Text/Sun Haifan
(37), Yan Family: A century-old family, a century-old life,
In modern China, in a century of ups and downs, and how many famous families have experienced ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and "calculate with your fingers" is a handful of families like the Yan family from Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, which has been relatively rich, stable, prosperous, healthy and long-lasting for a hundred years and has contributed a lot to society.
From limited information, it can be seen that in addition to Yan Xinhou (Yan Xiaofang) who "created a new era" and his three granddaughters, the famous "Three Sisters of Yan Family" in the Republic of China, Yan Caiyun , Yan Lianyun , Yan Youyun , and his great-granddaughter, the "top socialite" in the Republic of China, Yan Renmei , the other relatives of the Yan surname are relatively "low-key" but very "pragmatic". There are no political figures and high-ranking officials prominent, nor are they "sensitive figures" in modern history, but they have "for the motherland and the people" in various fields such as industry, education, science and technology, culture, and international exchanges. Of course, they have also made many important contributions to the glory of their family.
Yan Xinhou (1828-1906)
First, the women of the Yan family contributed to improving the average life expectancy of Chinese people. Yan Caiyun, among the "Three Sisters of Yan", lived to be 91 years old, Yan Lianyun passed away at the age of 101, and Yan Youyun's longevity record reached an enviable 112 years old. At present, their niece Yan Renmei is still alive at the age of 107. In fact, the father of the "three sisters" Yan Zi both had five men and seven women, but due to the limitations of the information, I don't know the details of the other four daughters and the life span.
Three sisters of Yan: Yan Caiyun (right), Yan Lianyun (left), Yan Youyun (stander)
Three sisters of Yan: Yan Caiyun (right), Yan Lianyun (left), Yan Youyun (stander)
There is no doubt that the Yan family has the longevity gene . In the late Qing Dynasty, when the average life expectancy of men was only 50 years old, Yan Xinhou, the "old man" of the Yan family, lived to be 78 years old. Whether for the Yan family or the Chinese society at that time, Yan Xinhou's longevity was a blessing, and all this came from Yan Xinhou's own "luck".
As the saying goes, "opportunities are for those who are prepared", of course, the same is true for "luck". When Yan Xinhou was young, he was influenced by his father and had excellent poetry, calligraphy and painting. However, his ambition was not about dancing, writing, but was interested in "money". For this reason, he "started from the grassroots level" and became an apprentice at a money house in Ningbo . There is a folk legend that Yan Xinhou has a "hobby", which is that when he is not busy, he likes to "wipe" the bank's signature.
The status of the apprentice in the old days was very low. The shopkeeper would pull his ears when he didn't like him. On this day, the shopkeeper wanted to pull Yan Xinhou's ears again, because he was "not doing his job" when the creditor came to ask for money. The shopkeeper scolded him a few words, and he actually said back, "Shopkeeper, if you want to open a money shop, you must polish the signboard brightly, so that you can make it bigger." The shopkeeper saw that this little apprentice was so angry in front of the customer that he was so angry that he was smoking. At this moment, the customer spoke "Shopkeeper, I want your apprentice. If you hand him over to me, I don't want the silver owed by your banker." Seeing that such a good thing, the shopkeeper immediately agreed to Yan Xinhou to "change jobs". He could not have thought that the apprentice "Yan Xiaofang" (also known as Yan Xiaofang) in front of him would become the "flagship" leading the " Ningbo Gang " to sail on the sea. By the way, the boss who wanted to take Yan Xinhou away was the "red-top businessman" Hu Xueyan .
Hu Xueyan's money shop in Hangzhou
When he was young, he walked the right path and met the right person. This is a "lucky" for any young man at the beginning of his life. In 1838, 17-year-old Yan Xinhou followed Hu Xueyan into Hangzhou City "lucky". Hu Xueyan did not miss it. This is really a "spiritual" young man. After 17 years of training with Hu Xueyan, Yan Xinhou was recommended to Li Hongzhang by Hu Xueyan at the age of 34. Because of this, the history of modern Chinese industry has also opened a new chapter.
