Xu Zhimo's former residence in Haining even has a bedroom prepared for his ex-wife Zhang Youyi!

Following in the footsteps of the poet Xu Zhimo, I arrived in Haining. After visiting the No. 3 Silk Factory, Xu Zhimo's Tomb, and the Crescent Moon Theater, I finally arrived at Xu Zhimo's former residence on Ganhe Street. Anya Hall, built in 1926, is a small Western-style building. It was his love nest with Lu Xiaoman and is now a provincial-level cultural relic protection site in Zhejiang. The former residence preserves the poet's manuscripts, letters, portraits, personal belongings, and Lu Xiaoman's paintings. He associated with many prominent figures, and the plaques in the residence were inscribed by Jin Yong, Qi Gong, Kang Youwei, and Zang Kejia. The ancient well in the garden is also known as the "Fountain of Love." Xu Zhimo's study is called "Mei Xuan," because Lu Xiaoman's original name was "Lu Mei." He was willing to put in the effort for this passionate love. To cover the enormous expenses, he even worked five jobs at one time. Before the plane crash, he carried Lu Xiaoman's landscape painting and sought inscriptions from many famous artists. Interestingly, Xu's father later recognized Zhang Youyi as his adopted daughter, so a bedroom was specially set up for her in the former residence, next to Xu's mother's room. The residence also had hot and cold water pipes, electric lights, bathrooms, and other facilities, making it quite a luxurious house. Xu Zhimo came from a prominent family in Haining. The Xiashipu Xu family regarded Songting Gong as their ancestor, and the brick carvings on the former residence bear the four characters "Donghai Anya," the name of their ancestral home. His grandfather, Xu Xingpao, was a businessman for generations and founded the Xu Yufeng Sauce Garden. His uncle, Xu Rongchu, was a great book collector, and his study was named "Zilai Pavilion." His father, Xu Shenru, was the richest man in Haining and a far-sighted industrialist. He founded the Yutong Bank, Shuangshan Silk Factory, and the Electric Light and Telephone Company. He also developed fire-fighting services, was enthusiastic about public welfare, and founded a vocational training center for the poor. In 1910, under the introduction of his uncle, Shen Junru, he studied at Hangzhou Prefecture Middle School, where he met Yu Dafu, and they often discussed literature together. In 1918, Xu Zhimo went to the United States to study with the dream of saving the country, aspiring to be China's Alexander Hamilton. In 1921, introduced by Dickinson, he entered Cambridge University and met Lin Huiyin. In 1924, he joined the New Culture Movement and founded the Crescent Moon Society with Hu Shi, Liang Qichao, and others. In 1932, after his death, he was buried in Dongshan, Haining. The talented woman Ling Shuhua wrote the epitaph "Cold Moon Shines on the Poet's Soul." In 1983, Xu Zhimo's tomb was moved to the banks of Baishui Spring in Xishan, next to the tomb of his son, Xu Desheng. In 1915, Zhang Youyi married Xu Zhimo. After their divorce in 1921, Zhang Youyi quickly recovered, gave birth to Xu Desheng, and taught German at Soochow University. In 1928, she became the vice president of the Shanghai Women's Commercial Bank and concurrently the general manager of "Yunshang Clothing Company," Shanghai's first women's fashion company. In 1926, Lu Xiaoman married Xu Zhimo. Lu Xiaoman was proficient in English and French and was also skilled at playing the piano, acting, and painting. She studied under Liu Haisu and collaborated with Xu Zhimo on the five-act play "Bian Kungang," which became famous in Beijing and Shanghai. Between 1920 and 1928, Xu Zhimo traveled to Europe three times, socializing with famous figures such as Russell, Dickinson, and Hardy. He was a courageous ambassador and bridge for cultural exchange between East and West, hoping for nothing more than "green grass, distant people, a stream of cold water." The poet is gone, but his poetic spirit lives on. He pursued love and freedom throughout his life, singing passionately about the ideals of love and beauty in the world, living for love and dying for love.