On the evening of May 24, 2017 local time in New York, a legendary woman closed her eyes forever at this moment at the age of 112.
She is Yan Youyun, a woman who was born in a wealthy family, but has experienced ups and downs, encountered wars twice, and lost her loved ones three times.
She used to be a famous rich girl in Shanghai, a school girl in Fudan, the wife of a famous diplomat, and in her later years, she was a celebrity in the Chinese social circle in New York.
Yan Youyun has gone through ups and downs in her life, but she can deal with it calmly with an optimistic attitude every time.
Not only did she live a long time, but she also lived a wonderful life. She has spanned three centuries in her life and lived three different lives.
So, what kind of legendary life does Yan Youyun have, and what is the secret of her longevity?
First, she is a rich girl and a Fudan school flower
In 1905, Yan Youyun was born into a prominent family in Tianjin. Her grandfather, Yan Xinhou, was a famous industrialist in the Qing Dynasty, and was known as the "father of Chinese industry" along with Sheng Xuanhuai and others.
Not only is he the founder of China's first bank, but he is also an old acquaintance of Li Hongzhang, and his business covers all parts of the country, including tea, pharmacies, salt industry, etc., and the family has strong assets.
His father, Yan Zijun, inherited his father's business and continued to expand the family business.
In Yan Youyun's impression, the kind and generous father likes to take his daughters out to eat, go shopping, and participate in various activities, and he will try his best to meet what Yan Youyun wants, no matter the price, no matter how precious it is.
Yan Youyun Under the influence of her father, Yan Youyun has been very fond of dealing with people since she was a child, likes to be lively, likes to participate in various activities, and has a very high social talent. As she grows older, Yan Youyun becomes more and more slim and beautiful.
Not only that, every summer, Yan Zijun will also take the whole family to Qingdao, Moganshan, Dalian or Beidaihe.
The annual vacation life cultivates Yan Youyun's well-informed mind, and she also has a longer-term vision and a taste that surpasses her peers. As a result, Yan Youyun in her girlhood formed a lively and cheerful, optimistic and generous character, and lived every day happily.
In 1925, Yan Youyun became one of the first female students of Hujiang University in Shanghai, and in 1927, she transferred to Fudan University and became a student of business.
In the days of studying at Fudan, Yan Youyun not only studied hard, but also actively participated in campus activities, was a famous talented woman in Fudan at that time, and soon became a figure on campus, known as the "Fudan School Flower", nicknamed "The Flower of Love" (Eighty-four pronounced as "Love Flower" in Shanghainese), famous both inside and outside the campus.
Because Yan Youyun always took an open car with a license plate number of "84" when she was in school, her gorgeous cheongsam and graceful posture did not know how many boys had fallen.
At that time, the Fudan boys called Yan Youyun "Miss No. 84".
The rich and wealthy family background and the beginning of the life of the proud daughter of the sky contributed to Yan Youyun's optimistic and confident character, which became the confidence for her to deal with the hardships of life freely in the future.
2. A bumpy life, two marriages
In 1929, Yan Youyun married Yang Guanglu, then a professor at Tsinghua University and an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and went with him to work in Europe.
In 1937, the Japanese army occupied Shanghai, and Yan Youyun's family business was also severely hit. In the war-torn days, Yan Youyun was not negative and pessimistic, she always maintained an optimistic attitude and actively faced the challenges of life.
In October 1937, Yan Youyun went to the Philippines with Yang Guanglu to serve as the wife of a diplomat to maintain China's international image.
In 1938, Yang Guanglu served as the Chinese Consul General in Manila with the rank of minister, and at a time when the domestic military and civilians were struggling to resist the Japanese invaders, he gave full play to his diplomatic skills and collected patriotic donations from overseas Chinese, and achieved outstanding results.
Yan Youyun personally designed and operated the decoration of the Consul General's residence, accompanied various diplomatic events, and entertained Philippine and American officials and overseas Chinese leaders.
However, the good times were short-lived, and in 1942, with the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army occupied the Philippines. Yang Guanglu was brutally killed for refusing to cooperate with the Japanese army.
Yan Youyun lost her husband in her 30s, became a widow, and with three young children, she struggled to survive in a foreign country and war.
Yan Youyun was not crushed by the predicament, she relied on her wisdom and tenacity to lead the children through this difficult time.
In order to make a living, Yan Youyun looked for jobs everywhere. She is very lucky, because she has a good foundation in Chinese and English, and has been the wife of a diplomat, and is familiar with the etiquette of diplomatic occasions, so the 40-year-old Yan Youyun became the first batch of protocol officers of the United Nations and the first batch of female diplomats of the United Nations.
Recalling this period, Yan Youyun said, "Although my own fate is completely uncertain, I still face life head-on and move forward bravely. ”
After the war, Yan Youyun returned to Shanghai with her children. She started her life again, and at a social event, she met the second man in her life, Gu Weijun.
Gu Weijun is a well-known Chinese diplomat who served as foreign minister of the Nationalist government and was the chief representative of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations General Assembly.
