Wang Guangmei

Another fast and easy book to read while recuperating from surgery was one depicting the life of China’s former first lady Wang Guangmei (pictured). Easy to read as there were probably more photographs than text. (王光美私人相册, 罗海岩 编著, 新华出版社, 2010)

Wang was of course the wife of former Chinese President Liu Shaoqi (刘少奇). My interest in the Liu family began in graduate school while researching into the final decade of Liu’s life.

As the author rightly pointed out, Wang’s experience was almost unprecedented in China’s history. At the prime of her life as First Lady, she was thrown into jail on falsified charges and remained there for the next 12 years, not knowing what had become of her husband (who died in a prison cell in Henan province).

Yet after she was released, Wang “confronted history, and eagerly embraced life,” (正视历史, 真诚地拥抱生活), and “responded to the ugliness and depravities with truth, kindness and beauty.” (以人性的真善美来回应丑陋和低下)

One of China’s first graduate students in physics, Wang was Liu’s third wife, and the two were drawn together by their diametrically different backgrounds. Wang came from a well-off family, while Liu a revolutionary background. Liu was said to be mesmerized by how Wang sliced off the skin of a pear in an entire piece using a knife, while Wang was amazed at the simple daily meals of noodles with vegetables and a few “burnt mantou slices” eaten by Liu.

When Wang accompanied Liu on a state visit to Burma in 1963, a necklace she was wearing broke and scattered into the sea while she went swimming. The necklace was borrowed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Protocol Department for the occasion and Burmese authorities reportedly dispatched divers to search for the necklace but to no avail. The next day, President Ne Win presented Wang with a red ruby necklace, saying - “I know that you Communists do not accept gifts, but your necklace went missing in Burmese seas, so I need to compensate you. Red rubies are a Burmese specialty and the pride of the nation.” The necklace was later presented to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and now displayed in the Revolutionary Museum of China.

On another state visit to Cambodia, China reportedly uncovered intelligence that bombs had been planted along the route that Liu and Wang planned to take. This prompted some to call on Liu to cancel the visit. But Liu reportedly said that China could not afford to risk its credibility by not going. Moreover, China needed to have faith that the Cambodian authorities could handle security-related issues. So when Liu and Wang arrived in Phnom Penh, Prince Sihanouk hailed Liu as “the Chinese President who had delivered friendship using his life.” (用生命传送友谊的中国主席)

Wang was said to be a well-loved character. “在那个政治挂帅, 缺少美育的年代, 王光美典雅俊秀的形象, 给色彩单调的中国人带来了一缕充满人文情怀的温馨. 在国际社会上显示了泱泱大国红色夫人的优美风度, 让中国人深感骄傲和自豪. 许多中国人的心目中至今还记忆着光美当时的形象: 一袭白色旗袍, 映衬着高贵优雅的气质, 真诚的微笑挂在端庄的脸上 … 许多人当时反复看<新闻简报>, 是为了多看几眼王光美的形象.” (In an era where politics was overriding and aesthetics was sorely missing, Wang Guangmei’s classic elegance and beauty had brought about a heartwarming sensation to Chinese who lived mainly in a monochrome environment. Within the international community, Wang had displayed her beauty and elegance as the first lady of a large country, and this had instilled among the Chinese a sense of pride. Many Chinese still fondly remember Wang’s image as wearing a white cheongsam that brings out her elegance, and with a sincere smile on her face. Many Chinese read the newspapers repeatedly simply to look at Wang a few more times.”)

But it was Jiang Qing who was responsible for Wang’s incarceration in jail. Jealous of Wang’s favorable public image, Jiang reportedly hated Wang and during the madness of the Cultural Revolution, accused Wang for being a capitalist (by among other things, donning necklaces) and for being a US intelligence agent.

Wang was step-mother to five children from Liu’s two earlier marriages, He Baozhen’s (何葆贞) three children Liu Yunbin (刘允斌), Liu Aiqin (刘爱琴) and Liu Yunruo (刘允若), and Wang Qian’s (王前) two children Liu Tao (刘涛) and Liu Yunzhen (刘允真). She had 4 children of her own, Liu Pingping (刘平平), Liu Yuan (刘源), Liu Tingting (刘亭亭) and Liu Xiaoxiao (刘小小).

Incidentally the last thing that Liu said to Wang before he was taken away was “好在历史是人民写的.” (It is a good thing that history is written by the people). Is it really? So Wang and Liu had been vindicated, but in the course of Chinese history, how many had been or will be as fortunate?