China News Service, Beijing, April 1 (Liu Yue) April 1 is the anniversary of Lin Huiyin’s death.
Every year on this day, the tombs in Babaoshan are filled with flowers. This year, Lin Huiyin received a different gift.
The story begins three months ago.
In January in Beijing, it snows heavily. Looking at Professor Fritz Steiner talking eloquently on the stage, the girl Liang Zhouyang could not help but have red eyes.
Professor Fritz Steiner works at the Weizman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. This world-famous ivory tower has an indissoluble bond with Liang Zhouyang. One hundred years ago, Liang Zhouyang's great-grandmother Lin Huiyin traveled across the ocean to study at the University of Pennsylvania.
That year, in a corner of Philadelphia, on the bank of the Delaware River, a twenty-year-old girl wearing a cheongsam and holding a book walked through Spruce Street. The future first female architect of the People's Republic of China will start her magnificent life here.
Talented woman, poet, Liang Sicheng's wife... Lin Huiyin has multiple identities in the eyes of the public. In 2024, the University of Pennsylvania will use a ceremony to re-grant an architecture degree that is a century overdue to tell everyone: Ms. Lin Huiyin is an outstanding, outstanding, and truly worthy architect.
Poster design: Xu Yang
A gift a hundred years overdue
A poetic Qianxun Waterfall. As written in this famous elegiac couplet, Lin Huiyin was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, grew up in a scholarly family, and was talented since childhood. Her father, Lin Changmin, had an open mind, which enabled her to be influenced by traditional culture and speak fluent Spanish.
When he was 16 years old, Lin Huiyin followed his father to live in England and traveled across Europe. In September 1924, she and her lover Liang Sicheng jointly entered the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA. Unfortunately, the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania did not admit female students at that time, so Lin Huiyin had no choice but to change to the Department of Fine Arts.
"Because the painting class will involve male models, the course also requires all students to go to the construction site to participate in building foundation planning." Great-granddaughter Liang Zhouyang explained: "At that time, they thought that women could not complete the course because 'the work in the architecture department has certain dangers and limitations. '."
In 1927, Lin and Liang both graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Lin Huiyin completed four years of schooling in just three years and obtained a bachelor's degree in fine arts with high scores. Despite this, the missing piece of her dream still became a regret for the rest of her life. Liang Zhouyang recalled that her great-aunt Liang Zaibing once said that although her mother Lin Huiyin felt happy and accomplished when she was studying at the University of Pennsylvania, she still felt a little regretful that she failed to obtain a degree in architecture.
Lin Huiyin and her children. Photo provided by interviewee
The Liang family did not expect that a hundred years later, this regret would be filled in another way. In October 2023, the University of Pennsylvania announced that it would award Lin Huiyin a belated degree in architecture at the graduation ceremony of the Weizman School of Design on May 18, 2024.
Regarding the causes and consequences of this "correction", at the beginning of 2024, Fritz Steiner, as the dean of the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, kindly invited the descendants of Lin Huiyin's family to come to Beijing for a talk.
"While visiting a special exhibition of Chinese architects at the University of Pennsylvania, Dean Fritz Steiner noticed that among the 23 Chinese students, only Lin Huiyin was a woman. After learning about it, he learned that Lin Huiyin had completed all courses in the Department of Architecture. His academic performance is outstanding, even surpassing that of some architecture students of the same period.”
Although he had not officially entered school, Lin Huiyin was as determined as ever in his pursuit of his ideals, and his outstanding results amazed Fritz Steiner. In 2022, he initiated a research and review process, and finally received the consent of all deans. Eight months later, he awarded Lin Huiyin a supplementary degree, setting a precedent in history.
Lin Huiyin (first from left) smiling at the camera. Photo provided by interviewee
This news surprised and delighted Lin Huiyin's family and descendants. Liang Zhouyang admitted that although Lin Huiyin had made great achievements in the history of Chinese architecture, he had not received corresponding fame and recognition in the history of international architecture. "We hope that through this supplementary degree grant, more overseas students and scholars will understand Lin Huiyin's outstanding contributions and enhance the international recognition of Chinese architecture."
