1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 553: Comparable to "Nostalgia"?
The story of The Little Prince must appear simultaneously with the illustrations of The Little Prince.

Because the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was creating both the novel's content and illustrations simultaneously while writing this story. He was a pilot, but the text and illustrations for this novel were all done by this pilot himself.

Moreover, given Saint-Exupéry's writing style, without illustrations, understanding the plot would likely become extremely difficult.

"Sigh, just being able to write isn't enough, you also have to be able to draw?" Jiang Xian rolled his eyes.

Being a writer is really not easy.

However, in Saint-Exupéry, he probably didn't consider himself entirely a writer.

He's quite similar to Han Han, who is a race car driver and writes down his thoughts on racing while racing.

Saint-Exupéry was even more impressive; he was a pilot, so his primary job was flying planes, and occasionally he would masturbate. Writing was just a hobby.

He only needs to write down what he saw and heard during his voyage, along with a bit of imagination, and he can create a sensation in the publishing world.

"It's so late, aren't you asleep yet?" It was already past midnight when Zhu Lin yawned and pushed open the door, only to find Jiang Xian looking energetic as he slumped over the table.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

"What are you writing? Why are you drawing on it?" Zhu Lin glanced at the manuscript paper on Jiang Xian's desk and saw some strange-looking lines drawn on it, which were rather indescribable.

"You've come at just the right time."

Jiang Xian pushed the drawing paper in front of Zhu Lin, "What do you think of the drawing?"

"How's the drawing?"

Zhu Lin lowered her almond-shaped eyes slightly, carefully observing for a few seconds, "Hmm, what is this? A hat?"

"Looks like you're a rather dull adult too," Jiang Xian chuckled.

"Isn't this just a hat?"

Zhu Lin stared at it for a while longer, but couldn't see anything amiss.

"This is definitely not a hat. This is a giant python digesting an elephant." Jiang Xian solemnly took out the second cross-sectional diagram. From these not-so-elegant lines, it can be seen that this is indeed an intact elephant standing inside the belly of a python. Therefore, the python's head and tail are thin and pointed, but its belly is bulging.

"Who could tell that?"

Zhu Lin was amused by her husband's sudden childlike whimsy and said, "Besides, your drawing isn't very good either. Even the hat you drew is a tattered and worn-out hat."

"Is it that bad?" Jiang Xian rubbed his chin.

"Yes, I have."

Zhu Lin wasn't afraid of hurting Jiang Xian's feelings and bluntly said, "You're a great writer, but your painting skills are terrible. These lines aren't even as good as our daughter's. They're too ugly."

"."

Jiang Xian wasn't really that badly affected.

He copied some patterns onto paper, referring to the illustrations of "The Little Prince" in his mind.

These illustrations aren't particularly professional paintings; they simply use a minimalist watercolor style to give the patterns a unique vitality, which is essentially similar to simplified Chinese paintings.

But when Jiang Xian actually tried to demonstrate, he found it wasn't that simple; there was still some skill involved.

Even his simple line drawings are too deliberate, making the patterns lack any sense of simplicity and beauty.

After all, although Saint-Exupéry was not a professional painter, he had a deep understanding of painting because he had been exposed to architecture in his youth. It was his knowledge of architecture that helped him complete the exquisite illustrations for "The Little Prince".

"Why are you drawing these?" Zhu Lin stared at Jiang Xuan's manuscript for a while.

"Isn't this all for 'The Little Prince'?"

Jiang Xian smiled and explained, "In my vision, 'The Little Prince' should be a novel that combines illustrations and story. Such a novel is more suitable for children to read, so I not only want to write the story, but also create the illustrations."

After listening, Zhu Lin's eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands, "I have an idea."

"Ok?"

Jiang Xian sat in the chair, rested his head on Zhu Lin's chest, and looked up at his wife's chin.

"what idea?"

"How about we have our daughter draw these illustrations for you?"

Zhu Lin's eyes shone with a special light, "This means you and your daughter completed this novel together, how meaningful is that!"

"Ok?"

After considering it, Jiang Xian thought Zhu Lin's idea was actually quite good.

Since his drawings weren't particularly good anyway, he simply had his daughter, a child, draw children's pictures. Although they lacked refinement, they gave the novel a meaning that transcended the illustrations themselves.

This is very interesting.

