Shen Jianlong

Shen Jianlong, the son of Shen Xuanlu, a member of the Zhejiang gentry. From childhood he was influenced by his family, possessing literary cultivation and artistic accomplishment, especially renowned for poetry and music. In early 1921, Shen Jianlong married Yang Zhihua, and on November 5 of the same year they had a daughter, Qu Duyi. After their marriage, the couple vowed to support themselves, but Shen Jianlong went to Shanghai; the urban life affected them, and their relationship changed.

In 1924, Yang Zhihua developed feelings for Qu Qiubai. After negotiation among the three, they reached an agreement on a divorce, and Yang Zhihua and Shen Jianlong published a divorce statement together with an announcement that Shen Jianlong and Qu Qiubai had become friends. After the divorce, Shen Jianlong and Qu Qiubai not only bore no grudges but maintained cordial contact, often correspondence discussing poetry and writing.

In the same year, Qu Qiubai and Yang Zhihua held a wedding. Shen Jianlong gave a photograph of his head having shaved and him donning a monk’s robe, and inscribed “Flowers Offered to the Buddha” to bless and sanction their marriage. This event has been recorded as a model of amicable divorce during the Republican era.

In terms of social assessment, there were rumors that he was a “playboy”; but friends and relatives described him as straightforward and upright in conduct, and he maintained a friendly relationship with Qu Qiubai. The way Shen Jianlong, Yang Zhihua, and Qu Qiubai handled their emotional entanglement drew wide attention in Shanghai’s social circles at the time and became a topic of discussion.