首页

　　CCTV News:His life was full of ups and downs, and he began his literary creation when he was nearly puzzled, but he became one of the "three great short story masters in the world". He has left nearly 300 novels in his creative career for more than ten years, including Sacrifice of Love, Gift of Maggie, and The Last Leaf … … Articles are literary classics; He wrote "a tearful smile" with his own experience, enlightening the world that "as long as you believe, there will always be miracles".

　　He is O. Henry.

　　1862-O Henry, a famous American short story writer, was born. Tonight, review his classic works and feel the love and hope in life.

Maggie’s gift

(with deletion)

　　Life is made up of sobs, sobs and smiles, and sobs occupy most of them.

　　One yuan and eighty-seven cents. It’s all here, including 60 cents in coppers. This is saved by bargaining from grocery store owners, vegetable vendors and butcher’s shops, and I feel ashamed every time. I deeply feel that this kind of deal is really embarrassing. Della counted it three times, and it was still 1.87 yuan, and the next day was Christmas.　

　　Obviously, there is no other way but to throw yourself on that shabby nap chair and cry.　

　　Della did this, but her spiritual feelings came to life. Life is made up of sobs, sobs and smiles, and sobs occupy most of them.

　　After Della finished crying, she smeared powder on her cheeks. She stood at the window and stared at a gray cat walking on a gray fence in the gray backyard. Only one yuan and eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a present, her Jim! How many days did she spend planning to give him a lovely gift, an exquisite, rare and expensive gift — — At least something worthy of Jim.

　　The couple each have something they are particularly proud of. One is Jim’s gold watch; The other is Della’s hair.　

　　There is a wall mirror between the two windows in the room. Suddenly, she whirled around from the window and stood in front of the wall mirror. Her eyes were crystal clear, but her face lost its luster within twenty seconds. She tore her hair apart quickly and let it splash completely.　

　　The couple each have something they are particularly proud of. One is Jim’s gold watch, which was handed down from his grandfather to his father and from his father to his family heirloom. The other is Della’s hair.　

　　At this moment, Della’s hair splashed around her, and the microwave fluctuated and shone like a brown waterfall. Her hair is knee-length, like a robe for her. Then, she quickly combed her hair nervously, hesitated for a minute, and stood there motionless, splashing a tear or two on the worn red carpet.　

　　She bought it for twenty-one dollars. With the gold watch and this chain, Jim can look at the time without shame on any occasion.

　　She put on the old brown coat and hat, and there were glittering and translucent tears in her eyes. As soon as her skirt swung, she floated out of the door and went downstairs to the street.　

　　She stopped at a sign that said, "Mrs. Sofroni — — Specializing in all kinds of hair. " Della ran up the stairs, panting and composed. That lady is fat, too pale and as cold as ice, which simply doesn’t match the nickname of "Sofroni".　

　　"Do you want to buy my hair?" Della asked.　

　　"I buy hair," said the lady. "Take off your hat and let me see the hair sample."　

　　The brown waterfall splashed down.　

　　"Twenty dollars," said the lady, grasping her hair expertly.　

　　"Give me the money quickly," said Della.　

　　Oh, the next two hours seemed to fly by happily with wings. She searched everywhere for a present for Jim.　

　　She finally found it. It must be specially made for Jim. It’s a simple platinum watch chain, engraved with patterns, which is just right for Jim’s gold watch. She bought it for twenty-one dollars and hurried home, leaving only eighty-seven cents. The gold watch matches this chain, so Jim can look at the time without shame on any occasion.　

　　After Della came home, her ecstasy became a little cautious and rational. She found out the curling iron, lit the gas, and began to repair the damage caused by the generosity of love. Within forty minutes, her head was covered with small curls that clung to her scalp, and she looked like a little boy playing truant.

