1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 595, "The Little Prince," is done.

After finishing his business with Ye Shengtao, Fan Yong went to visit several literary giants in Beijing.

Bing Xin naturally ranks first.

Regardless of how you look at it, Bing Xin is an indispensable children's literature writer in the public eye.

After graduating from Yenching University, while studying English literature in Boston, USA, she wrote essays about her travels and experiences in foreign lands and sent them back to China for publication. These essays were collectively titled "Letters to Young Readers," which is one of the most representative early children's literature works in China and Bing Xin's most famous work besides her poetry collection "Stars and Spring Water."

Just a side note: Yenching University is not Peking University. It was a university jointly established in Beijing by American and British Christian churches, and its president was John Leighton Stuart.

After it was taken over by us, the arts and sciences were merged into Peking University, the engineering was merged into Tsinghua University, the political science department was merged into the China University of Political Science and Law, the sociology department was merged into the Nationalities Institute, and the religious college became independent in 1950, which is the later Yenching Theological Seminary.

As for the school buildings, they were taken over by Peking University. These buildings are now and will remain historical sites of Yenching University.

Returning to Bing Xin, she has always been an indispensable name in the field of children's literature.

Even in later generations, the Bing Xin Cup Essay Competition and the Ye Shengtao Cup Essay Competition have always been two prestigious competitions among young students, nurturing the literary dreams in the hearts of young people.

Since "The Little Prince" is a children's literature work, Fan Yong felt that having Bing Xin write a preface would be of great value.

Compared to the difficulties faced by Ba Jin, things were much easier to negotiate with Bing Xin. Moreover, she was younger and had more energy, and she had maintained a reading habit over the years.

Upon learning that Fan Yong had come for "The Little Prince," Bing Xin immediately became excited and said that she had just read the novel.

"This novel is really well written. At its core, it seems to be written for children, but it is actually like a mirror, reflecting the purity that adults have lost. That's very well written. True fairy tales are never childish. This kind of novel is so good for children. Jiang Xian uses stars, roses and foxes to teach children how to love and take responsibility."

"You're absolutely right," Fan Yong said with great satisfaction.

Since Bing Xin had already read "The Little Prince," writing a preface for it would obviously not be a big problem.

Bing Xin's daughter, Wu Qing, was also at home. Hearing the two talking about "The Little Prince" and the writer Jiang Xian, she was filled with emotion.

Back then, I first met Jiang Xian when I was visiting Japan.

At that time, Wan Fang complained to her privately about how arrogant and unapproachable Jiang Xian was. Wu Qing was not familiar with this writer and did not know much about literature. She just felt that during the subsequent trip to Japan, Jiang Xian, the youngest member of the delegation, had become the "little leader" of the entire delegation without her knowledge.

From the initial mix-up of luggage to the later provocations by some right-wing literary groups in Japan, Jiang Xian always played the role of the backbone of the delegation. Later, even Wu Qing gradually became somewhat dependent on him.

My admiration for Jiang Xian's literary achievements is a recent development.

In previous years, Wu Qing studied American society, history, and community building at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT.

During her time in the United States, Jiang Xian's reputation there reached its peak.

His "Drifters".

His Hunger Games.

These are books that Wu Qing often hears about and frequently sees. In fact, Wu Qing can say with certainty that it is much, much easier for her to find a novel by Jiang Xian in the United States than to find a book by her mother, Bing Xin.

Even Wu Qing's American friends, upon learning that she was the daughter of the famous writer Bing Xin, would ask her if she knew another Chinese writer—Jiang Xian.

It's hard for Wu Qing not to pay attention to this writer. After returning to China, Jiang Xian's writing skills have reached a level that can be regarded as a leading figure among young writers in recent years.

In today's literary world, apart from the older generation like Ba Jin and Bing Xin, the writers with the highest literary status and achievements are Wang Meng and Jiang Xian.

As for Jiang Xian's "The Little Prince," Wu Qing had of course read it as well. After reading it, she couldn't help but like it. She even hurriedly made a simple English translation and sent it to some of her friends in the United States.

These American friends all told her they really liked it after reading it and hoped that the official English version of the novel would be released in the United States soon.

Others may not be sure yet.

But Wu Qing knew very well that "The Little Prince" was a world-class novel written by Jiang Xian.

