1929 was an extraordinary year for Li Xuying. She graduated with honors from Yizhuan, co-organized exhibitions with her close friend Wang Lihua under their newly formed Xuli Design Society, and began to shine in the art world. Soon after, Yizhuan made an exception and hired her as a lecturer. But that wasn’t all. That same year, Li Xuying met the one and only true love of her life—Wang Yuanqi.
Wang Yuanqi’s family was originally from Anhui, but he was born in Beijing in 1912. His family background resembled Li Xuying’s in some ways. His father, Wang Jingzuo, also held a government position; he had studied in Japan and served as a secretary in the Senate Secretariat, then as an assistant in the Bureau of Rites and Customs of the Ministry of the Interior. He had even helped prepare for Sun Yat-sen’s funeral arrangements. Wang Yuanqi was the third of four siblings. His older brother, Wang Yuandu, graduated from the Electrical Engineering Department at Beiping University’s Engineering College. From childhood, Wang Yuanqi loved drawing. Around the fall of 1929, he was admitted to the Department of Applied Arts of Beiping University’s Art College, becoming Li Xuying’s student. He was exceptionally gifted and stood out as one of the most brilliant students in the class. The two were drawn to each other’s talents. What began as mutual admiration blossomed into love, their shared ideals and ambitions bringing them closer step by step.
There was a ten-year age gap—Li Xuying was older and the teacher, while Wang Yuanqi was only a 17-year-old student at the time. In any era, this relationship would have raised eyebrows. Back then, Li Xuying’s stepmother had tried to arrange matches for her, but she turned them all down. Ever since her normal school days, she had rarely depended on her family, and after starting work, she was fully independent. She seldom went home except to visit her aging father. Her financial self-reliance gave her the freedom to decide her own life, leaving her stepmother powerless to interfere. Her father, Li Yuzeng, had always been fond of this daughter and was quite open-minded; he raised no objections to her relationship with Wang Yuanqi. Wang Yuanqi’s mother disapproved of the marriage, but his father did not oppose it. Thus, in the spring of 1932, they became husband and wife. The book Famous Design Artist Li Xuying: Our Mother does not record the exact year of the wedding, placing it simply after Wang Yuanqi’s graduation. The date here comes from the memorial essay Li Xuying wrote after Wang Yuanqi’s death: “I recall the autumn of the 18th year (1929), within the art academy, our discerning eyes recognized each other’s talent. In the spring of the 21st year (1932), atop the Applied Arts Building, we pledged our sincere hearts to grow old together.” Given that Wang Yuanqi’s name still appeared on the 1934 roster of students in the Department of Applied Arts at National Beiping University, he likely had not yet graduated in 1932.
Li Xuying and Wang Yuanqi had a modern-style wedding, complete with a best man and a bridesmaid. Wang Yuanqi wore a Western suit, while Li Xuying wore a bridal veil with a Chinese qipao underneath. The ceremony included an officiant and formal witnesses. The wedding likely took place in the Applied Arts building at the College of Art.
After the wedding, Li Xuying and Wang Yuanqi rented a house and started their own little home. Li Xuying’s salary from teaching at the college was probably their main income, though Wang Yuanqi may have begun teaching at various art schools even before graduation. In their spare time away from their busy work and studies, they would stroll in parks and paint together, living a blissful life. In May 1934, their first child was born, a daughter they named Amin. As first-time parents, they doted on her. Whenever he was free, Wang Yuanqi would lift her up to play, or even crawl on the floor so she could ride on his back. The whole family would erupt in laughter. After the baby was born, likely for financial reasons, they moved in with Wang Yuanqi’s father. The Wang family lived at No. 40 Jizhiwei in the Xicheng District, a rather refined siheyuan (courtyard house). Wang Jingzuo and his wife occupied the main northern rooms with their daughter. The western wing was Wang Jingzuo’s study, while the eastern wing housed the kitchen and nanny’s quarters. Li Xuying’s family lived in the spacious reverse-facing rooms on the south side, where a nanny helped look after the child.