　　"If Jim looks at me and doesn’t kill me," she said to herself, "he will say that I look like a singing girl in Coney Island, but what can I do — — Alas, there is only one yuan and eighty-seven cents. What can I do? "　

　　She held her hair comb to her chest, and after a long time, she raised her tearful eyes and smiled and said, "My hair grows very fast, Jim!" "　

　　At seven o’clock, she made coffee, put the frying pan on the hot stove, and could make steak at any time.　

　　Jim always comes home on time. The door opened, Jim stepped in and closed the door behind him. His eyes were fixed on Della, and her expression made her unable to understand and made her hair stand on end. It was neither anger nor surprise, nor dissatisfaction, nor disgust, and it was not any expression she had expected at all. He stared at della with this expression.　

　　Della twisted her waist, jumped off the table and walked over to him.　

　　"Jim, honey," she cried, "don’t stare at me like that. I cut off my hair and sold it, because I can’t spend Christmas without giving you a present. Hair will grow back — — You won’t mind, will you? I have to do this. My hair is growing very fast. Say ‘ Merry Christmas ’ Ok! Jim, let’s be happy. You’ll never guess what a nice, beautiful and exquisite gift I bought you! "　

　　"Have you cut off your hair?" Jim asked laboriously, as if he had racked his brains and failed to understand the obvious fact.　

　　"Cut it off and sell it," said Della. "Anyway, don’t you also like me? Without long hair, I am still me, right? "　

　　Jim looked around the room strangely.　

　　"Did you say your hair was gone?" He asked almost like an idiot.　

　　"Stop looking," said Della. "To tell you, I have sold it — — It’s sold. It’s gone. Treat me well, it’s for you. Maybe I can count my hair, "she suddenly said softly," but no one can count my love for you. Shall I cook steak, Jim? "　

　　Jim seemed to wake up from a trance and held Della tightly in his arms. Jim took a small bag from his coat pocket and threw it on the table.　

　　"Don’t get me wrong, Del," he said. "When you open that bag, you will know why I looked like that just now."　

　　White fingers deftly untied the rope and opened the paper bag. Followed by ecstatic screams, suddenly turned into women’s neurotic tears and crying, in urgent need of the male host to do everything possible to comfort.　

　　Because it’s a comb on the table — — Full set of combs. It was something that Della had seen and envied to death in a Broadway window a long time ago. These wonderful hair combs are made of pure tortoiseshell, and the edges are inlaid with jewels — — Its color just matches her lost hairdressing. She knows that this set of combs is really too expensive. For this, she was only envious and eager before, and never thought about getting them. Now, all this actually belongs to her, but unfortunately the beautiful long hair that is qualified to wear this coveted ornament has disappeared without a trace.　

　　However, she still held her hair comb to her chest, and it took a long time before she raised her tearful eyes and smiled and said, "My hair grows very fast, Jim!" "　

　　I sold my gold watch and bought a hair comb for you.

　　Then Della jumped up like a scalded kitten and cried, "Oh! Oh! " Jim hasn’t seen his beautiful gift yet.

　　Della spread out her palm and reached out to him. "Isn’t it beautiful, Jim? I searched all over the city before I found it. Now, you can watch the time a hundred times a day. Give me the watch, I want to see how it matches it. "　

　　Instead of following her instructions, Jim collapsed on the couch with his hands under his head and smiled slightly.　

　　"Del," he said, "let’s put Christmas presents aside. They are too good to be used at present. I sold my gold watch and bought a hair comb for you. Now, you make the steak. "　

△ Figure from British illustrator David Renshaw

▽ Sketch | O Henry

　　O Henry, born on September 11th, 1862, was originally named william sydney porter. He created the precedent of modern American short stories, and was called "the three great short story masters in the world" together with French Mo Bosang and Russian Chekhov.

　　After a lifetime of ups and downs, I began to create in prison when I was near confusion.

　　In 1898, O Henry, who worked as a cashier in a bank, was jailed for "embezzlement" because of problems in the bank accounts he handled. In order to make a living, he began to write short stories in prison, nearly 30 years old. Because of the prisoner’s identity, he dared not use his real name, so he took the abbreviation "O Henry" of a French pharmacopoeia editor as his pen name.

