Shanghai socialite Zheng Nian’s Life and Death in Shanghai, published in the late 1980s, was China’s first independent autobiographical memoir to shine a light into the darkness of the Cultural Revolution. It was in the format of a written record, but soon after its publication, the book quietly disappeared. A few days ago, the author of the following post inadvertently searched the Chinese online platform Douban and found no entry for the book by this legendary and heroic socialite icon.
A true generational icon and survivor of the odious Cultural Revolution
I only came to learn about Zheng Nian in recent years, and I read Life and Death in Shanghai a few days ago. When I got the book, I thought I would read it leisurely. Little did I expect that after working overtime that day, I would go home and read until three or four o’clock in the morning. I could not sleep and completed reading it.
Many articles and reports about Zheng Nian on the Internet acknowledge her as “a renowned lady of our generation” or “a true aristocrat.” Before I read the book, I hesitated to use these words. After all, how many people are really worthy of being called a generational icon or an aristocrat? However, having read the book, I felt that if a woman like Zheng Nian is not considered worthy of renown, then who else can be regarded as such?
The following day, I was still in a daze, so I decided to post on WeChat. There must be many readers who do not know of Zheng Nian, so it would be fitting to let them know about her.
I still remember that between 1973 and 1977, I often saw that “anonymous person” named Yao Nianyuan (Zheng Nian) walking in and out of the alleyway alone, graceful and elegantly dressed. Her lonely and proud expression left a deep impression on me.
Zhu Dake
Zheng Nian: Her family, background, education, and career
Zheng Nian, the pen name of Yao Nianyuan, was born in 1915 in Beijing. Her father was a returnee from Japan and served as a senior official in the Beiyang government. Zheng Nian was educated at Tianjin Zhongxi Girls’ High School and Yenching University. She later went to London to obtain a master’s degree. Her husband, Zheng Kang-chi, originally from Jinan, received his doctorate in the UK. Both of them returned to China after completing their studies.
Dr. Zheng Kang-chi served as a diplomat to Australia during the Republic of China period. As soon as Shanghai was liberated, Dr. Zheng was appointed a diplomatic adviser to the municipal government and soon became the general manager of the Shanghai office of the British-owned Shell Oil Company, the only Western company that maintained trade relations with Communist China. In 1957, Dr. Zheng passed away. The British side implored Zheng Nian to serve as assistant general manager until Shell ended its operations in China in 1966. Her pen name “Zheng Nian” was given to commemorate her late husband, who passed away in 1957.
Proud Shanghai lady
From April 1949 to September 1980, Zheng Nian and her family lived in Shanghai. Although she spoke the Beijing dialect and never spoke Shanghainese, her relatives, friends, and readers — all who loved her — as well as she herself, believed that she was a Shanghainese. Even after she went to the United States, almost all of her clothes were measured and made by tailors in Shanghai, and then she would ask someone to bring the clothes to her in the U.S.
On the eve of her departure from Shanghai in 1980, she politely refused the Shanghai Museum’s request to acquire the highly precious cultural relics she had collected. Instead, she donated the cultural relics to them free of charge according to her will made before the Cultural Revolution.
Her youth, career, enthusiasm for China, and ardent expectations for the future were all selflessly dedicated to the city where she lived for 37 years. She named her book Life and Death in Shanghai as she had long believed that her life had formed a blood connection with Shanghai. Her painful farewell to Shanghai in 1980 opened a deep wound in her heart that would never be closed. She knew in her heart that she would never return because of specific historical conditions, and later because she was too old to withstand the torment of long-distance flights.
The inhuman Cultural Revolution strikes Zheng Nian and her daughter Meiping
During the Cultural Revolution, Zheng Nian was imprisoned. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back for a long time until her flesh was exposed and bleeding. Every time she wanted to zip up her pants after going to the toilet, she had to endure the excruciating pain. She suffered inhuman torture in prison. Some people kindly advised her to cry loudly to arouse the evil forces to show kindness, but she resolutely refused: “I really don’t know how to make that wailing sound. It is so uncivilized.”
An old friend, Mr. Y (who grew up with Zheng Nian’s only daughter, Meiping), remembers that the last time he saw Meiping was at the gatehouse of Shanghai Film Studio. Although her mother was imprisoned and her property confiscated, she was still hopeful. At that time, Meiping held a cup of juicy red strawberries while chatting with colleagues, and her expression was normal. It did not look like she would commit suicide by jumping from the building of the Sports Commission a few days later.
