I recently came across a set of old photos: postpartum pictures taken by Liang Sicheng of Lin Huidyin, who had just given birth to their daughter, Liang Zaiyin, in 1929. At the time, her body hadn’t fully recovered, yet Liang Sicheng kept holding up his camera and snapping the shutter nonstop. When their son Liang Congjie was born in 1932, he did the same thing again. At first glance, it can seem a little odd, but only after understanding their story do you realize it wasn’t a lack of consideration at all—it was their respect for life. Lin Huidyin believed that childbirth was a key moment when a woman transformed from a girl into a mother. This genuine imprint of life was something that deserved to be preserved, and Liang Sicheng always threw his full support behind this belief.

In truth, their story was already set in motion long before. Lin Huidyin was born in 1904 in Hangzhou. Her father, Lin Changmin, had a particularly close relationship with Liang Sicheng’s father, Liang Qichao, and the two children had known each other since childhood. Later, through Liang Qichao’s connections, they studied together at the Songpo Library, their relationship slowly deepening before ultimately going to the United States to study abroad. What’s interesting is that Lin Huidyin applied to the Department of Architecture but was rejected because, at that time, architecture programs did not admit women. She then transferred to the art program, but still insisted on taking architecture courses—this persistence later changed the course of her life. In 1925, her father had an accident, and Liang Sicheng stayed by her side, helping her get through the difficult times. In 1928, the two married in Canada, and they even spent half a year examining ancient European architecture. After returning to China, Liang Sicheng founded the Department of Architecture at Northeast University.

After they married, they joined the Chinese Society for Architectural History and began in-depth research into ancient architecture. In 1932, they went to Yixian County in Hebei to visit Dule Temple; in 1933, they went to Shanxi to explore the Yungang Grottoes; in 1937, at Foguang Temple on Mount Wutai, they discovered Tang dynasty inscriptions, directly overturning the assertion by Japanese scholars that “there are no Tang wooden structures in China.” After the War of Resistance against Japan began, they took their children south to Kunming and Lijiazhuang. Conditions were especially harsh, and Lin Huidyin’s lung illness kept flaring up again and again, but they simply did not stop their research.

After the war ended, they returned to Beijing and threw themselves into work at Tsinghua University’s Department of Architecture. With the founding of New China, despite her illness, Lin Huidyin took part in the design of the national emblem, proposing plans for core elements such as the jade disk and five stars, and in the end they were all adopted. She also participated in the relief design of the People’s Heroes Monument and helped promote the transformation of the cloisonné enamel craft. In 1955, Lin Huidyin died of pulmonary tuberculosis at just 51 years old. Liang Sicheng personally designed her tombstone, carving her floral wreath pattern onto it. In 1972, Liang Sicheng also passed away.

Now, looking back at those postpartum photos, you can understand why they are so precious. It wasn’t only that they bear witness to Lin Huidyin’s pursuit of beauty. More importantly, the photos contain the deep affection between the two of them—together, they pioneered the study and survey of ancient Chinese architecture and made a tremendous contribution to the protection of cultural heritage. Those photos are like the warmest imprints left by time.