A Biography of Madam Zhu Xiuyu: General Wang Puchen's Wife《將軍夫人朱秀毓生平傳記》

Lawrence K. Wang (王抗曝) (2026). "A Biography of Madam Zhu Xiuyu: General Wang Puchen's Wife《將軍夫人朱秀毓生平傳記》, "Global Humanities and Liberal Arts" , Volume 2026, Number 2C, 2026 (2C), 101 pages, Lenox Institute Press, Auburndale, MA, USA. .... ABSTRACT: This biography centers on the life of Madam Zhu Xiuyu (1907–1986) and reconstructs her story through family archives, including General Wang Puchen's memoir Turbulent Waves With Sands for Ninety Autumns and his elegiac essay In Memory of My Late Wife. Compiled and adapted by their fourth son, Professor Lawrence K. Wang, the narrative presents a vivid portrait of a quintessential Chinese military wife whose life unfolded amid the upheavals of twentieth-century China. Born in 1907 during the late Qing dynasty, Madam Zhu received an uncommon education for women of her era, graduating from Zhicheng Middle School in Jiangshan and Bawu Women's Middle School in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. After marrying General Wang Puchen in 1924, she embarked on more than six decades of military family life. This biography documents her extraordinary resilience: raising children alone during the eight year War of Resistance against Japan, caring for elders over many decades, and enduring the suffering, displacement, and family separation brought by the four year Chinese Civil War. As a military wife, Madam Zhu embodied both the virtues of traditional Chinese womanhood and the fortitude of modern military spouses. During the Anti Japanese War, she protected and educated her children amid constant danger; during the Civil War, she shared her husband's hardships, survived the trauma of cross strait separation, and ultimately reunited with her family in Taiwan. Her life spanned—and bore witness to—major historical transformations from the late Qing and Republican eras to wartime resistance, civil conflict, and the eventual division across the Taiwan Strait. Beyond documenting an individual life, this biography holds significant historical and social value. Through the lens of one woman's experience, it reflects the broader realities of military families in twentieth century China and highlights the often unrecognized sacrifices and resilience of military wives. Madam Zhu's story represents the countless women who, though largely absent from official histories, sustained military households and contributed quietly yet indispensably to national survival and social stability. From a scholarly perspective, the biography provides rare primary materials for research in military history, women's history, family history, and social history. By preserving and interpreting family documents, it safeguards important historical memory and offers a vivid case study of military family life in modern China. The work also carries cultural significance, illustrating how traditional virtues—filial devotion, loyalty, endurance—were lived and transmitted in a modern context. The preface includes General Wang Puchen's two autobiographical poems "My Life-1" and "My Life-2," recounting his service on the front lines, while Madam Zhu's parallel struggles on the home front reveal the unseen burdens borne by military wives. The volume also includes four original poems by the author— (1) Song of All Military Wives, (2) In Memory of Madam Zhu Xiuyu, Wife of General Wang, (3) The Life Traces of a Military Wife, and (4) A Military Salute to Madam Zhu Xiuyu and to All Military Wives— as well as one original poem, Dear Mother, We Love You!, written collectively by all the children of Madam Zhu Xiuyu. Together, these works honor their mother and pay tribute to all military wives who endured the hardships of war with courage and devotion. Keywords: Madam Zhu Xiuyu; military wives; General Wang Puchen; military family history; women's history; modern Chinese history; Taiwan; War of Resistance against Japan; Chinese Civil War; cross strait history; family history; biographical literature; Republic of China history; classical Chinese poetry; modern poetry. 本傳記以朱秀毓夫人(Madam Zhu Xiuyu, 1907–1986)之生平為主軸,由其第四子王抗曝教授(Lawrence K. Wang)根據父親王蒲臣將軍(General Wang Puchen)之回憶錄《滾滾浪沙九十秋》及悼文《悼念亡妻文》加以整理、改寫而成,呈現一位典型中國軍眷女性在二十世紀動盪年代中的完整生命軌跡。朱秀毓夫人生於清光緒三十三年(1907),先後畢業於浙江省江山縣至澄中學與金華市八婺女子中學,在女性教育機會有限之時代展現出卓越才識。1924年與王蒲臣將軍結縭後,展開長達六十餘年的軍眷生涯。本傳記詳實記錄她在八年抗戰期間獨力撫養子女成人、長期侍奉長輩之堅忍歲月,以及在四年國共內戰中飽受骨肉分離與顛沛流離之苦難。作為軍人妻子,朱夫人兼具中國傳統女性之美德與現代軍眷之精神。在抗日戰爭中,她獨自承擔家庭重任,於戰火中保護子女、親自家教、維繫家園;在國共內戰時期,她與丈夫患難與共,歷經台海分離之痛,最終於台灣重聚。其一生橫跨清末民初、抗戰勝利、內戰動盪與兩岸分治,見證中國近現代史之重大變遷。本傳記不僅為個人生命史之記錄,更具重要史學價值與社會意義。透過一位軍眷女性之生命經驗,反映二十世紀中國軍眷家庭之普遍處境,展現軍眷女性在國家危難時刻所體現之犧牲精神與堅韌品格。朱夫人之故事象徵千千萬萬默默無聞之軍眷女性,她們以無私奉獻支撐軍人家庭,為國家安全與社會穩定做出不可磨滅之貢獻。從學術角度而言,本傳記為軍事史、婦女史、家庭史與社會史研究提供珍貴第一手資料。透過家庭文獻之整理與轉述,保存重要歷史記憶,為後世研究二十世紀中國軍眷生活提供生動案例。同時,本傳記亦具文化傳承價值,展現孝親、忠貞、堅韌等中華傳統美德在現代社會之延續。本文前言並收錄王蒲臣將軍家書《我的一生 1 朱夫人則在後方帶領子女輾轉逃難、歷盡艱危。本書亦收錄作者創作的四首詩作: (1)《天下軍妻頌》、 (2)《憶將軍夫人朱秀毓》、 (3)《母親軍眷生活的生命痕跡》、 (4)《軍禮致敬將軍夫人朱秀毓 及 天下軍妻》; 並收錄朱秀毓夫人全體子女共同創作的詩作《親愛的母親,我們愛您!》。 這些作品旨在緬懷母親,亦向所有在戰亂中以勇氣與奉獻堅守家庭的軍眷女性致上深切敬意。關鍵詞:朱秀毓、軍妻、王蒲臣、軍眷史、婦女史、中國、台灣、抗日戰爭、國共內戰、台海兩岸、家庭史、傳記文學、中華民國史、中國古典詩、現代詩。