Yangzhou | Former Residence of Zhu Ziqing | "Hastily" gone, "silhouette" remains...
Ever since I learned that Yangzhou, a historic city admired by Li Bai, loved by Du Mu, and praised by Xu Ning as "half of the bright moon," was also the "hometown" where Mr. Zhu Ziqing lived for 16 years, Yangzhou has become even brighter in my heart.
Mr. Zhu Ziqing's ancestral home is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, but he wrote in his article, "I am from Yangzhou." His former residence in Yangzhou is located at No. 27 Anle Lane, a typical "three-sided courtyard" residential building covering an area of more than 600 square meters. His bedroom and study are preserved in their original state, displaying the bookcase, pipe, and four treasures of the study he used...
In a wing room converted into an exhibition hall, his life story is told through words and pictures.
He was not only a great essayist, poet, and educator who wrote famous essays such as "Spring," "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond," "Hastily," "Green," and "Silhouette," but also a democratic fighter and national hero with integrity and courage.
In June 1948, he signed the "Statement Protesting Against the US Support of Japan and Refusing to Accept US Aid Flour," and when he refused to accept US aid flour, he said, "I would rather die of poverty and illness than accept such humiliating charity!" On August 12 of the same year, Mr. Zhu Ziqing, who was seriously ill, passed away. His last words were "...don't buy the US flour on sale..."
With clean sleeves and a proud spirit, this is the most precious cultural heritage and spiritual wealth Mr. Zhu Ziqing left us...