YANGZHOU, CHINA— In the summer of 1921, a young mother lay dying in her family’s storied mansion. At just 36 years old, Lu Ying had given birth to her 14th child. Her body, exhausted from years of pregnancy and childbirth, was failing. Yet, in her final moments, she performed an act so extraordinary that its impact would echo for generations: she summoned the household’s nannies, pressed red envelopes into their hands—each containing the equivalent of eight years’ salary—and made a single, desperate request: “Please raise my children until they turn 18.”
This is the true story of Lu Ying—a woman whose brief, brilliant life illuminates the hidden power of maternal devotion in China’s last imperial era, and whose legacy shaped some of the most influential families of the 20th century.
A Childhood of Privilege and Preparation
Born in 1885 in Yangzhou, Lu Ying was the cherished daughter of Lu Jingshi, director of Yangzhou’s famed East Garden and a man of immense wealth. Unlike her sisters, Lu Ying was groomed from a young age to manage the family’s vast household and finances. Her father’s trust in her intellect and capability would become the foundation of her later strength.
The Lus were close with the Zhangs, another of Hefei’s elite families. When the time came to arrange a marriage for their heir, Zhang Wuling, the Zhangs chose Lu Ying for her reputation as both virtuous and capable. In 1906, at just 21, Lu Ying married the 17-year-old Wuling in a wedding so lavish it became legend. The city buzzed for months with tales of her dowry and the spectacle of the ceremony—a union of two great houses, sealed with tradition and hope.
Mistress of the Mansion
From the very start, Lu Ying’s life was one of relentless responsibility. The Zhang household was a sprawling compound, home to dozens of relatives, servants, and staff. Thirty to forty mouths needed feeding daily. As the new matron, Lu Ying was expected to manage it all—elders, in-laws, children, nannies, cooks, and stewards.
She did so with a rare blend of humility and intelligence. Lu Ying never flaunted her authority. She was kind to staff, scrupulous with finances, and deeply filial to her mother-in-law. On birthdays, she would travel for days to arrange banquets, personally overseeing every detail to ensure harmony and joy. She insisted her children share food with the housekeeper, welcomed servants’ families into the home, and even taught their children to read and write. In return, she earned fierce loyalty and respect from all.
Her financial acumen was legendary. When household funds ran low, she quietly retrieved gold from the family safe, exchanged it for cash, and later bought back gold at a lower price—replenishing reserves without anyone noticing. The Zhangs marveled at her resourcefulness.
A Marriage of Minds
Though arranged, Lu Ying and Zhang Wuling’s marriage grew into a partnership of mutual respect. Wuling, a man of discipline and learning, eschewed the vices common among the wealthy—no gambling, no concubines, no government office. His passion was education. In 1917, he moved the family to Suzhou and founded Lei Girls Middle School, offering free tuition to empower young women.
Lu Ying shared his thirst for knowledge. Their studies faced each other, separated by glass. Family lore recalls the couple reading in companionable silence, exchanging glances through the window—a symbol of their intellectual bond.
Motherhood and Sacrifice
Lu Ying’s devotion to education extended beyond her own children. She believed that a person’s character was shaped by their environment, so she taught nannies to read and do arithmetic, asking her children to help. In her household, even maids became book lovers. This nurturing atmosphere produced not only well-educated children, but also empowered caregivers—an innovation rare for her time.
Yet, the price of such devotion was steep. For 16 years, Lu Ying was almost constantly pregnant. Of her 14 children, nine survived. She poured herself into their upbringing, ensuring each received love, education, and discipline. She also fostered a love for opera and the arts, sneaking out with the children and nannies to see performances, the family covering for her absences with the code phrase, “The young mistress is washing her feet.”
A Tragic End, An Unbreakable Promise
In 1921, after delivering her youngest daughter, Lu Ying suffered a tooth infection following a dental procedure. Already weakened from years of childbirth, her health quickly deteriorated. Realizing her end was near, she began to prepare for her children’s future.
She called the nannies to her bedside, handed each $200 silver dollars (eight years’ wages), and pleaded, “I am sick and I entrust this money to you. As a mother, this is all I can offer. I don’t worry about the boys, but the four little girls—I truly cannot let go. Please, after I’m gone, raise them until they turn 18.”
The nannies, overcome with grief, swore to honor her wish. They stayed, raising the children to adulthood, and some even returned years later with their own grandchildren to visit the Zhang home.
Lu Ying also made another difficult decision: she returned her dowry—tens of thousands of silver dollars—to her birth family, fearing that leaving such wealth to her young children might do more harm than good.
On a quiet September day in 1921, surrounded by her loved ones, Lu Ying passed away. She was only 36.
Aftermath: A Family Transformed
A year after Lu Ying’s death, Zhang Wuling remarried. His new wife, Wei Junyi, was a teacher at Lei Girls Middle School, only 21 to his 30-something. The children, still grieving, resented their stepmother. The household harmony Lu Ying had so carefully cultivated was shattered. Wuling himself became irritable and withdrawn.
In 1937, as war swept China, the family fled to Hefei. Wuling died the next year at just 49, leaving instructions to be buried beside Lu Ying. Wei Junyi, overwhelmed and isolated, soon left the family.
Years later, Lu Ying’s youngest daughter, Zhang Chonghe, reflected: “When a wife dies, a husband often stays in the house to maintain the family’s honor. But when a husband dies, a wife is usually remarried or removed.”
A Legacy of Brilliance
Lu Ying’s greatest achievement was not her wealth or status, but her children. Her four daughters became known as the “Four Zhang Sisters,” celebrated across China as the last great generation of cultured women from a vanished era. Each married a giant of Chinese art or literature: an opera master, a linguist, a novelist, a scholar. All lived long, accomplished lives—Zhang Chonghe reached 102.
Her sons, too, excelled: a historian, a scientist, a musician, a school principal, and more. Even the son of the second wife became China’s first symphony conductor, inspired by his older siblings.
Their success was rooted in Lu Ying’s early investment in education, kindness, and the nurturing of not just her own children, but their caregivers. Her influence shaped not only her descendants, but the course of Chinese culture itself.
Remembering Lu Ying
In 2012, Yangzhou honored Lu Ying with a commemorative postcard series. Her portrait radiates a timeless elegance—a symbol of sacrifice, wisdom, and maternal power.
Lu Ying lived only 36 years, most of them spent either pregnant or recovering. She never failed her elders, her husband, or her children. If she failed anyone, it was only herself—sacrificing her health, her youth, and ultimately her life for her family.
But from a mother’s perspective, Lu Ying’s life was an overwhelming success. Her children grew up safe, strong, and brilliant, admired across China and abroad. They remain the greatest pride of her legacy—a testament to the quiet, unyielding power of a mother’s devotion.
