
was not treated in time, so he ended his life.
Luo Yixiu was only 21 years old when he died, but his good years were gone. 's sudden death was a very heavy blow to the Mao family at that time. would never have such a capable and virtuous daughter-in-law again.
At that time, Mao Zedong was preparing to go out to study. rushed back immediately after receiving the bad news about Luo Yixiu.
Picture | Xiang Xiaoyu died
Opposed to arranged marriage
After Luo Yixiu's death, Mao Shunsheng and Wen Qimei were very sad. After holding a funeral for their daughter-in-law, they wrote such a virtuous daughter-in-law into the Mao family tree .
After Mao Zedong’s parents passed away, the grave of the two elders was chosen next to Luo Yixiu.
Faced with the sudden death of his first wife Luo Yixiu, Mao Zedong also felt guilty and grateful. At the same time, he was also committed to opposing arranged marriages, so that more men and women would no longer be subject to the "cannibalistic" feudal ethics like Mao Zedong and Luo Yixiu. constraints.
As early as 1919, Mao Zedong at that time published the article "Criticism of Ms. Zhao Wuzhen's Suicide" because of a tragedy caused by her resistance to an arranged marriage.
Picture丨Mao Zedong
At that time, a woman named Zhao Wuzhen was forcibly sold to a boss by her parents to fill in a house. Unexpectedly, Zhao Wuzhen failed to resist and actually cut her throat and committed suicide in the sedan chair.
This incident caused a sensation in the society at that time. Mao Zedong published this article also in the hope of advocating that marriage between men and women should be carried out after falling in love. A marriage without love is a mess, and neither person will be truly happy.
Therefore, after the founding of New China, Mao Zedong hoped that women could be truly independent and gain real freedom without restraint.
Picture丨Chairman Mao
made an exception for Luo Yixiu's brother in his later years
In 1940, Luo Yixiu's brother, Luo Shiquan, was arrested and imprisoned while secretly carrying out revolutionary work in Huarong County. was later released from prison, and Luo Shiquan's life was also very difficult.
Chairman Mao once sent someone to inquire about him and found out that Luo Shiquan's life was very difficult. Mao Zedong, who always acted impartially and showed no favoritism, immediately asked someone to give Luo Shiquan some silver taels and 200 kilograms of rice to help Luo Shiquan get through the difficult period at that time.
This was the first time Chairman Mao made an exception to help his relatives. Many relatives in Hunan previously wrote letters, hoping to get an official position through Chairman Mao's connections, but Chairman Mao sternly rejected them. This shows Luo Yixiu's position in Chairman Mao's mind.
In the early days of the founding of New China, Mao Zedong personally wrote a letter to Luo Helou in his hometown in Yanglin, asking him to come to Beijing to meet. Later, he learned that Mr. Luo Helou had passed away. He was very sad and expressed his gratitude to Luo Helou. The family takes meticulous care.
Picture | Mao Zedong (left)
Immediately after Mao Zedong promulgated the "Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China," encouraged women to use legal weapons to safeguard their rights and called on women to receive equal education. Mao Zedong had such advanced ideas and was supported by women at that time.
Under the social background of that time, Mao Zedong, who bravely resisted arranged marriage, had advanced ideas that are worthy of respect and learning from each of us.
