This place is worthy of being Zhang Ailing's hometown. The rich historical culture has immersed in charming diversity in this city. It is modern and prosperous, grand and exquisite, while the most simple urban fireworks are spreading between the streets and corners. Nanjing West Road, Jing'an Temple, People's Square...

These familiar places witness the most important time in her life and also bring endless inspiration and nutrients to her works.

The imitation of Western-style building in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China was originally a dowry to his daughter by Zhang Ailing’s great-grandfather Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Ailing was born here. The lines of the old house that are experiencing the west wind in the east, wooden window frames, and red brick walls; wherever you see and where you touch, it is like time flowing back.

When she was young, she was not happy here. She was sleepy in the sun, and the coolness of the ancient tombs in the dark. In this big family of declining women, people were like thin cotton, wrapped in the dark, but they were stubborn.

The memories she produced in the old house also deeply influenced her future works. It is said that many of the inspirations of the two pinnacle works, "Love in the City" and "Half-Life Fate", originated from this old house.

At the age of 18, she was beaten and placed under house arrest by her father because of an quarrel with her stepmother. After she ran away from home, she lived with her mother and aunt and moved into the Kaina apartment. During this period, her mother's careful care for her was like a ray of sunshine shining into Zhang Ailing's new atrium, allowing her to feel unprecedented happiness.

Zhang Ailing once wrote, "Moms all have a common problem. As long as you say what kind of dish is good, they will cook that dish frequently until you complain about it bored. In fact, she is trying hard to give you everything you think is good, and she is overwhelmed by love. Perhaps, the days of living in Kaina Apartment should be the closest time Zhang Ailing remembers to be close to her love.

The four-story building that looks a little old and inconspicuous now may miss it if you are not careful. It was one of the highest-end apartment buildings in Shanghai back then, and it can be seen from many details. For example, the ground floor of the apartment is equipped with a garage, a fireplace in the interior, and even sanitary ware is all imported from the UK. The novel has also described the luxurious scene of living here in the article.

Some people say that Shanghai people must seek excellent food, delicacies from mountains and seas; clothes must seek expensiveness, and fur light fur. Therefore, in Zhang Ailing's works, there are many women wearing gorgeous cheongsams, grand show and luxurious mansions. Russian drivers, French chefs, European cars... Here, she sees the prosperity of the world.

The words 1924 on the rooftop show that one's life experience is somewhat like a lonely nobleman. Although he has been disrepair, he is still full of momentum. From the facade, the overall decoration is simple, and the floor-to-ceiling blinds and huge balcony in the middle are quite grand, as if you can see the prosperous scene in the past.

After staying for a long time, the sky became darker, and the afterglow of sunset and the shadows of swaying trees in the courtyard created a charming beauty. The gradually lit lights in the building made the mottled traces of time more and more arrogant.

The old alley with stories is full of green shade and deep courtyard. The warm sunshine shines lightly on the goose yellow walls, emitting a charming atmosphere of life.

The light projected into the old house over time, like history rebirth, passing by obscurely in every corner; walking, it seems that you can feel the aftermath of the flow of time, faintly. The mottled tiger skylights and the ivy covered with walls are the indispensable scenes in the life of the old alley. Time passes by, people come and go, but stories remain quietly.

The alley can be said to be the growth soil of Zhang Ailing's literature. In her writing, there are many stories in every place in the Shikumen house in the alley. The sound of washing clothes and inadvertent bargaining sounds are all full of inhuman fireworks.

She has a passionate preference for daily life and the details of current daily life. Zhang Ailing is very fond of the living environment here, and she said that the apartment is the most suitable address to escape.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Zhang Ailing and her aunt moved to Chonghua New Village to live here, spending a rather dark life here. As for why they moved away from the grand Changde apartment and went to Chonghua Apartment, which had much worse conditions?

Later generations have different opinions. Some people analyze it for emotional escape. Another statement is that she was already in financial trouble at that time.

After saying goodbye to the ten-year Changde apartment and his evil fate, Zhang Ailing moved several times and finally settled in the Yangtze Apartment at No. 65 Huanghe Road.

This British-style apartment is named after it is close to the Grand Theater of Calden. Its facilities are also quite high-end, and there is also an in-house central garden. According to records, there are 25 suites on each level, with carpets on the S-shaped corridor. On the top floor of the apartment, there is also a large balcony with a wide view, and the apartment is near Nanjing Road and Jockey Club.

The surrounding lively and fragrant market is the source of inspiration for Zhang Ailing to write about the world. She once described this residence. The irregular small square at the back of the Carden Theater behind the Da Guangming Theater in the future was called Zhang Jiabang. It was obviously a swamp in the early opening of Shanghai. Later, the soil was filled and several large villas were built.

Compared with the famous Changde Apartment, Changjiang Apartment is a little deserted. The residents who come and go do not seem to know that a great writer had lived here.

Many years later, when Zhang Ailing recalled her days at Calden Apartment, she left an interesting text about food: Next door to our house in Shanghai is the newly moved Qishilin Cafe in Tianjin during the war. Every day, bread is made at dawn, and a smell of alarm is raised, and a fragrant and noble air comes through the air.

Only his family has a square-cornered German bread, which has a thick and crispy crust and slightly wet center. It is the best among ordinary bread and is incomparable to the soft pillow bread with preservatives in the United States.

In fact, she was unfortunate about her childhood. She always had a desolate attitude towards this society because it was full of insecurity, which made her form such an isolated personality. So even though she became famous, she still had no sense of security.

Therefore, there are a lot of contradictions in her personality: she is a hedonist who is good at living art and making life artistic, and she is also a person who is full of tragedy about life; she is a descendant of a famous family, but she proudly claims that she is a self-reliant citizen.

She was sad about the heavens and pity others, and always saw the pitifulness behind the ridiculousness of all living beings, but she seemed cold and heartless in her real life. She was well-versed in human relationships, but she did everything she could with her clothes and was alone and arrogant.

She chatted with readers in the article, but she always kept a distance and prevented outsiders from peeping her heart. She became famous in Shanghai in the 1940s, and was unique. However, decades later, she lived a simple and easy-to-understand life in the United States.
Chapter completed!