Last year, in 1986, on a plane that took off from Bangkok, Thailand, bound for Hong Kong, China.

The captain said to the co-pilot, seemingly unintentionally:

"Brother, I saw on the news that hijacking incidents have been frequent in various countries around the world recently. We haven't conducted an anti-hijacking drill in a long time. We're just sitting here anyway, so let's have a drill!"

The co-pilot readily agreed and, following the captain's instructions, obediently handcuffed himself to a handle on the right side of the cockpit.

The next second, the captain's expression changed drastically, and he calmly told the co-pilot.

Our destination has changed.

So on that day, a very special plane landed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

This plane comes from t.

The person piloting the plane was an airline captain.

As soon as we landed, he excitedly opened the cabin door and said to the airport staff who rushed over:

"I want to reunite with my family!"

"I want to settle down in DL!"

Yes, this spectacular feat shocked both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The story has been widely reported on both sides of the Taiwan Strait: a pilot changed his flight route from Bangkok, Thailand to Hong Kong in order to go home and visit his parents.

The captain's heroic act ignited the passion of his fellow countrymen to return to their motherland.

So in the spring of 1987, a crowd of people wearing uniform clothing with the words "homesick" printed on it suddenly appeared on the streets of Taipei.

These people petitioned in front of the Legislative Yuan and distributed leaflets to passersby. Their clothes were covered with slogans such as "Even crows know to feed their parents," "My home is on the Songhua River in Northeast China," "Mother, I miss you so much," "White-haired mother, longing for her son's return, her red dress keeps her in an empty room," and "Separated from her family for forty years."
The leaflet read: "We have remained silent for 40 years. We do not know whether our parents are alive or dead. If they are alive, let us go back and offer them a cup of tea; if they are dead, let us go back and offer them a stick of incense."

Of course, there had been instances of these people returning to visit relatives before. They would travel through Hong Kong to visit relatives in mainland China, but this was not permitted.

Therefore, these people demanded to return home to visit their families, demanding the right to do so openly and legally. This movement gained momentum, and tens of thousands of people quickly joined in.

In addition, just two years ago, a movie called "The Battle of Taierzhuang" was released in China.

This movie is very special.

why?

Previously, our anti-Japanese war films focused on the anti-Japanese spirit of the New Fourth Army and patriotic people, such as the famous model opera "Shajiabang," in which our old man Wang Zengqi also participated in the creation.

Many people have probably heard that there is a very classic villain character in this story.
—Diao Deyi.

What is the story of "Shajiabang"? It is about a place called Shajiabang, where a political instructor of a New Fourth Army unit led eighteen wounded soldiers of the New Fourth Army to recuperate. However, Hu Chuankui, the commander of the "Loyal and Patriotic Army", and his chief of staff Diao Deyi pretended to resist the Japanese invaders.

Well, there's no need to elaborate on what this "Loyal and Patriotic Army" is.

Therefore, "Shajiabang" was previously a microcosm of domestic anti-Japanese war themes: we were good, they were bad.

Of course, this doesn't mean we're stingy.

It's the same there; in their movies and TV shows, we're portrayed as bad and they as good.

In short, this has been a phenomenon for a long time.

But "The Battle of Taierzhuang" is different.

Someone mentioned this to Cheng Yin, a director at the Beijing Film Studio, hoping that the story could be made into a film.

Cheng Yin silently kept his words in mind. Many years later, Cheng Yin brought up the matter again to Chen Dunde, the director of the literature department of Guangxi Film Studio. Because Li Zongren was a member of the Guangxi clique, Cheng Yin hoped that Guangxi Film Studio could cooperate with him to film "The Great Victory of Taierzhuang".

Unfortunately, Cheng Yin passed away suddenly not long after, and his last wish was not fulfilled.

Later, Chen Dunde, the director of the literature department of Guangxi Film Studio, was determined to fulfill Cheng Yin's last wish, which led to the creation of this film.
—The Battle of Taierzhuang

The battle was commanded by Li Zongren. During the month-long fierce fighting, the Chinese army deployed nearly 290,000 troops, while the Japanese army deployed about 50,000. In the end, the Chinese suffered more than 50,000 casualties, while the Japanese army was killed or wounded about 10,000.

