Former first lady of China dies, aged 85

时间：2006-10-19 05:45:05

（单词翻译:单击）


Wang Guangmei, widow of former Chinese President Liu Shaoqi, has died at 85 on October 16, 2006. (File Photo)

 

Oct. 18 - China's most elegant and erudite first lady, Wang Guangmei, who was humiliated1 by Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution, has died at the age of 85.

 

The woman who was forced to wear a string of ping-pong balls and face 300,000 people in a “mass struggle” session when she was purged3 at the height of the Cultural Revolution in 1967, died of heart and kidney failure at a Beijing military hospital last Friday.

 

Photographs of her wearing high heels and a string of ping-pong balls to mock her fondness for pearls forged one of the iconic images of the violence unleashed4 during the purge2 of political rivals.

 

She became a scapegoat5 for her husband, President Liu Shaoqi, who succeeded Mao as President in 1959 after the chairman’s 1958 Great Leap Forward campaign.

 

She was jailed for 12 years. Her husband was purged and died in prison in 1969, but she was not told about his death for several years. After her release, she dedicated6 her life to alleviating7 poverty.

 

In 1996, Wang auctioned8 her private antique collection and used proceeds to help impoverished9 mothers, initiating10 "Project Happiness".

 

The collection, consisting of porcelain11 bowls and plates and a brush holder12 made of ivory dating back to the Qing (1644-1911) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, were Wang's dowry from her wealthy father.

 

"I would be reluctant to part with what my mother left me without a reason ... (but) my heart aches even more when I see impoverished mothers," Wang said at the time.

 


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1 humiliated 97211aab9c3dcd4f7c74e1101d555362     
感到羞愧的
参考例句：
  • Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
  • He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。
2 purge QS1xf     
n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁
参考例句：
  • The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
  • The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。
3 purged 60d8da88d3c460863209921056ecab90     
清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响
参考例句：
  • He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
  • The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。
4 unleashed unleashed     
v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
  • The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 scapegoat 2DpyL     
n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊
参考例句：
  • He has been made a scapegoat for the company's failures.他成了公司倒闭的替罪羊。
  • They ask me to join the party so that I'll be their scapegoat when trouble comes.他们想叫我入伙，出了乱子，好让我替他们垫背。
6 dedicated duHzy2     
adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的
参考例句：
  • He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
  • His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
7 alleviating dc7b7d28594f8dd2e6389293cd401ede     
减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
  • Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。
8 auctioned 1a9ab53832945db108ff2919e21fccc6     
v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 impoverished 1qnzcL     
adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化
参考例句：
  • the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
  • They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 initiating 88832d3915125bdffcc264e1cdb71d73     
v.开始( initiate的现在分词 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员
参考例句：
  • He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything. 他善于创建项目，但难得坚持完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Only the perchlorate shows marked sensitiveness and possibly initiating properties. 只有高氯酸盐表现有显著的感度和可能具有起爆性能。 来自辞典例句
11 porcelain USvz9     
n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的
参考例句：
  • These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
  • The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。
12 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物
参考例句：
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

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