In the spring of 70 years ago, Hemingway spent a unique and meaningful "honeymoon" in Chongqing, China.
In November 1940, Hemingway and his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, were preparing to travel to China and Southeast Asia for the Secret Moon after their wedding. Coincidentally, the two of them were given a mission to China to cover the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and related matters in the "Afternoon" and "Miner" magazines respectively, and in this way to spend their honeymoon.
In late February 1941, Hemingway and Martha flew to Hong Kong, China, and began their two-month trip to China. The two flew to Chongqing on April 6 after visiting Shaoguan and other anti-Japanese fronts in northern Guangdong and Guilin, and stayed at Song Ziliang's mansion.
Hemingway and his wife received a high-standard welcome and exceptional courtesy in Chongqing, the capital city. The media in Chongqing attached great importance to their visit to China in crisis, and the response was very warm and friendly. They believed that it was the American people's support for the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression, so there were reports about them almost every day.
In Chongqing, Hemingway was somewhat related to Kong Xiangxi, then vice president of the National Government Executive Yuan and Minister of Finance. Kong Xiangxi was from Shanxi, and Hemingway's uncle, Villebai, had been a missionary and doctor in Shanxi for 8 years. Kong Xiangxi knew the Hemingway family when he was in college in Oberlin, Ohio, USA. He called Hemingway his childhood nickname "O'Neill". When Hemingway and his wife first arrived in China, Kong Xiangxi sent a confidential secretary, Xia Jinxiong, to accompany his wife, Song Ailing, to fly from Chongqing to Hong Kong to greet them, and let Xia Jinxiong act as a translator and take care of their lives. After Hemingway and his wife arrived in Chongqing, they accepted the banquet from Kong Xiangxi and his wife, and also received gifts such as red satin Chinese clothing and chocolates.
Arranged by U.S. Ambassador Nelson Johnson, the Hemingway couple met Soong Meiling. Soong Meiling told the Hemingway couple that she would arrange for them to meet Chiang Kai-shek. When Soong Meiling led Hemingway and his wife to the living room of her Jiang's mansion, Chiang Kai-shek was already waiting at the door. Chiang Kai-shek hosted the Hemingway couple in the form of a family dinner. After lunch, the guest of honor talked for an afternoon, and Soong Meiling also acted as an interpreter. Most of them talked about military issues. Chiang Kai-shek wanted to hear Hemingway's views on the anti-Japanese front in northern Guangdong. He also talked about the situation of the Anti-Japanese War and the government's plans. Martha's impression of Chiang Kai-shek was: "He was thin, with a straight waist, and dressed in a plain gray military uniform, impeccable. He looked as if he had been coated with antiseptic, and his complexion was yellow. I didn't like him, but to him More sympathetic. He didn't have a tooth." Martha later wrote that when she mentioned the interview to a U.S. embassy staffer, the staffer "was astonished at our enjoyment of this privilege: Commissioner Chiang It is the highest honor to receive a guest with the denture removed from the mouth." Under Chiang Kai-shek's demonstration, the dignitaries of the Nationalist government received the Hemingway couple one after another. Soong Meiling also personally accompanied Hemingway and his wife to visit some areas in Chongqing and tour the city. The courtesy Hemingway received in China was comparable to that of the presidents of friendly countries.
After that, Hemingway and his wife were approved to fly to Chengdu to visit the Army Academy to inspect the construction of the airport and the production of weapons. Hemingway was in awe when he saw the arduous and spectacular scene of the construction of the airport by the army of migrant workers. He had a profound understanding of the hard-working quality of the Chinese people. He exclaimed: The Chinese people are fully capable of defeating the Japanese invaders.
One day after returning to Chongqing, Martha was visiting the market when a tall, blond Dutch woman approached her and asked if she and Hemingway wanted to meet Zhou Enlai. Martha was still unfamiliar with Zhou Enlai at the time, so she replied that she would go back and ask Hemingway. Hemingway immediately expressed his desire to see Zhou Enlai after hearing about it. He said, "Oh, yes, he is a friend of Joris Evans." Joris Evans was a Dutch documentary filmmaker who filmed in China from 1938 to 1939. Documentary. Martha returned to the market and informed the Dutch woman of Hemingway's decision. The next day, according to the pre-arrangement, in order to avoid possible spy stalking, the Hemingway and his wife wandered the streets first, then came to the market to meet the Dutch woman, who led her through several alleys to avoid possible spy stalking again. , hurried into a rickshaw that was tightly covered by a curtain. Finally, they were taken to a basement with whitewashed walls, a table and three chairs. Zhou Enlai stood behind the table to greet them. Zhou Enlai and Hemingway spoke in French. They're free-spirited and sometimes joke around. Hemingway talked about the situation of the anti-Japanese front in northern Guangdong and his impression of Chongqing; Zhou Enlai talked about the situation at home and abroad and the future of China. But the Hemingways lacked knowledge of the Chinese Communist Party and the Long March and its activities, so they failed to raise this issue with Zhou Enlai. Zhou Enlai left a deep impression on Hemingway and his wife. Martha later recalled: "Zhou Enlai was wearing a polo-collar white shirt, a pair of black trousers, and a pair of loafers... He was sitting in a walled basement, but he was a great man."