This was the first major victory on the main battlefield of the War of Resistance against Japan, and it was also the highest embodiment of Li Zongren's art of command. He led a ragtag army and defeated a strong army with a weak force, achieving such a result.

As it turns out, as long as the principal doesn't get involved, the generals can still win some impressive battles.

The entire film is very objective and realistic. Several classic scenes are shocking. At the end of the film, there is a scene where the bodies of the soldiers are piled up after the war, a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, which is like a Great Wall of flesh and blood.

There are no special effects at this moment.

How was this shot filmed?
That's right, they were played by people. It's said that the director used seven or eight hundred extras to play the soldiers' corpses, which was extremely shocking. So much so that when filming started, almost everyone present couldn't help but immerse themselves in the scene from that time and cried so much that they couldn't continue filming.

The film premiered in Hong Kong. After seeing it, people from Taiwan went to the director's team to ask for a copy. The director's team was hesitant to make a decision and immediately reported it to their superiors. After being reported through multiple levels, the superiors quickly decided to give them a copy.

Thus, a copy of "The Battle of Taierzhuang" was taken to Tai Province.

This film deeply moved someone, and in return for what they received, coupled with the current political movement, they finally made a decision in July 1987:
Agreed to allow veterans to return to the mainland to visit relatives.

10 family visit application forms were snapped up immediately by the public.

At the same time, we have also begun to actively contact and provide our compatriots in need with a variety of services, including hotel accommodation and transportation.

This is an important task. From food, clothing, housing, and transportation to emotional support, every aspect of the work must be done meticulously to ensure that these "wanderers" who have been away from home for many years feel the care of home.

Since there is a task of providing spiritual care, it is inevitable that the cultural field will be involved.

Comrade Zhuo Yongliang, who was in charge of this work, had an idea: to write a heartwarming poem on the permits issued to compatriots visiting relatives.

This poem must be written in simple and sincere language, with deep emotion, so as to evoke a profound longing for compatriots and the motherland.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the strait, a poet named Yu Guangzhong had already created a poem called "Nostalgia".

"Nostalgia is a small stamp."

"Nostalgia is a narrow boat ticket."

"Nostalgia is a low, humble grave."

"Nostalgia is a shallow strait."

One poem moved countless Chinese people, making Yu Guangzhong famous both at home and abroad, and he was hailed as the "poet of homesickness".

In Zhuo Yongliang's vision, the poem to be selected, even if it could not be as beautiful as "Nostalgia", could not be too low-class.

It is important to understand that this exchange was hard-won, and this poem must be remembered and passed down. It must be able to increase the imagination and expectations of our compatriots on the other side of the strait regarding their "homeland".

In short, you don't need many, just one song is enough.

And this poem must shoulder this significant and important task.

Zhuo Yongliang was plunged into anguish.

He essentially set himself a very difficult task.

But he also found this job very meaningful.

But among the many poems in China, which one can truly shoulder such a heavy responsibility?
Zhuo Yongliang bought all the Poetry Journal issues from the last three years. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would hold the Poetry Journal and select poems.

As the largest and most important poetry and literature journal in China, Poetry Journal has published almost all the excellent poems that can be published in China.

Therefore, Zhuo Yongliang must have searched for a poem in the Poetry Journal to find one that could fulfill his great mission, and it was only in the Poetry Journal that he could find it.

Reading day and night, Zhuo Yongliang felt utterly desperate.

In his view, among all the poems in the Poetry Journal, none seemed to be imbued with the same level of thought and emotion as "Nostalgia," and even if one were to take a slightly different approach, it would be difficult to find one that matched "Nostalgia."

"Is it only those who wander far from home who can express such a sentiment?"

Zhuo Yongliang gradually realized this.

Poetry must be infused with the author's intense and genuine feelings; only then can the writing be truly vivid and passionate.

However, since no one in China experiences the feeling of being unable to bear seeing their hometown for forty years, it would be difficult for them to write a piece with such poignant and heartfelt emotions as "Nostalgia."

The originally excellent plan was thwarted.

In his deep frustration, Zhuo Yongliang told the "land poet" Ai Qing about the matter and explained his helplessness.

After listening, Ai Qing, the "Poet of the Land," frowned slightly.

"There's no need to be so absolute in your thinking."

"If it's to express feelings of longing..."

"I do have a poem I can recommend to you."

(End of this chapter)