Gu Yuxiu and His Wife, Wang Wanjing

Text by Guan Bihong

October 30, 1997: President Jiang and his wife, Wang Yeping, call on Gu Yuxiu and his wife, Wang Wanjing, in Philadelphia.

GU Yuxiu was born in 1902 in Wuxi, a city by the enchanting Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province. When he was 14, he was admitted into the Qinghuayuan School (the predecessor of Qinghua University) in Beijing. At the age of 20, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and within four and a half years, obtained a bachelor's degree, a master's degree in electromechanical engineering, and a doctor's degree in science.
　　Then he returned to China and over the years, occupied such positions as director of the Electromechanical Department of Zhejiang University, dean of the Engineering College and director of the Electromechanical Department of Qinghua University, dean of the Engineering Institute and president of the Central University, president of the University of Political Science, vice-minister in charge of the administrative affairs of the Ministry of Education, president of the State Conservatory of Music, and director of the Shanghai Bureau of Education.
　　Gu is a versatile man. He is learned in mathematics and electromechanical theory and has made great achievements in literary creation and dramatic composition. He published Orchid and Jasmine, a medium-length novel, at the age of 20. Later, he composed 13 full-length modern dramas. His drama Notes on the Pipa was performed by Wen Yiduo, Liang Shiqiu, and Xie Bingxin.
　　At the age of 40, Gu began to write poetry and has written over 8,000 poems, many of which have been included in more than 30 collections. He has been mentioned on many occasions as one of the master poets of the Chinese nation in the 20th century by people in both China and overseas, and he was awarded the title of International Poet by the World Poets' Conference.
　　As early as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion (1937-1945), Gu had contacts with Zhou Enlai, the late Chinese premier. In August 1973, Zhou met with Gu and Gu's wife and family in Beijing. They talked about the old days into the small hours of the morning.
　　In September 1983, Deng Xiaoping met with Gu, and the two talked about furthering relations between China and the United States.
　　President Jiang Zemin was once a student in Gu's class at Shanghai Jiaotong University. On October 30, 1997, while President Jiang was visiting the United States, he took time out to call on Gu in Philadelphia. "As a doctor in electromechanical engineering, a playwright, and a poet, you are really extraordinary," said the president.
　　On February 21, 2000, Gu phoned me, "February 25 is my wife's 100th birthday," he said. "Please come over with your wife after work. We'll have a surprise birthday party for her."

February 25, 2000: Gu holds a party at home for his wife's 100th birthday.

　　On February 25, my wife and I cooked several of their favorite dishes at our home. My wife bought 100 roses and ordered a cake with the words, "Congratulations on the 100th birthday of Wang Wanjing."
　　When we arrived at their house, Mr. Gu had already set the table. He made tea for us, and when the birthday party began, we held up our cups and wished Mrs. Gu a happy birthday and a long life.
　　I learned from Gu's English-language book One Family, Two Worlds that Mr. and Mrs. Gu were engaged when they were very young by the arrangement of their parents. They were married on April 1, 1929, when Gu returned home from the United States. Three days later, while Gu was director of the Department of Electromechanical Engineering at Zhejiang University, he took his students to visit Japan.
　　Wang Wanjing is a descendant of Wang Xizhi (321-379), a master calligrapher and poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Her grandfather was a talented painter, and her aunt and brothers all loved painting. When she attended school in Shanghai, she learned painting from a French master. Her paintings are reputed to be as good as those by the painters of the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties. In February 1964, Wang held a painting exhibition in New York, and her works won praises from New York art lovers.
　　Gu Yuxiu has often expressed his love for his wife by writing short comments on her paintings. The couple have been married for 71 years and have four sons, two daughters, and several grandsons and granddaughters.
　　Mr. and Mrs. Gu feel happy, and they regard it as an honor to receive New Year's greetings from Chinese leaders and renowned personages at Spring Festival every year. They showed us letters from President Jiang and New Year's cards from Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.