　　In 1901, after serving more than three years in prison, O Henry was released early, and then he devoted himself to writing. But just when his creativity was at its peak, his health began to deteriorate and he died in 1910.　

　　"Smile with tears" and "O ‘Henry-style ending" are well-known in the literary world.

　　"Smile with tears" — — The organic combination of comedy form and tragedy connotation is the creative style of O ‘Henry’s novels. In his works, the kind and kind poor people have no food to eat and no shelter. He profoundly revealed the soul and fate of the little people in American society at the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, which constituted the unique humanistic care in his novels.

　　O Henry is also famous for being good at endings. At the end of his works, the fate of the hero is often suddenly reversed, or the psychological situation of the characters is unexpectedly changed. This is an unexpected and reasonable ending, which is specially called "O Henry’s ending" by American literary circles.

　　More than ten years of writing time has left nearly 300 short stories.

　　Although he has only spent more than ten years in his life writing novels, O Henry is a prolific writer. He left behind a novel "Cabbage and the Emperor" and nearly 300 short stories, including the famous novels "Sacrifice of Love", "Police and Hymns", "The Gift of Maggie", "A Room with Furniture for Rent", "The Last Leaf" and "Twenty Years Later".

　　In 1918, the United States set up the "O Henry Memorial Award" to reward the best short stories every year.

Draw a leaf for life,

As long as you believe, there will always be miracles.

Although the hope is slim, it will last forever.

— — O Henry’s The Last Leaf

Author: our team Zhang Ying

The more you read history, the more you will feel "unbelievable". A lot of historical knowledge that seems incredible at first glance and even makes people "don’t believe it" is real, but it happened in the past years.

Compared with those political and military events that are often talked about,The following economic and cultural knowledge, which also makes people feel "don’t believe in death", also epitomizes the rise and fall of dynasties.It is worth thinking deeply.

One: the Great Jin Dynasty did not cast money.

Successive dynasties founded the country, and currency issuance was a top priority. And Wang Chao didn’t even do it? The Jin dynasties thought: this is really not a thing.

Since the "Three Kingdoms Reunited", the Jin Dynasty, from the emperor to the officials, has been a competition and a release. Apart from internal strangulation, it has been a feast, a song and dance, an alchemy and a fight for wealth, and it has changed its fancy show "Wei and Jin demeanor". Even if the Yongjia Rebellion broke out and the Dajin became the Eastern Jin, it would still remain unchanged, and it would be impossible to get rid of it by being immersed in metaphysics and talking openly.The issue of currency, a 164-year history of the Jin and Jin Dynasties, has never been done.

What’s the money? In the Western Jin Dynasty, Cao Wei’s five baht money was mainly used, and it was beaten to the south of the Yangtze River to become the "Eastern Jin Dynasty", and all kinds of currencies in the Soochow period were churned out to continue to be used. The currency on the market in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is a mess. Plus a large number of precious metals, all of them have been embezzled by the rich and powerful to make luxury goods, and there is less and less money circulating in the market. As a result, there is not much money, and there is an increasingly serious phenomenon of "money shortage".

Ironically,The first reaction of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to this serious phenomenon was not to stabilize the currency, but to slap the head and think about simply abolishing the currency.When Emperor Andi was in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, someone put forward the "good idea" of "barter". Although it ran aground under the opposition of many ministers, the Eastern Jin Dynasty did nothing, and still allowed the chaos in the money market. The currency is so chaotic, of course, this dynasty is becoming more and more hopeless. The partial Eastern Jin Dynasty was finally usurped by the Liu and Song Dynasties in the absurdity of "not casting money".