It was a sunny early spring day in Beijing, and Liang Zhouyang's heart seemed to have flown to Philadelphia. Next May 18, she will arrive at the University of Pennsylvania with her family to attend Lin Huiyin’s degree supplementary ceremony. Chinese people often say that family sacrifices should always be reported to Nai Weng, so the Liang family decided to go to Lin Huiyin's tomb to tell her the good news.
"If she knew, her soul in heaven would feel at ease."
Everlasting April Day
Memories of Lin Huiyin can be seen everywhere on the Internet.
Nearly seventy years after her death, she still has a following. Perhaps the law of attraction is destined by God. After all, Lin Huiyin had his own "fan brother" in Philadelphia in the second year after enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania. On January 17, 1926, an American classmate named Billings wrote an article and published it in the "Montana".
"She sat on a chair near the window overlooking a path on campus, leaning over a drafting table. Her thin figure was crawling on the huge architectural problem... She always got the highest grade for her homework or occasionally Got second place. She is unsmiling, humorous and humble, and never talks about her achievements."
According to Lin Huiyin's best friend, Sinologist Fei Weimei, Lin Huiyin was very popular in college, and her classmates called her "Felice". These proud students of Penn University were always proud, but they recognized that Phyllis was "extraordinarily beautiful, lively, and intelligent."
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng in their youth. Photo provided by interviewee
Looking through this corner of history, this talented woman is indeed extraordinary. The year he was rejected by the Department of Architecture, Lin Huiyin chose to break the convention with excellence. University archives show that Lin Huiyin served as an amateur teaching assistant in architectural design since the spring of the 1926 academic year, and was promoted to an amateur teacher in the 1926-1927 academic year.
Fei Weimei lamented: "We don't know how she broke the university's rules. Anyway, she has been taking classes with Sicheng since the first year. John Habeson, a young teacher in the Department of Architecture, Later a famous architect reported that they had done a 'fantastic job' on their architectural drawings."
This experience of studying in a foreign country gave Lin Huiyin a different kind of insight. The absence of a degree did not stop her dream of architecture, nor did it stop her from returning to China. Yes, Lin Huiyin, who is determined to become a talented person, has only one goal: to build the motherland!
Zhang Zai once wrote "Four Sentences in Hengqu": establish a heart for the heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry forward the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations. This was the highest realm pursued by aspiring scholars of that era.
On March 21, 1928, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin held their wedding. Later, the couple returned to China together and jointly founded the Department of Architecture of Northeastern University, China's first architecture department. From 1930 to 1931, the two men successively joined the China Construction Society. In the next 15 years, they worked tirelessly to visit more than 200 counties and cities in 15 provinces in China to inspect ancient buildings and complete the masterpiece "History of Chinese Architecture".
In 1933, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin were on their way to inspect the Yungang Grottoes. Picture source Tsinghua University WeChat official account
"They began to systematically pursue, map and record ancient buildings in the 1930s, and traveled to many places in China. This was an unprecedented feat. In the end, they recorded more than 2,000 ancient buildings, leaving a legacy for the history of Chinese architecture. This valuable information will enhance the world status of Chinese and Asian architecture in one fell swoop.”
The Japanese once asserted that there are no Tang Dynasty wooden buildings in China, and only Nara, Japan, remains. The couple persisted in exploring and went to Shanxi four times for inspections, and finally discovered Foguang Temple. Lin Huiyin’s son Liang Congjie once recalled: “Even many years later, my mother often told us about their excitement when they discovered Foguang Temple, and how they climbed to the ceiling of the main hall, amidst the thousands of years of dust and bugs fanned by countless bats. Feel and measure.”
This period of history made Liang Zhouyang admire and feel distressed: "Life was extremely difficult at that time. My great-grandmother suffered from tuberculosis, and she also encountered war and political turmoil. Her life was in danger." However, in that turbulent era, the couple not only survived tenaciously, but also survived. He persisted in creating, even though he was ill, he continued to write.
In this regard, Liang Zhouyang called it: mission.
A wonderful woman who combines beauty and talent
Architecture is fixed poetry.
Today, we stand on the central axis of Tiananmen Square and look into the distance. The national emblem of the People's Republic of China is shining brightly, and the Monument to the People's Heroes is majestic. These two "Chinese symbols" facing each other have Lin Huiyin's striking strokes.
No wonder some people use this popular phrase to describe her: a strange woman who combines beauty and talent.