Mr. Y never believed that Meiping’s death was a suicide. Meiping told Mr. Y that all the money in the family had been stolen (she was still a student at the film studio at the time and had no income), but she knew that she still had an account with HSBC Bank in Hong Kong, and asked Mr. Y how to contact the bank to remit some money. This beautiful girl who was born overseas and grew up in a greenhouse was defenseless. Mr. Y immediately stopped her and said: “I will help you if you don’t have money, but you must not contact Hong Kong without permission.”
Meiping pleaded for help
Ms. Zhou Ling, a translator at Shanghai TV, told me that during the Cultural Revolution, Zheng Meiping, accompanied by her friend Du Benzhen, came to Zhou Ling’s house and knocked at her door without prior notice. In fact, they had never met before, but Meiping had seen the big-character poster on Zhou Ling’s door.
Zhou Ling was born in Kyiv, USSR. Her father was the ambassador to the Soviet Union during the Republic of China era, and her mother was the Russian teacher of former President Liu Shaoqi. During the Cultural Revolution, Zhou Ling’s mother was also imprisoned, and the naïve Meiping, therefore, believed that both of them were in the same situation, so she came to Zhou Ling and said: “I’m too scared to be alone. Can we live together as companions?”
Zhou Ling was much more mature. Although they were both in the same boat, she had to harden her heart and reject her. This shows how helpless Meiping was at that time. For this, Zhou Ling blamed herself many times. If she had taken in Meiping at that time, they would have had each other as companions, and maybe Meiping would have escaped her fate. Who knows? During that time, when people and demons were upside down, any speculation was useless!
Excerpt from “Cheng Naishan: Remembering Ms. Zheng Nian, a Famous Socialite”
Why the doting mother did not flee the country
Why did I [Zheng Nian] not apply to go to Hong Kong immediately? It was because of my daughter. She was on the literary team and performing in Shandong. She was reluctant to go abroad. Several times when I went abroad, I would ask her whether she would like to join me. She always said she did not want to go overseas. She was a member of the Communist Youth League, believed in the government very much, and was very active. She was not married and did not have a regular boyfriend. If I had gone to Hong Kong, I would not have been at ease, leaving behind the young girl who was then 22 or 23 years old.
At the same time, I thought I should give up on the idea. I was only 50 years old, and it seemed I could still do something else. I was waiting for her to return from Shandong and discuss this with her. This was the reason why I did not apply to go to Hong Kong right away. As a result, when the Cultural Revolution began in May, It was too late to apply to go to Hong Kong.
During the Cultural Revolution, our home was searched. Since Meiping had a job and was a member of the Communist Youth League, she still lived in her own room, but we were not allowed to talk to each other. The Red Guards looked at me. They removed my bed, so I had to sleep on the floor. I could see her coming back home, but we could not talk.
As the revolution became more and more intense, her room was also searched, and her things were taken away. She could not come home and was locked in the cowshed. I missed her very much. At that time, I could still ask the servants to bring her quilts, clothes, etc. On September 27, 1966, they put me in prison, and I did not know what happened to her later. I did not realize until I got out of prison that she was dead. I was in prison for six and a half years in solitary confinement.
Terrible premonition
Before being released, I felt something had happened to Meiping while I was in prison. What was the reason? I had been in prison for six and a half years, and my clothes had rotted away. The cotton in my cotton-padded jacket had all unraveled to the edge. Only two layers of cloth were left on the back and chest, and the cotton padding of my quilt that I slept on had rotted away.
With winter approaching, I thought that I was going to get pneumonia because I already had it twice before. I had coughs and colds every winter, and my clothes could not keep me warm. I had been lacking nutrition for many years. So I asked the government to use my money (which was in the hands of the government at the time) to buy some clothes to prevent me from getting sick again. By the time I was released from prison, I only weighed about 80 pounds.
The most excruciating moment
The cell door opened one day, and a blanket was thrown in. I opened the blanket and saw a quilt and a cotton-padded jacket inside. This padded jacket belonged to my daughter, and the quilt was also hers. I looked closely and found that it was newly made in the year of the Cultural Revolution. I thought, how come it still looked like new after six and a half years? The lining was not dirty on the lining and did not look like it had been worn for a long time.
I looked carefully again and found a towel among the things thrown in. This towel was the face towel that my daughter used when the Cultural Revolution started. She liked this towel very much. How come she can use the same towel for six years, and it still looks new? I looked again and found an enamel mouthwash cup with dried tea stains inside. Of course, it is possible for young people to use it to drink tea and rinse their mouths, but it is impossible for the tea to have dried inside. It should have been washed before being brought in.
I thought at that time that something had happened to my child. Seeing these things was the saddest and most excruciating moment for me. I asked for the person in charge. As soon as I shouted “Report!” the person came.
