Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 166: An Out-of-Control Situation

[…When talking about the reasons for the decline of literature after the 90s, the literary criticism community blames three things: first, the writers are not motivated, second, the readers are too snobbish, and third, the times are not strong enough. As the saying goes, three people make a tiger, and as they talk, not only do they believe it themselves, but even our writers and readers believe it…]

[…But if you think about it carefully, you will find that none of these three reasons are valid. From the 80s to the 90s, society and economy have made great progress, especially the number of people receiving higher education has also expanded. Even the Chinese national football team has entered the World Cup. Why is it that only literature has regressed? ]

[…Did Spain’s literature decline during the Age of Discovery? Did Britain’s literature decline after the Industrial Revolution? Did America’s literature decline after the Electrical Revolution?]

[…Not only did it not decline, but it also produced many great works that have had an impact to this day, such as Don Quixote…]

[… Counting back 1300 years to the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, did literature decline? …]

[…Although we cannot deny that great poets and writers will emerge in turbulent times, such as the poet Du Fu and the last emperor Li Yu. However, these individuals who shine like stars and moons cannot cover up the overall decline of literature in the entire era.]

[…Critics who blame the decline of literature on the progress of the times are either stupid or bad—I would rather they were the latter. Because most of the time, ignorance and stupidity cause more serious damage.]

[…Before this afternoon, I also thought that the “three weirdos” were right to be weird. But after I watched this poor performance, I realized that the decline of domestic literature was caused by the internal troubles! …]

[…What happened to teacher Li Juan is a typical example of literary bullying. It puts on a fair and strict face, manipulates words to confuse people, and says it’s for your own good, but in fact it’s just a disguised obedience test. …]

[This kind of bullying is more covert than the naked physical violence and verbal violence between students. It is actually a kind of mind control technique, and there is a professional term for it - PUA. …]

[…PUA, the full name of which is Pick-up Artist, means “the art of chatting up”. It originally refers to systematically learning how to improve emotional intelligence and interaction skills to attract the other person in order to develop a relationship, until intimate contact occurs.]

[…But this method, when developed to the extreme, is to emotionally manipulate and mentally control the other party through verbal suppression, behavioral denial, and mental distortion.]

[…In the past 20 years, the domestic literary criticism community has used PUA to emotionally manipulate and mentally control the Chinese literary world.]

[…Some people may question that there are literary criticisms all over the world, so why can domestic ones dominate the world? ]

[…My answer is that these critics often have other identities—political, media, publishing…Are there any critics abroad who can scare a poet into changing his stance overnight and writing a poem to beg for mercy?]

[…In addition to PUA, one of the tricks commonly used by literary critics is to “draw a circle to curse you.” In the 80s, they drew a circle around poets such as Shu Ting, Bei Dao, and Gu Cheng, and labeled them as “obscure poetry” to knock them down together;…]

[…Now, without regard for the huge differences in writing styles among Han Han, Xiao Si, Zhang Yueran, and me, they simply and crudely put us into a group called “post-80s writers” so that we can be easily controlled…]

[…In the eyes of some critics, writers are like pigs, slaughtered in batches. This kind of arrogance is unprecedented! They praised me for entering the literary world, but I just felt like I was entering a slaughterhouse…]

[…Thank you, Teacher Li Juan, for setting an example for us to resist PUA. She does not accept criticism as a test of obedience, nor does she accept false praise…]

[…From her experience, we can imagine how many outstanding new generation authors were killed in the early stages of their creative careers by such PUA…]

[…I want to thank this era, the marketization of publishing mechanisms, and the rise of online media platforms, which allow me to bypass the checkpoints guarded by these people and face readers directly…]

[…But the lucky ones are few and far between…]

[…All writers should be wary of critics and resist PUA! ]

The entire article is more than 5000 words long. He spent more than two hours typing the draft on the plane before he was able to finish it in one go in the hotel.

After finishing writing, he looked out the window. It was already starry and almost midnight. Zhang Chao stood up and walked a few steps, standing by the window. Downstairs was the Huangpu River, the lights of the Bund had not yet been completely turned off, and the outline of the Shanghai skyline was faintly outlined in his vision.

Zhang Chao's cell phone was thrown far away on the bed and was deliberately turned to silent mode, so when he picked it up, he saw seven or eight missed calls, two of which were from Jia Pingwa.

It's easy to guess what Mr. Jia wanted to say when he called. He didn't think this matter could be resolved by giving someone a favor. This not only concerns the writing career of an excellent writer like Li Juan, but also concerns the changes in the literary world.