There are many "firsts" created by Yan Xinhou. The Ningbo Tongjiuyuan Flower Grinding Factory he founded was the first machine flower rinding factory in modern China; the earliest, largest scale, most advanced equipment and greatest social influence in Zhejiang Tongjiusha weaving layout and the first match factory in Zhejiang Province "Cixi Match Factory" were also founded by Yan Xinhou, as well as China's first national capital bank " China Tongshang Bank ", the first insurance company "Huaxing Insurance Company" and the fourth one. Ming Bank was hosted by Yan Xinhou. In addition, it also opened gold shops, jewelry shops, and Lao Jiuzhang silk shops in Tianjin, Shanghai and other places, and invested in a large number of national industries such as sack factory flour mills, oil presses, and inland ship companies. This not only made him the first prime minister of the Shanghai Business Conference Office (predecessor of Shanghai Business Association ) and the "leader" who created the most important and largest business gang in modern China. Under his leadership, the Ningbo business gang transformed from a traditional business gang to a modern Chinese entrepreneur group.
China Trading Bank old photos
In any era, as long as reform and opening up, there will be major business opportunities, and a large number of trendsetters who can get the "first taste of the soup" will emerge. When Yan Xinhou was young and strong, he happened to catch up with the " Westernization Movement " with the idea of "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth". Although the Westernization Movement stimulated the development of bourgeois in China, it did not make China prosperous and strong, but because Yan Xinhou's "circle" is all the key figures of " Westernization Movement " such as Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai , Yan Xinhou himself quickly became one of the people who "get rich first", and this "rich" has been for several generations.
1927, in Shanghai Fudan University, every time when school goes to school, many students gather at the school gate. They all want to take a look at a Buick private car with a license plate "No. 84" and the girl in the car. She is Yan Xinhou's sixth granddaughter Yan Youyun, who is only 22 years old. This year, Shanghai Fudan University recruited the first batch of female students, and Yan Youyun became the "elderly senior" of Fudan University alumni.
Yan Youyun driving license
Yan Youyun, who was born in the family of "the richest man in the southeast", had a difficult time "low-key" since childhood. Yan Youyun, who was well-off and fed, studied in Fdan for two years, in 1929, she held a wedding with Yang Guangxi, a big silk merchant from Huzhou, Zhejiang Province and a diplomat stationed in Shanghai at the Dahua Hotel, which seems to be extremely luxurious, grand and modern. In a sense, this is not only a golden marriage brought by a free love nearly 100 years ago, but also a good story in the history of modern Chinese diplomacy. Because of this, Yan Youyun has since become associated with diplomatic work.
1929, Yang Guangliang and Yan Youyun held their wedding at the Dahua Hotel in Shanghai. The chief bridesmaid is Yan Lianyun, and the third is Yan Youyun's niece Renmei
However, after a century of turbulent times, no one can escape the major setbacks in life. On April 17, 1942, Yan Youyun's fate turned a "big bend". Her husband, then China's capital in Philippines Manila Consul General Yang Guangxi was killed by the Japanese army at the age of 42. Yang Guangxi was later posthumously recognized as the nine martyrs of anti-Japanese diplomacy by the National Government. In 1945, he and eight other martyrs Zhu Huanlai, Zhu Shaoping, , Mo Jie'en, Yao Zhuxiu, Xiao Dongming, Yang Qingshou, , Lu Bingshu, , Wang Gongwei, , Wang Gongwei, burial of the loyal bones of Nanjing Yuhuatai. 16 years later, Yan Youyun "married" another famous diplomat named Gu Weijun . The two lived together for another 28 years.
Yang Guangxi and Yan Youyun Wedding Dance Scene
1945, Yan Youyun and her three daughters came to New York, where she had her first formal job and served as a concierge at United Nations . Four years later, her elder sister Yan Caiyun also brought her family to the United States, and Yan Caiyun also had a position in the United Nations. She is a technical associate professor in the collection department of UNICEF. Of course, this job of my elder sister has nothing to do with Yan Youyun's "connections" in the United Nations, because, in terms of academic achievements, Yan Caiyun is the highest among the "Three Sisters of Yan".