Two: Planting cotton in Datang Garden

In the Tang dynasty, rich people cultivated flowers, and all kinds of precious flowers and plants competed for each other. However, during the period of Tang Xuanzong, Suleiman, an Arab traveler who visited the Tang Dynasty, saw a special exotic flower and grass in the garden of the Tang Dynasty: cotton. That’s right. Today, it is used to make cotton-padded clothes, which is necessary to keep out the cold in winter.In the middle Tang dynasty, it was still "on a par" with famous flowers such as peony and rose, and was specially designed for garden enjoyment.

During the Tang Dynasty, there were only Yunnan, Hainan and Xinjiang provinces in China, and some cotton was planted. As an "exotic" cotton, it was a precious flower at that time. More than just for fun. Cotton cloth made of cotton was also a precious luxury at that time. According to the statistics of the Order of Closing the City in the Tang Dynasty, the local price of one end of fine cotton cloth in the western regions is as high as 2,200 articles. Even the coarse denim needs 500 Wen at one end. Cotton-padded clothes made of cotton cloth were called "white-folded cloth" and "kapok fur" at that time, and the price of them sold to the mainland usually turned several times.It is equivalent to "putting precious flowers and plants on your body", which is standard for the rich.

When reading Du Fu’s famous sentence, "The cloth is as cold as iron for many years, and the charming children lie down and crack inside", many historical fans often wonder why Du Fu didn’t cover the quilt when he was so frozen. To tell the truth, I really couldn’t afford it at that time.

It was not until the Song and Yuan Dynasties that cotton planting techniques were gradually popularized in the mainland and gradually adapted to the soil and water in different regions. During the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, cotton planting was promoted by legislation throughout the country. Cotton, a luxury in the Tang and Song Dynasties, was "dependent on everyone’s wealth" in China.Cotton cotton-padded clothes, once a rare "imported product", became a specialty of China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They were not only the daily consumer goods of ordinary people in winter, but also exported abroad in large quantities along the Maritime Silk Road, earning enough money all over the world.

What is "making foreign things serve China"? Learn from the ancients in China how to plant cotton from the garden into the farmland.

Three: The civil servants in the Song Dynasty were very hard.

"Fu Song" is a happy time for literati, and the most enviable among literati is civil servants. Unofficial history often talked about the "sky-high income" of civil servants in the Song Dynasty. For example, the extravagant life of Kou Zhun Song Qi people lighting giant candles and drinking chicken tongue soup, and the happy scene of Bao Zheng Wang Anshi people’s "sky-high annual salary" and "salary basically does not move" have made many fans envy each other and wish to cross to Dasong to take the imperial examination. However, even if there is a chance to "cross", we must be cautious about it. Most civil servants in the Song Dynasty are far poorer than later generations imagined.

For example, in the Song Dynasty,Being a small official in the civil service, such as "county magistrate" and "main thin", the salary is pitiful.Basically, "poverty is not enough to support itself." It was not until Song Shenzong’s time that the salary was raised, but it was just "the county ordered the money to be 15 thousand, and the rice and wheat were 4 stones." Compared with the courtiers, this money is really not enough.

Civil servants at a slightly higher level have limited treatment.For example, Shi Jie, a famous scholar in Song Renzong, told imperial academy that his life was very simple on weekdays, but when he died, his wife was "overwhelmed with cold", that is, his wife and children couldn’t live, and they only had a way out with the support of Fan Zhongyan and others in Han Qi. Zeng Yi, the foreign minister of Song Shenzong, was also "poor because of his family". In the Southern Song Dynasty, Lu You passed the sentence in Kuizhou, which was considered as a "fat vacancy" among civil servants. After several years, he was also "thin in the gorge" and "bare in luggage". That is to say, you can get a round belly.

Why is this happening?First, there were so many civil servants in the Song Dynasty that they were called "redundant officials".According to Fan Zhongyan in the Northern Song Dynasty, "four or five people share one post". In the late Southern Song Dynasty, the total number of officials in the Song Dynasty was more than 43,000, and the territory was half that of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the number of officials was several times higher than that of the Northern Song Dynasty. There are so many officials to support, and no matter how rich they are, they can’t support them. Therefore, if most civil servants only rely on "wages", their lives will be hard.