This was a question he had never thought deeply about before he went to Xi'an. Until this afternoon, when he was talking eloquently, Bai Ye's exasperated expression, the gloomy faces of other critics, and the slight smiles on the lips of writers such as Li Juan and Liu Liangcheng -

He realized that his weight in this circle could no longer be measured by that of a fledgling young writer.

His every word, action, and gesture are already the weights that can tip the balance scale. "One word can determine life and death" is a bit exaggerated, but it already has the meaning of "one word is followed by law".

When he first emerged two years ago, he was still thinking about the niche for writers of his age in the literary world. However, it had already been occupied by people like Han Han, so what should he do if he couldn't attract attention?

Now, he was the C position among young writers, pushing Han Han, Xiao Si and others aside. Han Han seemed to be still racing and had published two best-sellers, but no one compared him to him anymore, and he never paid attention to his news.

As for Xiao Si, he should still be running his magazine, but according to reports from Ma Boyong, Shuang Xuetao and others, it seems that several authors who were supporting the magazine have recently moved to "Youth" and "Midnight Tide".

Zhang Chao’s previous criticism of “youth literature” at the Shanghai Book Fair seems to have become the “golden rule” in the minds of a large number of young readers, who have shouted the slogan “Write the books that should be written at your age, and read the books that should be read at your age.”

Zhang Chao's unexpected rise has greatly reduced the reading market of Han Han and Xiao Si. Now in the mainstream media, no one regards them as people who can compete with Zhang Chao in terms of power.

Coupled with the success of comics and movies adapted from his works, people began to generally regard Zhang Chao as a leading figure in the literary world.

There were also a few miscellaneous text messages, some asking him to call back as soon as possible, and some asking about his next plans. He didn't bother to read them. He just glanced at them and threw the phone back to its place.

Back in front of the computer, Zhang Chao read the article again, especially considering whether he should directly write about Li Juan's experience and her name.

By writing this, Li Juan will become irreconcilable with the domestic literary criticism circle. This may not be her original intention. Her tough speech at the meeting today was more of an impulsive act caused by her inner emotional excitement.

If the critics were not so one-sided, or if Zhang Chao did not support her with all his might, Li Juan would have endured it. If some people tried to smooth things over and say nice things afterwards, she might have accepted being PUA.

But if she doesn't write it down, it's unlikely that Li Juan will be able to get along with them again. Although Bai Ye cannot represent all of the domestic literary criticism circle, he is definitely one of the most influential critics at the official level.

If he didn't take advantage of this opportunity to expand Li Juan's influence, she might be polished into a nobody by the invisible hand. When he posted online, except Dongfang Xing who withstood the pressure, weren't all other forums and platforms deleted? It was precisely because of this feeling that Zhang Chao persisted in "Blog China" until Dongfang Xing was completely overwhelmed and kicked him out.

After careful consideration, Zhang Chao decided to publish the manuscript as it was. He thought clearly that for Li Juan, the most important thing was to have more readers. As long as she published more articles and the book sold well, the small actions of the critics would not be a big deal.

The publishing time is 12 o'clock in the evening; the publishing platform is the "Xinlang Blog" which was just launched last year.

And most importantly, the author - "Midnight Tide". This is the first time that this ID has returned to the public's attention after "Undercurrent Collection" one year ago.

The moment he clicked the send button, Zhang Chao felt a surge of emotion, as if he was back to two years ago when he sneaked into the school computer room in the middle of the night to write.

As for what kind of tsunami will be caused this time, he has no control over it.

He slept soundly until noon, then leisurely went to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast.

What he didn't know - or simply didn't care about - was that what happened yesterday afternoon had spread throughout the entire literary world through telephones and the Internet in just half a day.

Bai Ye had a bad feeling when he received a call from Jia Pingwa, saying that no one answered his call to Zhang Chao. Sure enough, Feng Zheng knocked on his door at around seven in the morning and printed out the article Zhang Chao had sent in the middle of the night and gave it to him.

Feng Zheng said worriedly: "Teacher Bai, Zhang Chao has gone crazy. You must take care of yourself. Otherwise, don't attend the meeting today..."

Bai Ye quickly scanned the article, veins popping out of his forehead and bloodshot eyes. When he heard Feng Zheng say that, he half-shouted and interrupted, "Of course I'm going. I have a clear conscience! Not only am I going, I'm also going to send this article to everyone so they can judge for themselves!"