On April 14, two days before the Hemingway couple left Chongqing, nine organizations, including anti-Japanese groups, held a grand meeting for the Hemingway couple at the Jialing Hotel. More than 300 people and foreign friends from various fields including politics, diplomacy, news and culture attended the meeting. The next day's "Central Daily" reported on the Hemingway couple who attended the event: "Crimson face, brown beard, fat body, taller than Vice President Kong. He shook hands with reporters very modestly, his fingers compared to each other. The No. 1 Parker pen has a thick barrel, making it difficult for reporters to hold it." Martha also reported as follows: "Blonde blond hair, pointed face, only a pair of blue eyes, otherwise it is a real Blonde ( Means blonde woman - the author), wearing a light-colored gown, a dainty watch, a jasper ring. Pretty beautiful, but not pompous, so can't be with her countryman Janet Mack Donner (Jennett Macdonald) is listed as a typical." Kong Xiangxi led the guests to the table, he sat in the middle, Hemingway on the left, Martha on the right, Xiao Tongzi on the left, and Zhang Daofan on the right. By prior agreement, Hemingway did not speak. So after toasting, it is time to taste shumai, spring rolls, peanuts, cakes and refreshments. Then enjoy Huang Jinpei's Gu Se performance and Yang Dajun's pipa performance. The songs played are "Three Stacks of Yangguan", "Shu Road Difficulty" and "House of Flying Daggers". Obviously, the first piece of music was played for Hemingway and his wife, because the parting meaning of "persuade you to drink more wine, and leave the Yangguan in the west without a stranger" just expresses the deep friendship between the Chinese people and the American people and their envoys . The 2nd and 3rd pieces are for the Chinese people who resist the Japanese aggression and the people of the world who resist the fascist aggression, because fighting the aggressors has to go through hard and twists and turns, just like the difficulties of the Shu Road, but the Chinese military and civilians and the world's military and civilians share the same hatred. , fighting heroically, the aggressors will fall into the ambush of the people's war, and they will be wiped out, and the people will surely win. Peng Lechuan of the radio station explained the origin of the three pieces of music, the meaning of the music cards and their respective meanings in English. Witnessing the miracle of China's Anti-Japanese War, Hemingway and his wife were deeply admired and moved by the Chinese people's friendship towards the American people and them. Hemingway said to the reporters who surrounded him: "China is so wonderful!"
Before that, Masha expressed the same sentiment as her husband in an interview with a reporter from the Central Daily: "There are too many things to say about China, whether it is Shaoguan, Guilin, or the great Chongqing, in the brutal Despite the bombardment by the Japanese regardless of humanity, the Chinese people can still stick to their respective posts and work hard. Especially in Chongqing, you can see that many places that have been bombed and burned have built small and exquisite houses. This spirit makes me very Martha further expressed that they wanted to write a novel that reflected China’s Anti-Japanese War: “After we return to China, we must write a novel about China, especially focusing on describing China’s heroic acts of resisting Japanese aggression, and treating China’s Introduce the spirit to us Americans."
On April 16, the Hemingway couple ended their "honeymoon" trip in Chongqing, flew to Kunming, and then took a bus from Kunming to Myanmar. Hemingway later did not write a novel reflecting the Chinese Anti-Japanese War, but during his visit to China he wrote 6 news reports about the Chinese people's arduous war of resistance (3 of which were written in Hong Kong and 3 in the Philippines, which were processed and finalized after returning to China). ). They recorded Hemingway and his wife's analysis of China's anti-Japanese situation and military situation at that time, eulogized the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people, and showed his deep friendship for the Chinese people. Hemingway called on the United States to help China fight against Japan, but did not support China's civil war. He has full confidence in China. He told Ingersoll, editor-in-chief of The Afternoon, who interviewed him a few days after returning home: "When people come into China from the United States and see all the signs of inflation, they always think it's all over. But if you take into account China has been at war for 4 years, and in fact it is still doing very well. Inflation is by no means any worse than in other countries that have been at war for 4 years. In the fourth year of the First World War, no country in Europe is in a better position than any other country in Europe. It's in a better state."
After Hemingway returned to China, he informed the State Department and the military of the information and intelligence he had collected, met with Colonel John Thomson of the Department of Naval Intelligence, and wrote a long letter directly to the Treasury Department. My friend Morgenthau introduced his trip to China in detail. As an international celebrity, Hemingway's "honeymoon" visit to China, which was in the midst of a arduous war of resistance against Japan, was a strong support for China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression. It deepened the friendship between American writers, journalists and people and Chinese writers, journalists and people. The colorful movement of Hemingway's personal history is also a major event in Sino-US relations and cultural history.
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