I told him: “These are all my daughter’s things.”
He said: “Don’t you want a quilt? Don’t you want clothes? I brought them to you.”
I asked: “You give me her clothes; what will my daughter wear?”
He said: “She’s a staff member, she has money, can’t she buy new ones?”
I said: “This is the cotton-padded jacket I made for her. She hadn’t worn it yet, so she went to buy a new one? This is impossible.”
I said again: “You have to tell me what happened to my daughter.”
He said: “She is fine; why are you asking?”
I said: “Then ask her to write me a note.”
He said: “No! You are not allowed to communicate.”
Release from prison after six and a half years
When I walked out of the prison gate, there was a taxi in the distance. Standing next to the car was not Meiping, but my goddaughter. My goddaughter graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music and was later assigned to work in Guiyang. She is short, but Meiping is the same height as I am. I knew at a glance that it was not Meiping. My suspicions were confirmed. I felt that my child was gone.
When a family is related by blood, sometimes you have the hunch that something is wrong. I thought Meiping was dead. However, I still hoped that I was wrong. In the car, I asked my goddaughter: “Why didn’t Meiping come to pick me up?” My goddaughter took my hand and said: “Let’s talk later. I don’t think it’s convenient to talk in front of the taxi driver.” When we reached the house where the government sent me to live, my goddaughter said to me: “Meiping committed suicide.”
The truth about what really happened to Meping
In that era, many people were jumping off buildings and committing suicide in Shanghai. However, I always felt that something was wrong. The next day, a representative from the Shanghai Film Studio came and told me: “Meiping has committed suicide.” This was, of course, the official version of the story. I wrote in my book about how I investigated this. I knew that Meiping died after Mao Zedong died. Only after I was rehabilitated did others dare to tell me.
They said that my daughter committed suicide by jumping from a nine-story building on Nanjing Road. Later, I found out that this was not true. What happened? At that time, passers-by took her body to the hospital. The doctor on duty happened to be Meiping’s middle school classmate who later went to medical school. He saw that it was Zheng Meiping, and she was covered in wounds. People who committed suicide by jumping from a building would not have these wounds. Meiping was beaten to death by them.
Zheng Nian: interview in her later years
‘Life and Death in Shanghai’: A resilient lady shines a glimmer of light and hope for all mankind
The reason Zheng Nian shared Life and Death in Shanghai was not because of the Cultural Revolution. It was because she hoped everyone could see how a woman could maintain her independent personality and live strong in such times while going through such experiences.
When the Red Guards searched her house, Zheng Nian was locked up in the kitchen, but she could still calmly drink coffee and spread butter on bread. When a young Red Guard criticized her for studying in the UK, she calmly told him that Marx was a foreigner, and it was in the UK that she finished reading the Communist Manifesto. When the Red Guards wanted to smash her treasured antiques, Zheng Nian cleverly stopped them, and when she later took them back, she donated them to the Shanghai Museum without hesitation.
Zheng Nian was vigilant, and because of this, those who monitored her and hoped to get evidence to prove that she was against the government were always disappointed. She was also full of love. She helped a disabled girl with English lessons, hoping that this girl who had been forgotten by society could find an opportunity to make a living with her skills. The servants who worked for Zheng Nian were loyal to her because, in their eyes, she was a good person who respected their hard work.
The heritage of Zheng Nian: Stubbornly dignified, honest, and full of love to her last breath
Even in the most challenging times, Zheng Nian defended her dignity. She never cried out because of pain or sought sympathy from the guards, because her upbringing taught her that this was impolite. When the weather got cold, she stubbornly waited for her own clothes to be delivered and refused to wear clothes borrowed from other prisoners by the guards. This was because she felt that this was the way to maintain her last bit of dignity.
Zheng Nian treated herself and others honestly. She was smart and could always quickly see through the other party’s intention to use her to harm others. She would not admit to the charges imposed upon her. Her rebuttal was always reasonable and well-founded. Even if the other party was angry and did not want to listen, she would still speak. She was earnest because she cared about right and wrong. Such a personality did not benefit her in China, and even her brother blamed Zheng Nian for not learning anything from the lessons of the Cultural Revolution.
Zheng Nian’s brother believed that when facing the regime, there was no point in arguing. He thought it was impossible to argue with them, so accepting the charges listed by the other party was the best way. However, Zheng Nian was not a person who would compromise her dignity. She had a red line that she would not allow anyone to cross: “This far and no further.” It was because of this spirit that Zheng Nian won the respect of so many people, as well as those who were responsible for guarding and monitoring her.
Excerpt from “Luqiu Luwei: I also want to have such a smile”
Translated by Chua BC
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