This assessment is not an exaggeration. She is undoubtedly beautiful. Even Bing Xin, who once had a bad relationship with her, confessed in "The World's Talented People Are Charming as Flowers": Lin Huiyin is the most beautiful and graceful female writer I have ever seen.
Lin Huiyin (second from right) and Rabindranath Tagore. Picture source Tsinghua University WeChat official account
In addition to her beautiful appearance, there is no doubt about her feelings and talents. Shen Congwen commented that she is an "extremely smart young lady". She is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, and she once served as a translator for Rabindranath Tagore who visited China for the first time; she is talented and wrote famous poems such as "You Are April in the World"; she also wrote the introduction to the book "Principles of Qing Style Construction", and collaborated with My lover Liang Sicheng jointly teaches at the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University...
"I grew up listening to her stories. After she left Penn, she went to Yale to study stage design. She has a wide range of talents, including history, poetry and aesthetics. She is a very good diversified scholar." Liang Zhouyang admired this The great-grandmother I never met: “Not only was she a scholar, she also had an interesting soul.”
Interesting souls attract each other, and the "fairy love" of Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng has always been talked about by the public. Liang Zhouyang said helplessly that the Internet era has turned their story into a kind of Internet celebrity culture, "just like old historical photos restored with AI, which have been distorted."
"My great-grandparents were just teenagers when they met. They didn't know what would happen in the future. They just found each other very interesting and liked each other." Liang Zhouyang said. With the blessing of common interests, Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng quickly made friends when they were teenagers. Before going to study in the United States, Liang Sicheng broke his leg while riding a motorcycle. Lin Huiyin stayed by his side to take care of him, and the relationship between the two heated up. In 1924, Lin Liang went to the University of Pennsylvania together, and as they grew up together, they gradually became soul mates.
Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng. Photo provided by interviewee
Such a natural romance is always turned into a vigorous "love affair" by the outside world, which is a headache for the Liang family - especially some film and television dramas with exaggerated "artistic effects". "My family is very low-key. After the TV series "April in the World" was broadcast, they were disgusted with many of its contents. There are too many rumors about Liang Lin in society, or some over-publicity of their love story. We considered to be incorrect.
Apart from Liang Sicheng, Xu Zhimo's pursuit of Lin Huiyin is also a hot topic of public discussion. "Lin Huiyin herself has an interesting soul. When she radiates energy, she will attract many people." Liang Zhouyang said bluntly that Lin Huiyin has many suitors and there is no need to overemphasize any one of them. She also hopes that the public will pay attention to Lin Huiyin's academic achievements and contributions to mankind.
In the eyes of a thousand people, there are a thousand Lin Huiyin. It is the fate of a historical figure to be interpreted. It is also the freedom of every reader to interpret Lin Huiyin from the perspective of sexual relations, scandals, anecdotes, etc. But the real Lin Huiyin is far more worth knowing than the scandal.
Lin Huiyin died in Beijing on April 1, 1955 and was buried in Babaoshan Cemetery. The relief pattern of the wreath at the base of the monument that she designed during her lifetime became her tombstone, with a simple line of words engraved on it: Tomb of architect Lin Huiyin.
It’s not someone’s lover, it’s not someone’s Bai Yueguang, it’s just the architect Lin Huiyin.
Lin Huiyin met "Female Disciple Ning Gong" in the East Hall of Foguang Temple. Picture source Tsinghua University WeChat official account
In 1933, Lin Huiyin published the poem "Lotus Lamp" in the magazine "Crescent": "If my heart is a lotus, holding a lighted wax in the middle; even if it is just that cut of light, I will also Let it proudly hold out its glory."
Across a century, Lin Huiyin regained his own glory. Her light has not dimmed a hundred years later, but has become a guiding light for others. In 2015, Liang Zhouyang followed in the footsteps of his great-grandmother and joined the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center to engage in the protection of ancient buildings. A young figure and another once-young figure crossed the long river of history, met, overlapped, and communicated silently in front of ancient buildings in the land of China: Do good deeds without worrying about the future.
The pines and cypresses of Babaoshan are still lush, and the sea of white flowers decorates the cemetery. In the mist of the April morning, Liang Zhouyang seemed to see his great-grandmother smiling at her among the flowers. (over)