Feng Zheng was anxious and said, "Teacher Bai, please don't be impulsive..."

At this time, Jia Pingwa also came to the guesthouse with a stack of manuscripts in his hand. It was obvious that they were also Zhang Chao's articles. Seeing Bai Ye was angry, he hurried forward and said, "Alas, Zhang Chao is a very bad boy. He didn't even answer my call. Old Bai, you are a big man. Don't argue with him."

By the way, he gave Feng Zheng a look, and Feng Zheng left tactfully.

Bai Ye swung the manuscript and said, "Is this a question of whether I should argue with him or not? This is a matter of life and death for domestic literary criticism! Are many of you writers ready to make a move? Many of you have already sent out your articles, right? Especially Liu Liangcheng..."

Jia Pingwa said, "Not really, not really. When I was helping you with their work yesterday, I stressed that we are all one family in creation and criticism, and we must not quarrel among ourselves!"

Bai Ye barely managed to control his emotions and said, "Since Zhang Chao didn't answer the phone, the key lies with Li Juan. But she can't be contacted now, she should still be on the train back to Xinjiang.

We must not let her really resign. If she resigns, we will have no way to defend ourselves. The only person who can do her job is Liu Liangcheng, but he is also very confrontational now. "

Jia Pingwa took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Well, it's not that there is no solution. I heard that Li Juan's clerk is a temporary worker. Not only does he not have a regular position, but he is also very unstable..."

Bai Ye's eyes lit up and he said quickly, "Pingwa, you've been in the Northwest longer than I have. You must know a lot of people in Xinjiang, right? Please help me get in touch with them. I will definitely repay you for this favor."

Jia Pingwa slowly blew out a smoke ring and said, "We are all from the same hometown, you are too polite. I do know some people there...

Li Juan is just angry now, she acted on impulse. Change her unit or improve her salary, and let her come out and talk after she calms down..."

Bai Ye breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great. Old Jia, I heard that Qianqian is going to Shaanxi Normal University for postgraduate study this year?"

Jia Pingwa nodded and said, "Graduate student in literature and art."

Bai Ye said, "You should have said it earlier. Shaanxi Normal University is my territory. Don't worry, no one will dare to bully Qianqian there. Oh, I heard that she likes to write poetry?"

Jia Pingwa smiled and said, "That's just her little hobby, it's nothing big. I don't know how well it's written, I'm not a poet."

Bai Ye also laughed and said, "I have been influenced by you since I was a child, so I am sure it will be good. Please send me a few songs later."

Jia Pingwa said: "We will try to resolve this matter internally. If Li Juan is well appeased, you can hold a 'Li Juan Works Seminar' at that time."

Bai Ye nodded and said, "Alas, I was too reckless this time. I didn't expect that after hunting geese all day, I would get pecked in the eye by a goose. Lesson, lesson!"

As the two were chatting, there was a hurried knock on the door. Jia Pingwa went to open the door and found that it was Xiao Zhou, the conference organizer of the seminar and one of the editors of the magazine, with an anxious look on his face.

Before Jia Pingwa could speak, Xiao Zhou said, "I've been looking for you for a long time. I just ran into Teacher Feng and found out you were here."

Jia Pingwa took out his cell phone and found many missed calls. He said awkwardly, "I'm not used to using this thing. I rarely turn on the sound. What happened? You look so flustered."

Xiao Zhou said: "I received a notice from the guesthouse that many writers quietly checked out this morning..."

"What?" Upon hearing this, the few remaining hairs of Jia Pingwa stood up, and he hurriedly asked, "How much is a lot?" This morning was the concentrated discussion meeting of the "Contemporary Prose Development Seminar" and the closing ceremony, and there was also a buffet dinner at noon.

The venue and restaurant have been booked, and some leaders have been invited to attend. If too many people show up, the venue will be empty and my face will be completely lost.

Xiao Zhou said: "There were more than 20 people checking out this morning, and there are still many people wavering. When I came up and passed by some people's rooms just now, many of them were packing their luggage."

Jia Pingwa no longer cared about Bai Ye at this time, and trotted downstairs to the front desk of the guesthouse.

Bai Ye was stunned for a while, then followed him downstairs to help. As soon as he reached the first floor stairs, he heard Jia Pingwa earnestly saying to several writers who were checking out:
"...I understand how you feel...They really said too much...Creation and criticism are one family, so try not to quarrel among yourselves..."

Bai Ye slumped down on the stairs. He knew in his heart that the situation was out of control.

(End of this chapter)