This young man is truly remarkable!
After bidding farewell to Bing Xin, Fan Yong went to visit Yan Wenjing, a famous children's literature writer.

Yan Wenjing's house has a lot of cats, and Fan Yong felt like he had entered a cat's nest as soon as he went in.

It is said that at its peak, Yan Wenjing had as many as seven cats at home. Moreover, Yan Wenjing loved cats very much. In an era of scarcity, he would eat plain noodles himself but open cans of fish for his cats. The photos he gave away were also pictures of him and his cats.

Fan Yong sat down and chatted with Yan Wenjing about cats for a while. Yan Wenjing humorously said that cats, like people, have feelings, but sometimes people are not as great as cats. For example, our cat will jump off the third floor without hesitation when it is looking for love. Are people that brave?

Fan Yong couldn't help but laugh.

Yan Wenjing is also a well-known children's literature writer. He has written many fables, most of which are collected in "Yan Wenjing's Collection of Fairy Tales and Fables".

Many of these works are well-known.

For example, in "The Wolf That Wags Its Tail," the wolf, who has fallen into a trap, pretends to be "honest and pitiful" in order to get the old goat to help it escape. When the old goat sees its "wolf-like demeanor," it even lies and claims to be a "wolfhound."

"Smoke and Chimneys" takes the different characteristics of the two as its starting point and uses the topic to praise a great silence. The smoke is proud of rising into the sky and finally dissipates completely in its self-inflation, while the chimney "stands silently" and shows its power through silent creation.

Fan Yong and Yan Wenjing talked about the novel "The Little Prince". Yan Wenjing said that he had also read it and then expressed his love for the novel without reservation.

He particularly liked Jiang Xian's writing style regarding animals.

In Yan Wenjing's view, fairy tales should be suitable for children to listen to and watch, so they should be more imaginative and romantic than ordinary literary works. They can be written about everything under the sun and must also use anthropomorphism to achieve their educational purpose.

Works featuring animals as protagonists should "exaggerate based on the animals' habits and skin color, adding imagination, and then praise or criticize them."

Yan Wenjing's own fairy tales are similar; the animal characters are mostly imbued with a strong sense of legend and romance, brimming with an optimistic and uplifting spirit. Furthermore, in his fairy tales, the themes and philosophical implications are always expressed through the actions and dialogues of animals or natural scenery given a certain personality, conveyed in a lighthearted and humorous style, making the reader feel close and readily accepting.

He believes that Jiang Xian's descriptions of animals in "The Little Prince" are far superior to his own.

Not just animals.

Jiang Xian's imagination has surpassed his; those personified figures are already roses, echoes in the mountains, kings, vain people, drunkards, merchants, lamplighters, geographers, snakes, three-petaled desert flowers, rose gardens, switchmen, traders, foxes, and even the narrator of the novel, the pilot himself.

"His writing is very gentle, and he should continue to maintain that gentleness," Yan Wenjing commented.

After bidding farewell to Yan Wenjing, Fan Yong went to Jin Jin's house. Jin Jin needs no introduction, and he was already more familiar with "The Little Prince" than many others. When his work was submitted for the Lu Xun Academy of Literature's graduation project selection, he wrote extensive review comments on the work. When asked to write a preface, Jin Jin agreed without hesitation.

Fan felt relieved, thinking that with prefaces by Ye Shengtao, Bing Xin, Yan Wenjing, and Jin Jin, the publication of "The Little Prince" was finally a "grand affair".

However, Jin Jin then pointed out, "The people you've consulted are all literary figures, and they're all discussing the text of 'The Little Prince.' But this novel consists of two parts. Why are you only discussing the text of 'The Little Prince' and not the illustrations?"

Fan was immediately awakened by Jin Jin's words.

Yes.

To fully understand "The Little Prince," you need to read both the text and the illustrations together.

How can we only appreciate the text of this novel and ignore its illustrations?

“Go find Comrade Hua Junwu and ask him to comment on the illustrations for this novel. He knows about this,” Jin Jin said.

"Hua Junwu?"

Fan Yong certainly knew this person.