After he met Yan Youyun, he was attracted by her tenacity and optimism, and the two quickly fell in love. In 1959, 54-year-old Yan Youyun and 71-year-old Gu Weijun registered their marriage in Mexico City.
Accompanied by Gu Weijun, Yan Youyun regained the happiness and tranquility of life. She has accompanied Gu Weijun through one important moment after another, and has become an indispensable part of his life.
In 1985, Gu Weijun died in New York at the age of 97.
Yan Youyun lost her partner again, but she was not depressed because of this. No matter how the situation changes and how many changes she encounters in her life, she faces it strongly and continues to live her wonderful life.
3. There are three secrets to longevity
Looking back on Yan Youyun's life, we can summarize the secret of her longevity. First of all, she always maintains an optimistic attitude.
Even if she lost her husband and raised her three daughters alone, she also devoted herself to life as soon as possible, and led a group of widows to farm land, raise vegetables, make her own soy sauce and soap, etc., and be self-sufficient. He also often plays the piano to soothe everyone's emotions, pampering and humiliation, and looks at the hardships of life indifferently.
Yan Youyun lies in the fact that no matter where she is, her optimism runs through her life.
At the age of 98, she had colorectal cancer, and after the surgery, she still wears high heels, wears perfume, dances, and plays mahjong. Even the doctors were amazed at her optimism.
She believes that there will always be a time when life will improve, and as long as she persists, she will be able to usher in a bright future. This optimistic mindset has allowed her to stay calm and determined in the face of adversity, which has allowed her to survive one difficult time after another.
Secondly, Yan Youyun attaches great importance to health preservation. She insists on exercising every day to maintain a healthy body.
She also likes to eat fatty meats and desserts, likes to eat fresh food, but will pay attention to control the amount and maintain a moderate diet.
Although she is over 100 years old, Yan Youyun's appetite is still very good, and she can eat with relish every time she eats.
Her eating habit has also attracted attention, and many people have asked her for tips on longevity.
Yan Youyun always smiled and said: "I like to eat fatty meats and desserts, but I will pay attention to the amount and maintain a moderate diet." In addition, I insist on exercising every day to keep my mood happy. ”
When marrying her second husband Gu Weijun, Yan Youyun would prepare a cup of hot milk for Gu Weijun, who woke up in the early hours of the morning, to prevent him from being unhealthy due to the long interval between dinner and breakfast...... Gu Weijun also lived to be 98 years old.
Yan Youyun treats her husband's body so meticulously, it can be seen that she usually pays attention to taking care of her body. This self-disciplined lifestyle allows her to maintain a healthy body in her later years.
Finally, Yan Youyun is very fond of social activities.
Yan Youyun not only requires the body to be healthy, but also to be comfortable and happy in the heart. She often participates in various social occasions, chatting with friends, playing cards, dancing, and enjoying the joy of life.
Once, Yan Youyun's taxi broke down and just broke her new dentures, and her daughters were very worried.
On the contrary, Yan Youyun comforted her daughters: "This is lucky, it's just that I broke my teeth, and nothing worse happened." ”
Yan Youyun's mouth never said that the cup was half empty, but always said that the cup was half full.
At Yan Youyun's birthday party on September 27 every year, the descendants of the Gu family and the descendants of the Yan family will always get together. And Yan Youyun's reserved program is to wear a cheongsam and dance with her aunt Tang Liuqian.
She has a wide social circle, not only maintaining close contact with celebrities in the Chinese social circle, but also maintaining good friendships with many foreign friends.
These social activities not only make her feel the joy of life, but also keep her happy. In her later years, this kind of social activity became an important support for her life.
Yan Youyun's secret to longevity can be summarized in three aspects: optimism and open-mindedness, focusing on health preservation and positive social interaction.
She lived to be 112 years old by maintaining an optimistic attitude, a healthy lifestyle, and a rich social activity.
Longevity is not a far-fetched thing. Live one day and be happy one day, live in the moment, not worry too much, and enjoy every test of life with an open mind. I believe that you will also have a long life.
Finally, it ends with Yan Youyun's words, hoping that everyone can also have an epiphany from her life wisdom.
"There have been many unfortunate things in my life, but they have always come over, and no matter what happens, I accept it calmly. You can do whatever you have to do, and I always think that things could have gotten worse. ”
Resources:
1. Fudan school flower: At the age of 112, she still insists on wearing makeup, loves to eat fatty meat and sweets, and reveals the secret of longevity in her later years
hatps://baijiyahaao.baidu.com/s?id=1762211773705933281&dfr=spider&for=pc
2. "China's last generation of celebrities" Yan Youyun: loves to eat fatty meat and desserts, and reveals the secret of longevity in her later years
hatps://baiyahao.baidu.com/s?id=1786242041835234847&dfr=spider&for=pc
3. School flower Yan Youyun insisted on makeup at the age of 112, loved to eat fatty meat and sweets, and talked about the secret of longevity in her later years
hatps://baijiyahao.baidu.com/s?id=1784164549517907802&dfr=spider&for=pc