Love in the time of war

Feng Zhongyun and Xue Wen's family photo with their children. They had six children but lost their first son when he was a baby. [Photo by He Keyao/chinadaily.com.cn]

Wedding under the rainbow

During Feng Zhongyun's university years, he sent many books to Xue Wen. These books, such as masterpieces by Goethe and Gorky, gradually helped Xue become an independent-minded person. Her willingness to seek changes for a better society grew stronger.

" 'You have to go to school. Without knowledge, one can do nothing to make a difference in the world,' he told me", Xue Wen recalled her husband's words in Bai Fa Hui Shou (Looking Back with Gray Hair), an autobiography she wrote in 1995.

After their engagement, Feng sent his fiancée to Beijing for her education while he worked as a professor at the Harbin Merchant Shipping School in Heilongjiang province. On the surface, he was just a teacher, but in fact, he was also a Communist who worked for the Party and conducted underground activities.

His single status put pressure on Feng. As a young and talented professor, he was a perfect choice for marriage in many people's eyes. His colleagues and friends often introduced him to young women, which brought unwanted trouble to his underground work.

In the summer of 1931, Xue Wen received a telegram from Feng.

"Wen, please come to Harbin. You can learn more here and I hope you can come to me soon." His plea convinced her and after three days travel by train, Xue, 18, arrived in Harbin.

When Xue appeared in front of Feng that cloudy day in Harbin, he knew that she was the person that he was going to be with for the rest of his life.

"Let's go home," he said. Their new house was on the other side of the Mudanjiang River.

No wedding, no flowers, no rings. As the couple boated to their home, they declared themselves husband and wife. Coincidentally, the rain stopped and a rainbow arched above them above the river, which became the only witness to their declaration of marriage.

"We had a wedding under the rainbow", Xue wrote in her autobiography.