Plus DaSong’s "ruling the world together with the literati", even if it is "cultivating scholars", of course, we must first pay close attention to the high-level literati.Not only a high-ranking official, but also retired senior officials, as well as giving "grace" to the children and students of retired senior officials, is a lot of money every year. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Huainan transshipment ambassador said that the taxes of twenty states in Huainan were not enough to give pensions to retired senior officials in Luoyang. In Song Renzong, there were more than 5,000 salaried idlers in China. Some people even have more than one consul and do nothing.

Officials who have money to support idle people and work honestly have a hard time.How can we not be poor and weak in such a great Song Dynasty?

Four: horsestapErni duancai road

A great event in the diplomatic history of "Kanggan heyday" in Qing Dynasty was "Magalny’s visit to China". During the Qianlong period, a huge mission led by British Lord Macartney visited the Qing Dynasty with the intention of opening the trade door of the Qing Dynasty, but it was rejected by the arrogant Qianlong. A visit, but the result is empty. But Magalny was not depressed, because,On this trip, he found another treasure in China: tea seedlings.

Can a mere tea seedling be comparable to a diplomatic event? In the eyes of the British at that time, this was really close.

Since the mid-18th century, China’s traditional tea drinking style has long been popular in European countries. The British have become the "iron powder" of tea. At that time, all classes of British society had the habit of "drinking afternoon tea", and the atmosphere of drinking tea spread all over Britain and even colonies on all continents. According to the statistics of the 18th century British scholar Stenton,British people, old and young, consume at least one pound of tea every year on average. Where did so much tea come from? You can only buy it from China.

As a result, unconsciously, tea trade became the "heavy head" of foreign exports in the Qing Dynasty. The export price of a load of tea in Guangzhou is only ten pounds. Reselling to the British mainland has soared to at least 106 pounds. Huge profits have also provoked British businessmen to flock to buy buy every year, bringing enough cash to buy them. By the 1780s, China’s annual tea export had exceeded 1.8 million pounds, making it easy for the British to earn money.

But this "easy money" scene, but with the horsetapThe arrival of Ernie and his party turned around.

Although the Qing government, which closed its doors to the outside world, took precautions against Magalny and his party. However, because the Qing officials had no concept of "intellectual property rights", they were defenseless against the "inspection" activities of Magyarni and his party. Therefore, during a trip to China, Macartney made an unannounced visit, which not only clearly recorded the process of tea planting and picking in China. I also got something good that many European countries couldn’t get at that time: tea seedlings.

Thus, from the end of the 18th century, China’s tea planting technology, so ruthless outflow.India under British rule, with this "stolen" technology and modern production, quickly came from behind in the field of tea.By the middle of the 19th century, Indian tea had become the "big head" of the international tea market. At the beginning of the 20th century, Indian tea and Ceylon tea accounted for 92% of the international market at that time, which had already "crushed" modern China tea.

Tea industry, a powerful industry that earned enough money in China, was cut off in less than half a century because of the outflow of several tea seedlings. It was not so much Macartney’s fault as the Qing Dynasty’s indifference to industrial technology, which brought modern China into the pit of backwardness and beatings.

References: Chen Zhonghai’s Debate on Waste of Money in Jin Dynasty, Qing Qiuzi’s Currency History, Wang Zhonghun’s Matou of Xizhou in Tang Dynasty, Zhu Bokang’s General History of China Economy, He Zhongli’s Salary of Officials in Song Dynasty, Political History of Song Dynasty, Zhang Hongjie’s Prosperous Hunger and Wang Xiuping’s 1

How many privileges can the yellow jacket of the Qing Dynasty have?

Is Li Shimin scheming for a long time or being forced to do anything about the change of Xuanwu Gate?