In addition, Shanghai Animation Film Studio released an animated film called "The Proud General", which tells the story of a victorious general who becomes arrogant and complacent, neglects his martial arts and military strategy, and is eventually captured by the enemy. The screenwriter of this film was Hua Junwu, and he also drew the script.

By the way, this person is also one of Zhang Yimou's benefactors. When the college entrance examination was reinstated, Zhang Yimou wanted to apply to the Beijing Film Academy, but because he was over 6 years old, he did not meet the requirements for applying to the Beijing Film Academy at that time.

Coincidentally, Xiao Hua, Zhang Yimou's ex-wife, had a brother who was a Chinese language teacher at a middle school in Beijing. Through a friend in the cultural circle, he eventually found Hua Junwu and Huang Zhen.

Huang Zhen and Hua Junwu both thought Zhang Yimou was a talented person, so they wrote a note to the leaders of Beijing Film Academy: "Beijing Film Academy, please study and resolve the issue of Zhang Yimou's admission."

Finally, the Beijing Film Academy gave Zhang Yimou a spot as a "trainee student," and Zhang Yimou was able to enroll.

Fan Yong met Hua Junwu through Jin Jin's introduction. After explaining his purpose, Hua Junwu was somewhat embarrassed.

"I certainly won't refuse to draw anything, but if you ask me to write, well, that would probably make me a laughingstock."

“Then you can draw it,” Fan Yong said immediately. “If you don’t want to write, you can just draw it.”

"Is this okay?"

“Sure, of course,” Fan Yong said.

"Then let me try."

Hua Junwu stroked his chin and said.

Seeing that Hua Junwu's matter was finally resolved, Fan Yong breathed a sigh of relief.

The publication of "The Little Prince" is now in a secure position. Sanlian Bookstore has really given Jiang Xian a lot of face this time. Such a lineup of authors writing the preface is considered luxurious in the publishing industry.
The first preface Fan Yong received came from Bing Xin, whose language possessed a unique kindness and wisdom:

"While reading this book, I always think of my children, and also of my own childhood curiosity about the world. The Little Prince leaving his planet is like every child eventually leaving the protection of their parents to explore on their own. And the picture of the 'boacon swallowing an elephant' is precisely the initial gap in understanding between the adult world and the children's world. This book is a bridge, gently inviting adults to bend down and see the world from a child's perspective again, to understand how real and important their sadness and joy are."

The fox's description of 'taming' is truly brilliant.

It's not about conquering, but about 'creating relationships'.

This requires a 'ritual' and a 'time commitment' to make each other unique in the vast world. How similar this is to the 'fate' and 'affection' we talk about in our culture?

The deep bonds between people and between people and things are formed precisely because of the time and emotions invested, which gives rise to the meaning of 'home'. This is a wise, Eastern philosophy of life.

The beauty of this book's writing lies in its emptiness. It avoids lengthy preaching and ornate language, like the blank spaces in a traditional Chinese painting, allowing for boundless intellectual exploration. Each simple dialogue carries a profound echo. This restrained yet powerful expression is one of the highest realms of literature.

Someone asked me what's so good about this little book?

I think its strength lies in its childlike heart.

Jiang Xian, with the eyes of a pilot and the footsteps of the Little Prince, paints a path for us to return to the true nature of our hearts.

The 'taming' that the fox talks about in the book is about using time and patience to weave emotional bonds. Isn't this what we call 'cherishing fate'?
That proud yet fragile rose taught the Little Prince that 'responsibility' comes from the nourishment of love, not from possession.

These principles, when expressed through the simplest stories, become profound and insightful.

Its words are like a drop of water, telling us that what truly matters is not numbers, not authority, but the connection between the sound of wind blowing through wheat fields and the color of golden hair, the song of a well pulley in the darkness and the resonance of the soul.

Jiang Xian's "The Little Prince" is a fairy tale like a dewdrop, clear yet reflecting the whole world; it tells us:
Only with the heart can one see the true nature of things, and responsibility and love give life weight.

Finally, may everyone who opens this book, whether adult or child, remember their original planet and use their heart, not their eyes, to find the most precious thing in life.

Bing Xin's article is quite long, but if Fan Yong were to choose his favorite line, it would be the one Bing Xin wrote at the end:
May every adult and child protect that rose on their own planet and never forget to look up at the stars.

(End of this chapter)