Yan Youyun is one of the pioneers in the field of biochemistry in the United States. She graduated from Nanjing Jinling Women's University. When there were very few female high school students in the old days, Yan Caiyun went to Boston in the United States to focus on food chemistry and nutrition. After returning to China, Yan Caiyun served as an assistant teacher at Peking Union Medical College Hospital . Here, she also "loved freely" and later. Wu Xian, who has become a famous biochemist, nutritionist, medical educator and the first academician of Central Research Institute, became a husband and wife. After marriage, they conducted experiments together, published papers jointly, and jointly established China's biochemistry discipline, and also trained all five children to become experts with outstanding contributions or famous fields. Among them, the eldest son Wu Rui is an internationally renowned molecular biology expert, and the second son Wu Ying is also a chemistry expert. In addition, three highly educated daughters, Wu Xian and Yan Caiyun's family is a home of science. By the way, Wu Xian is from Fujian. A cousin who went to Japan to play Go became famous. This cousin is Wu Qingyuan, the top-notch Go master.
Wu Xian and Yan Caiyun's family photo
Compared with Yan Caiyun, the "scientist" sister who spent the rest of her life in the United States, Yan Youyun, also graduated from Nanjing Jinling Women's University. "China's earliest teaching teacher" and "educator" Yan Lianyun neither showed any signs of dew nor had she lived a more ups and downs. In his early 0s, he went to rural Anhui for education and popularization work and was physically tortured by illness. At the age of 52, the husband of a banking and financial person, Xu Zhendong, died after jail. After 66 years, the former "Second Miss" moved into a utility room from the villa. It can be said that he had experienced hardships. However, after the storm, Yan Lianyun not only became a centenarian, but also felt relieved to see the significant contributions of her son Xu Jingda (Ada) to China's animation industry. Xu Jingda is a master-level director of Chinese cartoons. His most famous works are China's first color wide-screen cartoon " Nezha Dahai " produced in 1979 and " Three Monks " which is well-known at home and abroad. However, it is regrettable that the genius animation director Xu Jingda died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 53, at the same age as his father Xu Zhendong.
"Nezha's Sea" three directors: Wang Shuchen (center), Yan Dingxian (left), Xu Jingda (right)
In addition to Xu Jingda, there is also a lady in the "film industry" in the Yan family. She is Cao Qiwei, who plays Lin Xiaojie in the movie " Women's Basketball No. 5 ". Some people about Cao Qiwei know that she is the granddaughter of Cao Rulin, who "made a famous name" in the May Fourth Movement, and because of her, Cao Rulin also has a "distant relative" relationship with the Yan family.
Cao Qiwei's brother-in-law is Zhao Yunnian. His aunt and uncle are both very famous. They are Zhao Yidi and Zhang Xueliang . His mother is Yan Xinhou's granddaughter Wu Jing. Wu Jing is from Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province. Her grandfather Wu Diaoqing was Li Hongzhang's "iron buddy" and the richest man in Tianjin. Because his wealth and status are comparable, it was "natural" that the Yan family and the Wu family got married.
Cao Qiwei in "Women's Basketball No. 5"
In fact, we should regard the in-law relationship between the Yan Xinhou family's generations as the background board for the "century-year Yan family". This background is very rich and full of talents. In addition to the "richest man in Tianjin" Wu Diaoqing and Zhejiang sea salt giant Zhu Peiqing, many wealthy families later became the "close and distant relatives" of the Yan family. I will not list them one by one.
Yan Renmei (1915--)
Among the women of the Yan family, there is also a long-lived star who is still alive. She is Yan Renmei. Just from her "intimate relationship", Yan Renmei, the most beautiful Yan Renmei of the Yan family, has connected several wealthy families in the Republic of China: Yan Renmei's second husband is Li Zumin from the "Little Gang Li family" in Ningbo (see "The 15th of the Republic of China": Li family), and her mother is Huzhou, Zhejiang Province). Her mother is Li Zumin from the "Li family" (see "The Li family in the Republic of China" 15: The Li family). The granddaughter of Liu Yong, the head of Nanxun's "Elephant", (see "The Close and Distant Relatives of the Republic of China" 2: Pang Family), her sister Yan Renyun married Du Weifan, the eldest son of "Wenren on the Sea" Du Yuesheng, and the ex-wife of her uncle Liu Yanting (the grandson of Liu Yong) is the representative of the Westernization School in modern China, a famous politician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the sixth daughter of Sheng Xuanhuai, who is known as the "father of Chinese industry", "father of Chinese business", and "father of Chinese education", Sheng Jingyi (to be continued).
(This article is written based on relevant information. If the information is incorrect, please leave a message to correct it. The photos are from the Internet. If there is any objection, delete it immediately)
